BToolkitd and Linux Hardware Licences

BToolkitd is the licence daemon which must be running in order to execute the B-Toolkit, (but see also Linux Hardware Licences).

During installation BToolkitd is put in the $BKIT directory, but it may be moved to any convenient directory for execution; the licence file B.licence (supplied separately from the B-Toolkit) may also reside in any convenient directory. If this licence file is not present, BToolkitd will not execute.

On invocation BToolkitd should be given the full path to the B.licence directory; so assuming that BToolkitd and B.licence are in /usr/local/bin and /usr/local/lib respectively, it may be invoked: 

    /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/lib
To ensure that the daemon runs on start-up the following text should be inserted in an appropriate start-up file (for example /etc/rc.local on SunOs4.x, /etc/rc2.d/s73nfs.client on Solaris, /etc/rc.d/rc.local on Linux): 
    #
    # start BToolkitd
    #
    if [ -f /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd ]; then
            /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/lib & echo -n ' BToolkitd'
    fi
For convenience, the licence file may now have a name other than B.licence, in which case the full path to the licence (rather than to its directory) should be given: for example, if the licence is called B.licence_ultra5, and resides in the /usr/local/licences directory, it should be invoked: 
    /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/licences/B.licence_ultra5
Note that the following are equivalent:  
    /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/lib
    /usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/lib/B.licence

BToolkitd may take an optional port-number second argument (see below)

Running BToolkitd: the platform

The BToolkitd daemon may be run on any (networked) platform; in a client-server installation it would typically be run on the server platform, and in this case the ipaddress of the server platform (in the usual dotted quad decimal notation) or the name of the server platform (when the name should be resolvable on all client machines to an ipaddress via "gethostbyname") should appear in the file: 
    $BKIT/B_server
(ie. in the BKIT directory of the B-Toolkit installation). The BToolkit will then use this file (together with the optional $BKIT/B_port file) to establish the platform/port on which the daemon is running, and attempt to establish a TCP/IP connection.

If the file $BKIT/B_server does not exists, it will be assumed that BToolkitd is running on the same platform as the BToolkit, as will be the case in a single-platform installation. same platform.

Running BToolkitd: the port

BToolkitd establishes a TCP/IP connection: clients obtain the ipaddress from the $BKIT/B_server file (or use their own ipaddress if this file is not present), and the port is established in one of three ways:
  1. If the /etc/services file contains a BToolkitd entry, this is the port number that is used; the entry would look something like:
    2.       BToolkitd       2050/tcp     # BToolkit daemon
    If this method is used, all clients as well as the server, should have the same entry in their services file.
     
  2. If /etc/services does not contain a BToolkitd entry, and a second port-argument  is given to BToolkitd, for example:
    3.       usr/local/bin/BToolkitd /usr/local/licences/B.licence_ultra5 5000
    then that port in taken. However in this case, the file 
          $BKIT/B_port
    should be created to contain the port , so that clients may contact the daemon on the correct port.
     
  3. Finally, if neither of the above apply, the default port 2107 is used.

    4.  

BToolkitd utilities: BToolkitd_util

These facilities are provided by BToolkitd_util (in the $BKIT directory) but should not normally be required.

BToolkitd_util may be invoked in the following four ways:

  1. BToolkitd_util status

    2. Displays the current status of the licence manager
     
  2. BToolkitd_util down

    3. Stops BToolkitd gracefully
     
  3. BToolkitd_util remove lic_num [ lic_num ... ]

    4.  
  4. BToolkitd_util reread

    5. Causes BToolkitd to reread the licence file after it has been updated
    Returns licences to the pool; lic_num is one of the licence numbers displayed through BToolkitd_util status
Note that the BToolkitd daemon uses syslogd, and so information is displayed in the console window of the platform on which it is running.
 

Linux Hardware Licences

As an alternative to running BToolkitd, hardware evaluation licences may be obtained for stand-alone Linux installations. Note that networking does not need to be installed on such machines.

Obtaining and installing the licence is a four-part process (assuming you have already downloaded and installed the latest version of the B-Toolkit, and set the BKIT Environment Variable):

  1. Execute: 
        $BKIT/BToolkitd_util code
    This will produce a file containing a dotted-quad hardware code for your machine.

  2. Visit http://www.b-core.com and navigate to the section on Evaluation Licences.
    Fill in and submit the form giving the hardware code you obtained above.

  3. When the email arrives, save the mail message as the file: 

        BHW.mail
    in the $BKIT directory.

  4. Execute: 
        $BKIT/BToolkitd_util installBHW
    This will install the hardware licence and you will now be able to run the B-Toolkit.


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