HCL License Dashboard: Background and first steps

You can use the Domino License Administration feature (DLA) database (dominodla.nsf) on the administration server of the domain to view a dashboard containing the latest DLAU report on users by license type.

For DLA to be fully functional, Domino servers must be running a version of Domino that is compatible with DLA. The administration server must be running 14.5 or later. Other servers in the domain that are running 14.5 or later can provide the full required input data. Servers that are running any version 12 release up to 12.0.2 Fixpack 6 or any 14.0 release up to 14.0 Fixpack 4 can only provide partial data only and thus are not fully compatible. Servers that are running any release prior to version 12 are not DLA compatible. HCL plans to make 12.0.2 Fixpack 7 and 14.0 Fixpack 5 be fully DLA-compatible when they are released.

DLA runs a DLAU report automatically soon after the administration server is updated to Domino 14.5. Thereafter, it runs once per week. No administration action is needed. Results are captured in dominodla.nsf. This information can be useful to determine Domino licensing needs.

Getting started with the dashboard

If the Domino domain has any external directories, refresh the design of the Directory Assistance databases on any 12.0 or later servers with the latest 14.5 template (da.ntf). On the Basics tab of the Directory Assistance document, change the "Directory contains external users" item to "Yes" to tell the License Administration feature that any users in this directory are external users.

After DLA first runs, it will have created the database dominodla.nsf on the administration server. When opened, the HCL License Dashboard displays -- we'll cover the details in the next sections. But first, there are settings that you might want to change to control DLA operation.

  1. Open the Domino License Administration feature (DLA) database (dominodla.nsf) on the administration server of the domain.
  2. Click Settings in the navigation to display the HCL License Dashboard Settings document.
  3. If the domain has directory data for any external organizations, they must be identified to DLA so it can properly classify users:
    1. Click on the twistie for External Organizations. A dialog appears that lists all the external organizations and organizational units that were collected by DLA from all Notes and LDAP directories in the domain.
    2. Check any organizations that are external.
    3. When done, click OK and then Save & Close.

      The settings are saved and will be used on the next DLA scan.

  • Scan log level can be set to Minimal, Normal, Verbose, or Debug. Normal is usually sufficient, but specify a different level if more or less detail is desired.
  • Scan target can be set to File, Console, or Both. Log files are placed in the IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT directory and start with the prefix DLA_ScanLog followed by the server name and date and have a .log extension.
  • In certain situations it may be useful to get detailed logging on a particular user or a set of users that match a search string to obtain a better understanding of how DLA classifies those users.
    1. Check the User trace enabled checkbox.
    2. Enter the maximum number of users that should be matched.
    3. Enter the user trace match string -- any users whose full user name contains this string will be matched. An organization or organization unit name may be used to get tracing on multiple users. Matches are not case sensitive.