Appendix H - RLM Temporary Files

RLM stores roam files, server lockfiles, rehostable hostids, etc. in an “RLM directory” on your system.

The “RLM directory” is:

  • /var/tmp on Unix/Mac (Mac prior to RLM v14.1)

  • /Library/Application Support/Reprise (Mac for RLM v14.1 and later) (server lockfiles still in /var/tmp)

  • ProgramDataReprise (Windows)

  • Docs and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataReprise (Windows pre-vista).

Files stored here include:

  • server lock files

  • server roam files

  • server transfer definitions

  • server meter files

  • client-side detached demo files

  • client-side roam files

  • client-side cache files

  • client-side “single” lockfiles

  • client-side rehostable hostid data

  • client-side temporary licenses from RLM Cloud

  • ASH contact data

The server’s lock file name is rlmlock<isv> on Windows, and .rlmlock<isv> on Linux/Mac, where <isv> is your ISV name.

If you have lockfile problems on Linux which can’t be attributed to another copy of the server running, then check the protection on /var/tmp to make sure it allows world rwx. On Windows, what sometimes happens when the first version of the RLM server to run on a system is pre-v9.4, is that the lock file is created with restrictive permissions that don’t allow a different user to lock it. V9.4 and later create the Reprise folder with wide-open access that is inherited by files created in it, so this problem doesn’t occur.

Deleting the lock file is OK to solve the immediate problem.

The server’s roam file name is:

isvname&product&version&share&max_share&hostid

(on Unix systems, this name is preceded with a single “.”)

The rehostable hostids are directories inside <rlm directory>/isvname

The ASH contact data is contained in <rlm directory>isvname.last on Windows and <rlm directory>/.isvname.last on non-Windows.

Notes on the v14.1 filename transition on Mac

In the transition in v14.1, RLM will continue to look in the old location (/var/tmp) for server lock files and client-side “single” lockfiles. RLM will look in the new location for all other files listed above. meaning that roaming/metering/detached demo/transfer definitions will not be preserved across the v14.1 RLM boundary. Rehostable hostids should be revoked on the old RLM version and re-activated in RLM v14.1. Finally, client-side temporary licenses and ASH contact data, which are both new in v14.1, will be in the new directory.

Notes on the v14.1/v14.2 issues in rlm_init() on Mac

In RLM v14.1, rlm_init() would return the error RLM_EH_NOTEMPDIR on MAC if the temporary directory was not present and could not be created. In v14.2 and later, this error is no longer returned. However, if the temporary directory can’t be created, some other operations may fail later. These include any operations that utilize any of the following data:

  • Client-side Detached Demotm files

  • Client-side roam files

  • Client-side cache files

  • Client-side “single” lockfiles

  • Client-side rehostable hostid data

  • Client-side temporary licenses from RLM Cloud (new in 14.1)

  • ASH contact data (new in 14.1)

If your application does not utilize any of the above data, you will not notice any unusual behavior without an RLM temporary directory on MAC. The license server still requires the temporary directory, and will refuse to run without one.