SUMMARY: How to count the number of users of a file/program with PCNFS ?

From: Bernard Bordonado (bbc@aqca.cnes.fr)
Date: Thu Nov 10 1994 - 20:23:50 CST


Hello Sun Managers,

Many Thanks to all who replied :

"Mike Phillips 3788" <ukcphmr@ukpmr.cs.philips.nl>
"F-J. Moser - ABB Power Generation Ltd - Baden/Switzerland" <mos@e.KWL.CHKRA.abb.com>
Martin Achilli <martin@gea.hsr.it>
Ian MacPhedran <Ian_MacPhedran@engr.usask.ca>
Michael Myers <mmyers@willamette.edu>
Dave Fetrow <fetrow@biostat.washington.edu>
Frank Bonnet <bonnetf@bart.esiee.fr>

My original posting was :
>
> Hello Sun Managers,
>
> We have the following configuration :
> - An HP9000/800 server who runs the pcnfs/nfs daemons.
> - About 30 client PC with PCNFS 5.1.
>
> All data and applications, for example Word for Windows, Excel, ... are on the server.
> Our policy is to have nothing on the local client (the PC) to make configuration easier.
>
> The problem is the following :
> At a given time, 5 PC use Word (for example).
> We would like to be able to measure this number of users from the server
> and so buy only the number of licenses corresponding of the real use of
> each software.
>
> Is it possible to know on the Unix server if a PC opens a given file ?
> (for example, winword.exe)
>
> If it is not possible, is there a tool on PCNFS client (or windows itself !)
> that can make log and statistics ?
> (for example, produce a log file containing all launch times for winword.exe, ...)
>
> I will summarize.
>
> Thanks a lot.

Mainly three answers were given :

1- Use lsof, a public domain software (ls open files).
   Thanks to Martin who sent me a copy (ftp available at hpux.cict.fr, and many others).
   This tool is very powerful, but in fact seems not to be useful for our problem
   because it can't tell us if a file is open on the NFS client (the PC).

2- Use LOCKER for NFS v1.75
   Demo version is available at ftp.york.ac.uk (/pub/pc-nfs/locker).
   I evaluate this tool :
   - You first create a list of the programs you want to licence meter.
     It works as well with DOS or WINDOWS programs.
     Example : winword.exe
   - LOCKER then renames winword.exe in winword.@@@ and creates a little winword.exe
     wich function is to control the number of users before to authorize lauch.
   The system seems to be quite good but waste disk space.

3- Set up a different PC mount point for each product, get windows to mount the drive
   when the product was to be used and then use showmount on the NFS server to sho
   who was mounting what.

Best regards

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