Does LDK work on a virtual machine?
This page applies to Harlequin v13.1r0 and later; both Harlequin Core and Harlequin MultiRIP.
The normal LDK soft locks that Global Graphics provides do not permit the LDK Server to serve a license to a RIP running on a virtual machine (VM). A specific VM-lock can be provided instead, which authorizes the RIP to run on a VM, although there are some limitations to that usage.
In some HHR installations the LDK Server and the RIP itself are installed on the same operating system on the same physical server, so the same limitations apply to the LDK Server as to the RIP. For more information regarding systems with a remote LDK Server see How do these options interact with VM usage?
A VM-lock has re-hosting disabled; this means that it cannot be transferred in a planned move from one computer to another. We recommend that you use VM-locks only for licenses that are used under a VM to avoid unnecessarily restricting the ability to re-host.
VM-locks only work in a VM clustering solution if it is configured to restrict the image to be run on one specific physical server.
Initial testing with an unconstrained cluster installation may appear to indicate that the licensing is working if the image is installed, activated, and then tested in one go, because the cluster manager may maintain it on a single server. If the manager later moves the image to a different server, the RIP reports that it does not have a license.
The image must always be allocated the same MAC address.
An installation with dynamically allocated MAC addresses can initially appear to work, but fails later when a different MAC address is allocated.
When ordering each software license from Global Graphics, you must selected its a soft-lock or VM-lock. It is not possible to migrate a license from one to the other.