new licence for questa starter edition has already expired?

[timeportal]

Recent versions of Alterea tools come with questa instead of modelsim. We appear to have a license in our server for both the paid and free products of questa valid for the dates that we purchased the Intel software but both versions of the software report that they cant obtain a license with no other diagnostic information.

I have encountered brick walls with the paid modelsim license in the past so I have always used the free version, and so I am attempting first only the free version of questa as well.

Today I downloaded a new questa free edition license, but the server indicates that it has already expired?

"intelqsimstarter" v2026.05, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 08-may-2026
vendor_string: 32C0D79A
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 8-may-2025, expires: 08-may-2026

This license cannot be checked out because:
Feature has expired.
Feature: intelqsimstarter
License path: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat:
FlexNet Licensing error:-10,147

Any guidance on how someone might actually install and use the free questa simulator are greatly appreciated?

[sstrell]

Is your LM_LICENSE_FILE environment variable pointing to the new file?

[timeportal]

Its pointing to our license server which has installed within it a copy of the license and was commanded to reread the file after adding the new license.

The diagnostic output you see in my first message is obtained by running "lmutil lmdiag" on our license server and pointing it to explicitly examine our Altera license file, and you can see the attached down-selected output corresponds to the license I added at the end of this file today. The questa itself provides no diagnostic information when it does not obtain a license.

By the way, I don't fully understand "Feature has expired", shouldn't it instead say "Feature's license has expired?" The Intel license site does not ask for an explicit version of free questa when generating the license?

[timeportal]

PS: I generated a new quests floating license for use with our license server. Presumably that's acceptable for sites that need to manage the free questa licensing from within a server? The Intel web site didn't complain about generating a floating license for the questa free version.

We have a quartus pro license that has expired and is typically renewed this time of the year. We are successfully licensing quartus versions up to when our license expired with our license server. Its only the two 22.4 questa {std,free} products that are unable to obtain a license, despite licenses for them being present in our server's configuration. The 17.1 free modelsim runs successfully at our site, but initial appearances are that it is challenged to simulate 22.4 qsys generated files  so I am unable to proceed  with my regression tests in the simulator.

Here is the output from the "lmutil lmdiag" when it is directed to explicitly examine the Altera license file on our linux server.

/opt/flexlm/lmutil lmdiag intelqsimstarter -c /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2021 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
FlexNet diagnostics on Thu 5/8/2025 18:45

-----------------------------------------------------
License file: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat
-----------------------------------------------------
"intelqsimstarter" v2023.11, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 14-nov-2023
vendor_string: AC46DEC1
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 14-nov-2022, expires: 14-nov-2023

This license cannot be checked out because:
Feature has expired.
Feature: intelqsimstarter
Expire date: 14-nov-2023
License path: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat:
FlexNet Licensing error:-10,32
-----------------------------------------------------

Enter <CR> to continue:
"intelqsimstarter" v2026.05, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 08-may-2026
vendor_string: 32C0D79A
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 8-may-2025, expires: 08-may-2026

This license cannot be checked out because:
No socket connection to license server manager.
Feature: intelqsimstarter
License path: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat:
FlexNet Licensing error:-7,10015
-----------------------------------------------------

/opt/flexlm/lmutil lmdiag intelqsim -c /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2021 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
FlexNet diagnostics on Thu 5/8/2025 18:46

-----------------------------------------------------
License file: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat
-----------------------------------------------------
"intelqsim" v2023.11, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 14-nov-2023
vendor_string: 624B3740
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 14-nov-2022, expires: 14-nov-2023

This license cannot be checked out because:
Feature has expired.
Feature: intelqsim
Expire date: 14-nov-2023
License path: /var/flexlm/flexlm-altera/license.dat:
FlexNet Licensing error:-10,32
-----------------------------------------------------

/opt/flexlm/lmutil lmdiag -v
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2021 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
lmdiag v11.18.2.0 build 281478 x64_lsb

[timeportal]

I can also run these queries over the network. I do see this "No socket connection to license server manager" message which is change from what I received and copied into the first post. Its interesting that it occurs with only one of the licenses?

/opt/flexlm/lmutil lmdiag intelqsim
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2021 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
FlexNet diagnostics on Thu 5/8/2025 18:59


License file: 27001@x.x.x
-----------------------------------------------------
"intelqsim" v2023.11, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 14-nov-2023
vendor_string: 624B3740
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 14-nov-2022, expires: 14-nov-2023

This license cannot be checked out because:
Feature has expired.
Feature: intelqsim
Expire date: 14-nov-2023
FlexNet Licensing error:-10,32
-----------------------------------------------------

/opt/flexlm/lmutil lmdiag intelqsimstarter
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2021 Flexera. All Rights Reserved.
FlexNet diagnostics on Thu 5/8/2025 19:00

License file: 27001@x.x.x
-----------------------------------------------------
"intelqsimstarter" v2023.11, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 14-nov-2023
vendor_string: AC46DEC1
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 14-nov-2022, expires: 14-nov-2023

This license cannot be checked out because:
Feature has expired.
Feature: intelqsimstarter
Expire date: 14-nov-2023
-----------------------------------------------------

Enter <CR> to continue: 
"intelqsimstarter" v2026.05, vendor: mgcld, expiry: 08-may-2026
vendor_string: 32C0D79A
License server: lcssvr-data2
floating license starts: 8-may-2025, expires: 08-may-2026

This license cannot be checked out because:
No socket connection to license server manager.
Feature: intelqsimstarter
FlexNet Licensing error:-7,10015
-----------------------------------------------------

[timeportal]

I did look at the log file for mgcld and it indicates that it is exiting because there are no unexpired licenses to serve up. This explains the message below, but why is a new questa starter edition license I generated very recently already characterized as being expired by the license server?

No socket connection to license server manager. 

[paveetirrasrie_Intel]

Hello,

Good day to you.

Kindly follow the steps mentioned here to install Questa License correctly. And please ensure the license path has only the new license file. Remove older license file if its located in same path.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/programmable/683472/25-1/and-software-license.html

Regards,

Pavee

[timeportal]

I am starting to infer based on trial and error that the mgcld license file need to be 100% regenerated periodically (possibly yearly), but the alterad license file remains valid for products purchased prior to the license file generation date?  

[paveetirrasrie_Intel]

Hello,

Yes, the license file will be valid till the date stated for expiration in license file.

Regrads,

Pavee

[paveetirrasrie_Intel]

Hello,

Good day to you.

Does previous reply answered your question?

Regards,

Pavee

[paveetirrasrie_Intel]

Hello,

We didn't hear from you since last update and hope issue have been resolved at your end. If you have a new question, feel free to open a new thread to get the support from Altera experts. 

Otherwise, the community users will continue to help you on this thread. 

Thank you.