What Is MathLM?

MathLM administers licenses for organizations running multiple instances of the Wolfram System with a network license. Network licenses have two very important advantages:

MathLM is installed on a single machine, known as the license server. Once MathLM is running, it acts as a gatekeeper for new Wolfram System sessions. MathLM sets up the appropriate number of process slots for each class of computer covered by your network license agreement. MathLM monitors the number of copies of the Wolfram System in use and issues licenses to clients until all available licenses are in use.

The number of concurrent processes that may run over the entire network is located on your electronic or printed license certificate. You can increase the number of processes allowed with a license upgrade from Wolfram Research. See the Wolfram Wolfram System Increment Request Form on the web at (WebLink[wolfram.com/products/mathematica/processes, http://www.wolfram.com/products/mathematica/processes.cgi]) for more information on increasing your process increments.

The Wolfram System consists of two components, the kernel and the front end. The Wolfram Language kernel performs computations. The Wolfram System front end is the graphical notebook interface. For parallel computation, the Wolfram System uses subkernels which are kernels that run in parallel; each subkernel might use a sub-front end. MathLM keeps track of kernel and front end processes separately, as well as distinguishing between master and subprocesses.

A client Wolfram System process must request a license from MathLM before it starts taking user input or performing calculations. In order for clients to run the Wolfram System, MathLM must be running on the license server at all times. If the client machine making the request is not of a type covered by the license, or if all the process slots are already in use, the client Wolfram System process cannot be started.