A Templater floating license runs on a small piece of server software called Dataclay License Manager, or DataclayLM. You activate your floating key on that one server, and every Templater client on your network then borrows a seat from it. If the server is off or unreachable, clients cannot lease a seat. That is the main thing to understand before you set one up, and it shapes every decision below.
This guide is for the person who has to stand the server up and keep it healthy. It covers what DataclayLM does, where to run it, how to install and activate it, which settings it exposes, how to watch it once clients connect, and what to do when something goes wrong. For the client side of the picture, our guide on what a floating license is explains the idea, and the aescripts + aeplugins manager steps live in a separate install guide.
What DataclayLM is and where to run it
DataclayLM is a graphical application that helps you install, configure and run a floating license server on a local machine or network. It was designed so that someone who is not a systems administrator can activate and manage the service. Rather than handling license keys machine by machine, you set up one server that grants temporary license leases to client machines. Only the allowed number of devices can hold a lease at the same moment.
You will use it for five jobs. You activate the license server. You configure its settings. You start or stop it. You monitor license usage. And you reach the server logs when you need to diagnose something. Once the server is running, clients check out and return licenses by themselves, with no one touching a key.
The requirements are modest. DataclayLM runs on Windows 10 and newer, Windows Server 2019 and newer, macOS 10.15 and newer, and Ubuntu 22.04 and newer. Our docs say administrator privileges are needed for the installation.
Supported Platforms
Where DataclayLM can run
| Operating system | Minimum version | Installer file |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 and newer | .exe, Run as Administrator |
| Windows Server | Windows Server 2019 and newer | .exe, Run as Administrator |
| macOS | macOS 10.15 and newer | .pkg file, double-click |
| Ubuntu | Ubuntu 22.04 and newer | install_wizard_linux.sh with sudo |
Where you run it matters more than the version you run. Our docs recommend physical hardware inside your own network, preferably on premises, and a dedicated machine. The reason is the activation fingerprint. Dataclay’s licensing mechanism generates a fingerprint to identify the machine being activated. If you install DataclayLM on a cloud-based virtual machine, a server reboot can change that fingerprint. The change desynchronizes your DataclayLM server from Dataclay’s licensing server. Once that happens, trying to deactivate from the machine will not work, because the two sides no longer agree about who the machine is. You have to deactivate the key through the web instead. After it is deactivated, you can activate it again. That is a recoverable problem, but it is an annoying one, and the way to avoid it is to put the server on hardware whose identity does not shift when it restarts.
You can install DataclayLM and Templater’s floating build on the same machine. We still recommend a dedicated machine for DataclayLM. The machine running it should be treated as a server: always on and reachable. That includes the networking side. Firewall rules have to allow client machines to talk to the server, and our support does not cover specific networking setups. Plan that part with whoever manages your network before you install anything.
One key, several seats
DataclayLM can be activated with only one floating license key at a time. A key can carry multiple seats, and the seats are what the server leases out. The example in our docs is a Templater Rig floating key with 10 seats. You activate it once, on the machine running DataclayLM. After that, you can have an unlimited number of client machines with the floating version installed, all leasing from that server, and up to 10 of them can hold activated seats at once.
Our technical lead put it in plain terms for us on October 30. If at most six people are active at once, the floating key needs six activations. Our founder added that a floating key can have anywhere from one seat to N seats, with at least one. So the question to answer before you buy is how many people need Templater at the same time. The number of installed machines does not decide it.
Also remember that the key type is fixed at purchase. A standard node-locked key cannot activate the floating build, and a floating key cannot be activated in the standard build. If you bought the wrong type, contact support.
Installing and activating the server
Download the .zip archive for your operating system from Dataclay’s downloads page, which lives at dataclay.com/downloads/license-manager/. Save it somewhere convenient, such as your Downloads folder, and extract it. On macOS, double-click the .zip. On Windows, right-click it and choose Extract All. On Linux, run the unzip command from a terminal inside the directory that holds the download, using the archive name.
Then run the installer for your platform.
On macOS, find the .pkg file in the extracted folder, double-click it, enter your admin password if prompted, and follow the screens. On Windows, find the .exe file, right-click it, choose Run as Administrator, confirm any prompts, and follow the setup wizard. On Linux, find the install_wizard_linux.sh script, open a terminal in that folder, and run it with sudo, which gives it administrator rights. Enter your password and follow the prompts.
When the installation completes, DataclayLM launches automatically and walks you through activation and first configuration. If it does not launch, go to the folder where it was installed and double-click the app icon.
Activate the license
If the license is not yet activated, the app prompts you for the key. Find your floating license key, which your software vendor or system administrator supplies. Enter it in the field provided and click Activate. A successful activation shows a confirmation message and takes you to the main application interface.
If activation fails, write down the error message. Check that the key is entered correctly and that the machine has a working internet connection. Our troubleshooting list adds two more checks: outbound HTTP and HTTPS traffic must be allowed, and restarting the application and trying again is on the list. The application log viewer, described below, is the next place to look.
Why does the server need the internet? Because it activates against Dataclay’s licensing service. Our docs also describe a web-based deactivation as the fallback when that server and the machine fall out of sync.
Set the server’s options
With the license active, click Settings. You can configure the port the server runs on, the duration of a license lease, the number of CPU threads to use, the location where a log file is written, and the auto-start behavior of the server. Our docs say that in most environments the default settings are enough. We would still look at two of them on purpose.
The lease duration controls what happens when a client machine disappears. When After Effects quits, Templater’s license is released and goes back to the pool. If the machine running After Effects is no longer available, DataclayLM releases the license after a user-configurable amount of time. That configurable time is this setting. A short duration frees a seat held by a crashed machine sooner. We cannot give you a recommended value, because our docs do not state one, so decide it with your own team and test it. The auto-start behavior is the other setting that deserves a decision. A server that does not come back after a power cut or reboot leaves every client without a seat.
Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page. You can restart, stop and deactivate the server from there. You will also find the server’s public IP address, which your Templater users need. Click Save Settings after any change, before you leave the page, as our docs instruct.
Running it day to day
After activation and configuration, there are three places in the app that tell you what the server is doing.
The Leases tab shows real-time information about which users currently hold licenses from the server. It also lists the most recent clients that have released or dropped their licenses. This is the first place to look when someone says they cannot get a seat. If every seat is leased, the tab shows it, and the answer is that the pool is full, not that something is broken.
The Logs tab displays recent connection activity from client machines, including successful license requests and any errors. When a client cannot connect, the log is where the reason is written down.
The Export Logs button saves the server’s logs to a file. Use it when you need to hand something to your IT team or to our support team. If the export fails, make sure the destination folder is writable, or try your Desktop or Documents folder instead.
There is a fourth view that is easy to miss. From any screen, the Terminal Icon button in the lower right corner opens the application log viewer. That viewer shows messages from DataclayLM itself, not from the server it runs. It is the right place to look if you cannot activate the software or the interface misbehaves.
Giving clients the address
To let Templater users connect, give them the public IP address and the port number of the machine running DataclayLM. You can read the IP at the bottom of the Settings page. On each client, open the Templater panel in After Effects, click Preferences, and in the Templater Features Floating section click License Server. Enter the IP address and the port. With Templater 3.0 or later, you can add up to two failover servers as well. Click Save and restart Templater.
Afterward, the same preferences section offers License Info, Request License and Drop License. License Info shows the server details and the edition for the license in use. Request License asks the pool for a seat. Drop License gives the seat back. A person who is finished for the afternoon but leaves After Effects open can drop their license so a colleague can use it.
Make sure the machine is reachable on the network and that the port is not blocked by a firewall. Our own docs list both in the checks for a client that cannot reach the server.
When something goes wrong
Our docs give a short list of problems and the checks for each. We have grouped them the way you will meet them.
If activation fails, check the key, the internet connection and outbound HTTP and HTTPS access. Restart the application and try again, then read the application log.
If Templater cannot connect to the licensing server, confirm the server is started and running. Check that the IP address and port you gave clients are correct. Check that no firewall or anti-virus software is blocking the port, and that the server’s machine is reachable from the client’s network. Then read the Logs tab for errors tied to incoming client connections.
If licenses are not being issued, make sure there are licenses left to lease. The Leases tab shows whether every seat is already out. Restarting the DataclayLM app resets the server. Review the Logs tab and the application logs after that.
If the app stops responding, restart it and read the application log. If the behavior continues, export the log and submit a support ticket to Dataclay.
A worked example, with its limits
Here is a hypothetical. A studio buys a floating key with eight seats. Someone installs DataclayLM on a spare desktop in the equipment room, plugs it into the network, activates the key, and sets the lease time. They write the IP and port on the wall chart. Twelve workstations get the floating build, each pointed at the server. On a day when nine editors want Templater, eight get a seat and one waits until another editor quits After Effects or drops a license. The Leases tab shows who holds what.
That example is invented to show the mechanics. It is not a sizing guide, and we have no benchmark for how many clients one server can handle, so do not read one into it.
Who should pick something else
A floating license is not the right choice for everyone. If you only want one license that moves between machines, talk to support about the right key type. A standard key suits a single workstation. If you do not want to run an always-on server, a floating key will create work you do not want. And if you plan to host the server on a cloud virtual machine, you accept the reboot-and-fingerprint risk described above. Our docs recommend physical hardware on your own network instead.
For the pieces around this setup, see our Templater licensing guide, the render farm versus your own batch machine comparison, and how to render on a server. The product page for Templater lists the editions.
The bottom line is that DataclayLM is a small server with a clear job. Put it on dedicated, always-on hardware you control. Activate one floating key on it, set the lease time on purpose, hand clients the IP and port, and watch the Leases and Logs tabs. When a client cannot get a seat, check the server is running, then the address and port, then the firewall, in that order.
That is the whole server from install to troubleshooting. Here are the questions a buyer asks before taking on the job, answered from our docs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many floating license keys can one DataclayLM server use?
One. DataclayLM can be activated with only one floating license key at a time. That key can carry multiple seats, and the server leases them to client machines. Our docs give a Templater Rig key with 10 seats as the example: you activate it once on the DataclayLM machine, any number of client machines can have the floating build installed, and up to 10 of them can hold activated seats at once. If you need a different arrangement, talk to our support team.
Where should I install DataclayLM?
On physical hardware inside your own network, preferably on premises, and ideally on a dedicated machine. The machine should be always on and reachable. Cloud-based virtual machines carry a risk: a server reboot can change the activation fingerprint, which desynchronizes your server from Dataclay’s licensing server. When that happens, deactivation from the machine will not work, and you must deactivate the key through the web before activating again. Installing it on the same machine as Templater is possible, but we do not recommend it.
What operating systems does DataclayLM run on?
Windows 10 and newer, Windows Server 2019 and newer, macOS 10.15 and newer, and Ubuntu 22.04 and newer. Installation needs administrator privileges. On macOS you run the .pkg file, on Windows you run the .exe file as administrator, and on Linux you run the install_wizard_linux.sh script with sudo. Download the .zip for your platform from dataclay.com/downloads/license-manager/ and extract it first.
What can I configure in DataclayLM?
In Settings you can set the port the server runs on, the duration of a license lease, the number of CPU threads to use, the location of the log file, and the auto-start behavior. You can also restart, stop or deactivate the server from the bottom of that page, where you will find the public IP address your Templater users need. Click Save Settings before you leave. Our docs say the default settings are enough in most environments, and we have no recommended lease duration to give you.
What happens to a seat if a client computer dies?
DataclayLM releases the license after a user-configurable amount of time. Normally, when After Effects quits, Templater’s license is released and returned to the pool. If the machine running After Effects is no longer available, the lease duration you set in Settings decides when the seat comes back. A person with a working machine can also use Drop License in the Templater preferences to return a seat on purpose.
How do I see who is using the licenses?
Click the Leases tab. It shows real-time information about which users currently hold licenses, along with a list of the most recent clients that have released or dropped theirs. The Logs tab shows recent connection activity, including successful license requests and errors. The Export Logs button saves the server logs to a file you can send to your IT team or to Dataclay support.
What do I give my Templater users so they can connect?
The public IP address of the machine running DataclayLM and the port number. You can find the IP at the bottom of the Settings page. Each user opens the Templater panel, clicks Preferences, then License Server in the Templater Features Floating section, enters the address and port, saves, and restarts Templater. With Templater 3.0 or later, users can also enter up to two failover servers.
