View a markdown version of this page

Connect customer-managed fleets to a license endpoint - Deadline Cloud
Step 1: Create a security groupStep 2: Set up the license endpointStep 3: Connect a rendering application to an endpointStep 4: Delete a license endpoint

Connect customer-managed fleets to a license endpoint

The AWS Deadline Cloud usage-based license server provides on-demand licenses for select third-party products. With usage-based licenses, you can pay as you go. You are only charged for the time you use. Usage-based licensing provides licenses for your Deadline Cloud workers to render, it doesn't provide licenses for your DCC applications.

Some usage-based license products are available on both service-managed and customer-managed fleets, while others are only available on service-managed fleets. The license server is automatically set up in service-managed fleets. The following setup is only needed for customer-managed fleets and covers only the products supported on that fleet type.

To create the license server, you need a security group for your farm's VPC that allows traffic for third-party licenses.

Step 1: Create a security group

Use the Amazon VPC Console to create a security group for your farm's VPC. Configure the security group to allow the following inbound rules:

Note

The following applications are the only applications supported with usage-based licensing on customer-managed fleets.

  • Arnold – 2701, TCP, IPv4, IPv6

  • Cinema 4D – 7057, TCP, IPv4, IPv6

  • Foundry Nuke – 6101, TCP, IPv4, IPv6

  • Red Giant – 7055, TCP, IPV4

  • Redshift – 7054, TCP, IPv4, IPv6

  • SideFX Houdini, Mantra, and Karma – 1715 - 1717, TCP, IPv4, IPv6

  • VRay – 30304, TCP, IPV4

The source for each inbound rule is the fleet's worker security group.

For more information about creating a security group, see Create a security group in the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud user guide.

Step 2: Set up the license endpoint

A license endpoint provides access to license servers for third-party products. License requests are sent to the license endpoint. The endpoint routes them to the appropriate license server. The license server tracks usage limits and entitlements. Creating a license endpoint in Deadline Cloud provisions an AWS PrivateLink interface endpoint in your VPC. These endpoints are billed according to standard AWS PrivateLink pricing. For more information, see AWS PrivateLink pricing.

With the appropriate permissions, you can create your license endpoint. For the required policy to create a license endpoint, see Policy to allow creating a license endpoint.

You can create your license endpoint from your dashboard in the Deadline Cloud console.

  1. From the left navigation pane, choose License endpoints, then choose Create license endpoint.

  2. From the Create license endpoint page, complete the following:

    • Select a VPC.

    • Select the subnets that contain your Deadline Cloud workers. You can select up to 10 subnets.

    • Select the security group you created in step 1. You can select up to 10 security groups for more complicated scenarios.

    • (Optional) Choose Add new tag and add one or more tags. You can add up to 50 tags.

  3. Choose Create license endpoint. When the license endpoint creates, it displays on the license endpoints page.

  4. From the metered products section, choose Add products, and then select the products you want to add to your license endpoint. Choose Add.

To remove a product from a license endpoint, in the metered products section, select the product and then choose Remove. In the confirmation, choose Remove again.

Step 3: Connect a rendering application to an endpoint

After the license endpoint is set up, applications use it the same as they use a third-party license server. You typically configure the license server for the application by setting an environment variable or other system setting, such as a Microsoft Windows registry key, to a license server port and address.

To get the license endpoint DNS name, select the license endpoint in the console and then choose the copy icon in the DNS Name section.

Configuration examples

Example– Arnold

Set the environment variable ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE to:

2701@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name
Example– Cinema 4D

Set the environment variable g_licenseServerRLM to:

VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:7057

After you create the environment variable, you should be able to render a an image using a command line similar to this one:

"C:\Program Files\Maxon Cinema 4D 2025\Commandline.exe" -render ^
    "C:\Users\User\MyC4DFileWithRedshift.c4d" -frame 0 ^
    -oimage "C:\Users\Administrator\User\MyOutputImage.png
Example– Foundry Nuke

Set the environment variable foundry_LICENSE to:

6101@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name

To test that licensing is working properly, you can run Nuke in a terminal:

~/nuke/Nuke14.0v5/Nuke14.0 -x
Example– Red Giant

Set the environment variable redshift_LICENSE to:

7055@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name

Note that Red Giant and Redshift have the same redshift_LICENSE environment variable. If you want to use both applications, you can set the environment variable to:

7054@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:7055@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name
Note

For Windows workers, use a semi-colon (;) instead of a colon (:) to separate endpoints.

To test that licensing is working properly, ensure you have After Effects and Red Giant installed. Then, you can render a project using a command similar to this one:

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe After Effects 2025\Support Files\aerender.exe -comp "Comp 1" -project 
          C:\Users\MyUser\myAfterEffectsProjectUsingRedGiant.aep -output
            C:\Users\MyUser\myMovieWithRedGiant.mp4
Example– Redshift

Set the environment variable redshift_LICENSE to:

7054@VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name

After you create the environment variable, you should be able to render an image using a command line similar to this one:

C:\ProgramData\redshift\bin\redshiftCmdLine.exe ^
    C:\demo\proxy\RS_Proxy_Demo.rs ^
    -oip C:\demo\proxy\images
Example– SideFX Houdini, Mantra, and Karma

Run the following command:

/opt/hfs19.5.640/bin/hserver -S "http://VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:1715;http://VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:1716;http://VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:1717;"

To test that licensing is working properly, you can render a Houdini scene via this command:

/opt/hfs19.5.640/bin/hython ~/forpentest.hip -c "hou.node('/out/mantra1').render()"
Example– VRay

Set the environment variable VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_SETTINGS to:

licset://VPC_Endpoint_DNS_Name:30304

Set the environment variable VRAY_AUTH_CLIENT_FILE_PATH to:

/null

To test that licensing is working properly, you can render an image in VRay using a command similar to this one:

/usr/Chaos/V-Ray/bin/vray -sceneFile=/root/my_scene.vrscene -display=0

Step 4: Delete a license endpoint

When deleting your customer-managed fleet, remember to delete your license endpoint. If you don't delete the license endpoint, you will continue to be charged for AWS PrivateLink fixed costs

You can delete your license endpoint from your dashboard in the Deadline Cloud console.

  1. From the left navigation pane, choose License endpoints.

  2. Select the endpoint you want to delete and choose delete, then choose delete again to confirm.