This article explains how to create a Mistika license server in a docker container on linux (typically in a linux headless server)
NOTE: If you plan to run workflows in the same server (in addition of acting as a license server) then first follow this other article about configuring workflows in a docker container, and then come back to the point 3 of this article to activate the licenses).
1 - Docker installation and configuration for creating a Mistika license server:
Install docker (as required in your linux distro)
Create a compose.yml file with this content:
services:
sgoLicenseServer:
restart: unless-stopped
container_name: sgoLicenseServer
image: sgomistika/mistikaworkflows:latest
network_mode: "host"
volumes:
- flexlm:/var/flexlm
environment:
- LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/var/flexlm/bin/lib
command: /var/flexlm/bin/sgoLicenseServer.bin
volumes:
flexlm:
2 - Use docker compose to download and start the service containers
docker compose up -d
The first time you execute that command it may take a long time, as it will need to download the mistikaworkflows image. Posterior executions will only take an instant.
Check that the sgoLicenseServer container is running:
docker container ls
CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS PORTS NAMES
72c4d500d425 sgomistika/mistikaworkflows:10.14.16-20260109 "/var/flexlm/bin/sgo…" 5 hours ago Up 4 hours sgoLicenseServer
3 - Now you will need to activate licenses for the license server that is running on the container.
The normal way to activate Mistika licenses is by using the sgoActivationTool, but it is a graphical tool and If your server is headless (without a graphics desktop) then you can not use it on it. Then the easiest method is to install and execute the sgoActivationTool in an auxiliar desktop computer having a graphics desktop, to activate the licenses remotely:
- In the license server computer, make sure the sgoLicenseServer container is running (docker container ls) and write down the ip and hostname of the server. For this example we will suppose the ip is 192.168.1.20, and the hostname is mylicserver )
- In the auxiliar desktop computer (win, mac, or linux):
- Execute the standard Mistika Workflows installer and just install the sgoLicenseServer and the sgoActivationTool components (no need to install workflows software if you do not need it in that computer)
- Open the sgoActivationTool and login to your sgo account (just login with the same email that you used to create your account at www.sgo.es )
- Click on the License Server -> Settings wheel icon and put the ip of your new license server ( 192.168.1.20 in our example, or if it is resolvable just put its hostname, mylicserver ). Then click on check connection to make sure it can talk with it (if it does, the indicator light should stay green, otherwise it will become red and it will show an error).
- Now assign your licenses to the new license server as usual: You can either activate new activation codes, or you can go to the Advanced Mode and drag & drop any of your existing licenses into the icon of your license server ( mylicserver ).
That;s it, now test that the new license server is serving the new licenses
Note: For diagnostics, you can also check the licenses file by running this command in the license server computer:
docker exec sgoLicenseServer cat /var/flexlm/sgoLicenseV5.dat
SYSTEMID F9403534334543204657BA1D80E9C1F924C474A4F0FDD98E0F968838DED077478
FEATURE WORKFLOW flexlmd 20-Mar-2026 B5CE0B95520C3DE375022344433C5B0F4A75B359D805AF4DBFEEA284BB7199DF07E18F8BC2BC3EB3965A36404BC33E1A23423434EBF354379FF0EC4B669A98A368C01942E84D902E115549D87DF4E5F508C688ED5335E0234234234284CA3sfsdfdsFF61DC32343434E233B6456541B261F07BBED7E3B3968ACCA4B HOSTID=BC242214EFF7
Each license should show a FEATURE line like in the example.
4 - Future license reallocations:
In the future you can always keep adding licenses to the remote license server as explained, but the sgoActivationTool may refuse to remove licenses from a remote License Server (if you want to reallocate them). But if that happens there is an easy solution:
- In the auxiliar desktop computer, open the sgoActivationTool and login to your account as usual.
- CLick on the License Server -> Settings Wheel and remove the remote license server info from there (just leave it blank). Now your sgoActivationTool can manage all your licenses without any restriction (all the licenses owned by the email account that you have logged in) .