What is Minitab License Manager? #
Minitab License Manager is the server software Minitab, LLC supplies for multi-user desktop licenses. You install it on a server, load the license file Minitab issues (minitab.lic), and point each Minitab desktop installation at that server. When a user opens Minitab, the app asks the server for a seat. If one is free, Minitab opens. If not, the user waits.
Technically, it runs on FlexNet (formerly FLEXlm), Flexera’s licensing technology. Minitab’s part is the vendor daemon, called minitab. If you already run FlexNet servers for other applications, you’ll recognize the setup:
- The license manager daemon (lmgrd) listens on a port in the 27000–27009 range by default.
- The minitab vendor daemon picks a new port each time the service starts, unless you set one manually.
- LMTOOLS, Flexera’s utility, handles license management tasks on the server.
- An options file, minitab.opt, in the License Manager installation folder sets the usage rules.
For resilience, Minitab documents a three-server redundant setup. All three Windows servers must sit on the same subnet and share one license file that lists each host’s name, MAC address, and port.
The name has a second, looser meaning. Minitab’s newer subscriptions don’t use a FlexNet server at all. Users sign in with an online account, and administrators manage the subscriptions in the Minitab License Portal at licensing.minitab.com. Open iT, for example, lists its cloud Minitab integration as “Minitab License Manager”. When you search, expect both meanings.
Which license types does Minitab License Manager support? #
Minitab License Manager serves one license type: the multi-user desktop license. That’s Minitab’s name for concurrent licensing. You buy a number of seats, install Minitab on as many computers as you like, and the server caps how many people run it at once.
Borrowing #
A user can check a seat out to a laptop before going offline and return it on reconnecting. That’s handy for travel. It also takes the seat out of the shared pool until it comes back.
Options file rules #
In minitab.opt you can reserve seats for named Windows users or custom groups (RESERVE), and limit a user or group to one concurrent session across computers (MAX). Two more settings control borrowing: BORROW_LOWWATER keeps some seats from ever being borrowed, and MAX_BORROW_HOURS caps how long a borrowed seat can stay out.
License types outside the license manager #
Minitab sells two other license types that don’t touch Minitab License Manager:
| License type | How it’s activated | Where you manage it |
|---|---|---|
| Single-user desktop | 18-digit product key | On each computer |
| Multi-user desktop | Server name or IP of Minitab License Manager | Minitab License Manager and minitab.opt |
| Online account subscription | User signs in (Minitab desktop app version 20 or later) | Minitab License Portal |
In the License Portal, a License Administrator adds and removes users, one at a time or in bulk from a .csv file, and assigns product roles. The portal supports automated user provisioning through SCIM 2.0 for single sign-on. It can also show each user’s last accessed date, though that display is off by default.
Which Minitab applications use Minitab License Manager? #
Only one vendor uses Minitab License Manager: Minitab, LLC. The company introduced Minitab Statistical Software at Penn State more than 50 years ago and says its customers include over 90% of the Fortune 100.
Minitab’s multi-user installation guide lists the products the license manager serves:
- Minitab Statistical Software
- Minitab Workspace
- Predictive Analytics Module
- Healthcare Module
The options file recognizes a longer list of product names. These are the names you’ll see in license logs and options-file rules: minitab, workspace, predictiveanalytics, healthcare, supplychain, customercontactcenter, insurance, measurementsystemanalysis, powersamplesize, reliability, researchdevelopment, and simul8twin.
Subscriptions in the Minitab License Portal cover a wider set: Minitab Statistical Software, Minitab Connect, Minitab Model Ops, Minitab Engage, Minitab Workspace, and Salford Predictive Modeler (SPM).
So if you manage Minitab, you may be running two systems at once: a FlexNet server for multi-user seats and a web portal for subscriptions.
How Open iT supports your work with Minitab #
LicenseAnalyzer connects to the Minitab License Portal. Every hour, LicenseAnalyzer pulls usage from the Minitab License Portal in five-minute samples and sends it to the Open iT Core Server.
What you see #
Four standard reports draw on the data:
- Utilization Trend: licenses in use, licenses available, and denials over time
- License Efficiency: how long each license was actually in use, so idle seats stand out
- Heatmap: usage by day of the week and hour of the day
- License Monitor: a real-time view of licenses in use and available
Open iT aggregates the data by user, host, and user group. That lets you ask what a renewal needs answered. How many people ran Minitab at the busiest hour last quarter? Which groups use it every week, and which haven’t opened it in months?
Set what you own against what you use #
You already hold two numbers: the seats or subscriptions on your Minitab contract, and what you pay for them. LicenseAnalyzer supplies the third, your actual peak use. That’s where Minitab license optimization starts. If peak use sits well below what you own, every idle subscription you renew is one you pay for twice. If you’re at the ceiling and logging denials, people are waiting for Minitab, and you have the evidence to buy more.
On-premises servers #
Open iT also supports FlexNet License Manager, the technology Minitab License Manager runs on. For FlexNet servers, LicenseAnalyzer polls usage every hour in five-minute samples and can parse the server log files.
Frequently asked questions #
What is Minitab License Manager?
Minitab License Manager is Minitab, LLC’s license server for multi-user desktop licenses. It’s built on FlexNet and runs a vendor daemon called minitab. It serves concurrent seats of Minitab Statistical Software, Minitab Workspace, and add-on modules from a license file called minitab.lic.
Does Minitab License Manager support concurrent licenses?
Yes. Minitab calls them multi-user desktop licenses. You can install Minitab on any number of computers, and the license manager limits how many run at once. Users can also borrow a seat for offline use.
Can Open iT track Minitab license usage?
Yes. Since version 10.3, Open iT LicenseAnalyzer collects Minitab usage from the Minitab License Portal every hour through its API. It reports the data as utilization trends, license efficiency, heatmaps, and a real-time monitor.
Does Open iT support SSO-enabled Minitab tenants?
Not yet. Open iT’s Minitab collection needs a non-SSO Minitab account with administrator access to the License Portal. SSO-enabled tenants and external email accounts aren’t supported yet.
See your Minitab usage by the hour #
Your Minitab contract tells you what you pay for. LicenseAnalyzer shows you what people use, hour by hour, before your next renewal. Book a demo to see Minitab usage reporting in LicenseAnalyzer.
