Environment
Novell NetWare 6.5 Support Pack 8
Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 (OES 2)
Situation
9-02-2009 2:53:23 pm: server-5.70-3651 [nmID=50020]
POLICY MANAGER - (5.00-014) : Connection x is using a 'grace' connection to server <Server> because no licenses
were installed or available. Install a connection license.(User.context.tree.)
Typing VERSION at the console prompt shows the server is not licensed.
Resolution
Place a READ/WRITE replica of the container hosting the NLS:Product Container object onto a NetWare server.
Additional Information
As a preparatory move to migrate all existing NetWare 6.5 servers to OES2 (Linux), replicas were added to the OES2 servers, and removed from the NetWare servers, including the replica where the unlimited use MLA license resided. Over the next few weeks, all remaining NetWare servers began exhibiting this problem.
Looking at the properties of the NLS:Product Container Object, looking at all properties, the Creators Name attribute contained a value for ServerX, which did still exist in this case. (ServerX is an existing NetWare server within this tree). As soon as a READ/WRITE replica for the container hosting the NLS:Product Container object was added to ServerX, Policy Manager on ServerX immediately reported a license was established. Unloading / reloading POLIMGR.NLM on the remaining servers all successfully reported being licensed.