Troubleshooting

License issues

The following section outlines practical information useful when dealing with getting access to and managing licenses for KDB-X.

Accessing a license valid for KDB-X

A number of trial and enterprise type licenses exist for q/kdb+. Not all licenses for q/kdb+ however are valid for KDB-X. In particular users require access to a license which contains the feature flags pykx and embedq which provide access to the KDB-X functionality. The following locations can be used for the retrieval of evaluation/personal licenses

  • For commercial evaluation, contact your KX sales representative or sales@kx.com requesting a KDB-X trial license. Alternately apply through https://kx.com/book-demo.

For non-personal or non-commercial usage please contact sales@kx.com.

Once you have access to your license you can install the license following the steps provided here or through installation using the function kx.license.install as follows

Python

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>>> import pykx as kx
>>> kx.license.install('/path/to/downloaded/kc.lic')

Initialization failing with a embedq error

Failure to initialize KDB-X while raising an error embedq indicates that the license you are attempting to use for KDB-X in licensed modality does not have the sufficient feature flags necessary to run KDB-X. To access a license which does allow for running KDB-X in this modality please following the instructions here to get a new license with appropriate feature flags.

Initialization failing with a kc.lic error

If after initially completing the installation guide for KDB-X here you receive the following error:

Python

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pykx.exceptions.PyKXException: Failed to initialize embedded q. Captured output from initialization attempt:
    '2023.09.02T21:28:45.699 licence error: kc.lic

It usually indicates that your license was not correctly written to disk or a license could not be found, to check that the installed license matches the license you expect.

License file based checking

Encoded string based checking

The following shows a successful check being completed:

Python

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>>> import pykx as kx
    >>> kx.license.check('/path/to/downloaded/kc.lic')
        True

The following shows an example of a failed check:

Python

Copy 
>>> import pykx as kx
    >>> kx.license.check('/path/to/incorrect/license.txt')
    Supplied license information does not match.
    Please consider reinstalling your license using pykx.util.install_license

    On disk license:
    b'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S+LaCnJM0yqNjW9xGyog5mlbX2k3mBRyBjbJH/1OWTcIg7uDYxxoMtDOCJjeBdSqI=aK+5FVTVarfowvudv7QsMGeohGaJMyczNWVPPjsbyvsxbAwdXvJUuP0jcFCFVeF'

    Supplied string content:
    b'8nD+HkcJ93xW4oOEtHIZxeWkA1glv5wJ5wE2Fsmbc4lg2ntT9JpsclE1hFeG/Ox/jM4=6GjXD2VNpiCAJ80DNVcXuDB+IPEnP22DMGvBIolJt2pdy9kooGZNQpr6svIkRWX/0m/SbydbQOQUVvfNTxsDjZvvsCiGkdQtygs3sDEJbxsT+KfjqJ7Sd6RQ/47HJHG4JyIWdhmvEBVGSLBa5mdAaCLWdCrga3hHZbW3F4e/l3K4nOQvU91WEiMd6PT061r66AOYmjGACCXqmQ9kSsJfMTXPRi9M2i93Oyv895kFVKdZCLCdKdaow790RcjwnKjFFOERGcge=lZdRtp2BLA+JbixvTIKTObmfqr7uPYsGQLfXSFnQCq7jbt3yxv1ZPjvjYLPTx7YKIvgo+ITG6vyYe+cfwaW1g0tlvFTcVSVb/sxUvvLCLiWMdxGjt5JUxV3GaSm9ysHVk5MrTDpp/5qqXes1/BOXsD2DmS/QSZr/Mt+Vc2baKuxPw1w5YnGVuY6vHxHffABzkn+WPcguabr86JcmIAcC0zc2TLkbufBPJewYka9PIt1Ng283NKe13huPUohnryYVIMPyjrTWpDid+yC5kSGVeP0/5+rJvLmFZUB/n0RUjgMZU5V++GPU1QnCBa+'
    False

The following shows a successful check being completed:

Python

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>>> import pykx as kx
        >>> license_string = '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S+LaCnJM0yqNjW9xGyog5mlbX2k3mBRyBjbJH/1OWTcIg7uDYxxoMtDOCJjeBdSqI=aK+5FVTVarfowvudv7QsMGeohGaJMyczNWVPPjsbyvsxbAwdXvJUuP0jcFCFVeF'
        >>> kx.license.check(license_string, format = 'STRING')
        True

The following shows an example of a failed check:

Python

Copy 
>>> import pykx as kx
    >>> license_string = '8nD+HkcJ93xW4oOEtHIZxeWkA1glv5wJ5wE2Fsmbc4lg2ntT9JpsclE1hFeG/Ox/jM4=6GjXD2VNpiCAJ80DNVcXuDB+IPEnP22DMGvBIolJt2pdy9kooGZNQpr6svIkRWX/0m/SbydbQOQUVvfNTxsDjZvvsCiGkdQtygs3sDEJbxsT+KfjqJ7Sd6RQ/47HJHG4JyIWdhmvEBVGSLBa5mdAaCLWdCrga3hHZbW3F4e/l3K4nOQvU91WEiMd6PT061r66AOYmjGACCXqmQ9kSsJfMTXPRi9M2i93Oyv895kFVKdZCLCdKdaow790RcjwnKjFFOERGcge=lZdRtp2BLA+JbixvTIKTObmfqr7uPYsGQLfXSFnQCq7jbt3yxv1ZPjvjYLPTx7YKIvgo+ITG6vyYe+cfwaW1g0tlvFTcVSVb/sxUvvLCLiWMdxGjt5JUxV3GaSm9ysHVk5MrTDpp/5qqXes1/BOXsD2DmS/QSZr/Mt+Vc2baKuxPw1w5YnGVuY6vHxHffABzkn+WPcguabr86JcmIAcC0zc2TLkbufBPJewYka9PIt1Ng283NKe13huPUohnryYVIMPyjrTWpDid+yC5kSGVeP0/5+rJvLmFZUB/n0RUjgMZU5V++GPU1QnCBa+'
        >>> kx.license.check(license_string, format = 'STRING')
        Supplied license information does not match.
        Please consider reinstalling your license using pykx.util.install_license

        On disk license:
        b'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S+LaCnJM0yqNjW9xGyog5mlbX2k3mBRyBjbJH/1OWTcIg7uDYxxoMtDOCJjeBdSqI=aK+5FVTVarfowvudv7QsMGeohGaJMyczNWVPPjsbyvsxbAwdXvJUuP0jcFCFVeF'

        Supplied string content:
        b'8nD+HkcJ93xW4oOEtHIZxeWkA1glv5wJ5wE2Fsmbc4lg2ntT9JpsclE1hFeG/Ox/jM4=6GjXD2VNpiCAJ80DNVcXuDB+IPEnP22DMGvBIolJt2pdy9kooGZNQpr6svIkRWX/0m/SbydbQOQUVvfNTxsDjZvvsCiGkdQtygs3sDEJbxsT+KfjqJ7Sd6RQ/47HJHG4JyIWdhmvEBVGSLBa5mdAaCLWdCrga3hHZbW3F4e/l3K4nOQvU91WEiMd6PT061r66AOYmjGACCXqmQ9kSsJfMTXPRi9M2i93Oyv895kFVKdZCLCdKdaow790RcjwnKjFFOERGcge=lZdRtp2BLA+JbixvTIKTObmfqr7uPYsGQLfXSFnQCq7jbt3yxv1ZPjvjYLPTx7YKIvgo+ITG6vyYe+cfwaW1g0tlvFTcVSVb/sxUvvLCLiWMdxGjt5JUxV3GaSm9ysHVk5MrTDpp/5qqXes1/BOXsD2DmS/QSZr/Mt+Vc2baKuxPw1w5YnGVuY6vHxHffABzkn+WPcguabr86JcmIAcC0zc2TLkbufBPJewYka9PIt1Ng283NKe13huPUohnryYVIMPyjrTWpDid+yC5kSGVeP0/5+rJvLmFZUB/n0RUjgMZU5V++GPU1QnCBa+'
        False

Environment issues

Using KDB-X under q is raising a libpython error

If you are getting a libpython error when starting KDB-X within a q session, this may indicate that KDB-X has been unable to source the Python shared libraries that are required to run Python within an embedded setting. To fix this issue users can either

  • Find the absolute path to the appropriate shared object and set the environment variable `PYKX_PYTHON_LIB_PATH with this location.

  • Set the environment variable PYKX_USE_FIND_LIBPYTHON to "true", this will use the Python library find-libpython to locate the libpython shared library and automatically set PYKX_PYTHON_LIB_PATH to the returned location.

Getting more information about your environment

The following section outlines how a user can get access to a verbose set of environment configuration associated with PyKX. This information is helpful when debugging your environment and should be provided if possible with support requests.