In addition to the release notes for the 4.2.3 patch noted above, please also see the 4.2 release notes which further direct you:
Server and Client Requirements
For information on server and client requirements for the system and browser, see Chapter 2 of Installing and Migrating to Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution 4.2 at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/net_mgmt/ciscoworks_lan_management_solution/4.2/install/guide/
install.html
To summarize the options it describes, you can run the LMS product on any number of platforms - a dedicated Cisco hardware appliance, a physical server of your own with Windows or Solaris OS, a VMware server with a Windows server OS guest, or a "soft appliance". The soft appliance is package built with the underlying guest OS (a customized RHEL distribution with Cisco's Application Development Environment OS (ADE-OS)) built-in.
Once you have installed LMS 4.2, you should patch - first to 4.2.2 and then to the current 4,2,3. then run the software update feature to bring all package components up to date.
Regarding licensing, there is a Cisco Prime Infrastructure Ordering and Licensing Guide here.
When you order the licenses for PI 1.2 (new customer), you order the base product and then Lifecycle licenses (required for either PI 1.2 Lifecycle and LMS installations - which option is a customer choice) and, optionally, Compliance and Assurance licenses. An upgrade order for an existing LMS customer will include the base PI 1.2 with Lifecycle licenses as well as LMS in a single SKU as noted in tables 4 and 5 of the Ordering Guide.
