Additionally, you can manually distribute the software using the installation media that comes with your Autodesk product. However, if your computers do not have an Internet connection, make sure that the registration data for each computer matches exactly.

Inconsistent registration data can cause activation failures. It can result in incomplete installations and activation problems. Preserving a License on a Re-imaged Computer On a network license server, licenses are maintained on the server. No additional steps are needed to preserve network licenses. For a stand-alone license, you need to export the license before re-imaging the computer. You can use the License Transfer Utility to export the license.

After the re-imaging, import the license to the correct computer. Advantages and disadvantages of each model are presented to help you decide which one best suits your needs. When you purchase a network license, you specify which server model you will use. Single License Server Model In the single license server model, the Network License Manager is installed on a single server, so license management and activity is restricted to this server.

A single license file represents the total number of licenses available on the server. Distributed License Server Model In the distributed license server model, licenses are distributed across more than one server. A unique license file is required for each server. To create a distributed license server, you must run the Network License Manager on each server that is part of the distributed server pool. Redundant License Server Model In the redundant license server model, three servers are configured to authenticate license files.

Licenses can be monitored and issued as long as at least two license servers are still functional. The Network License Manager is installed on each server, and the license file on each server is the same. In the redundant license server model, all servers must reside on the same subnet and have consistent network communications.

Slow, erratic, or dial-up connections are not supported. The redundant server pool does not provide network fault tolerance. If the number of available licenses has not been exceeded, the Network License Manager assigns a license to the computer, and the number of available licenses on the license server is reduced by one.

Likewise, when you exit a product, the license returns to the Network License Manager. If you run multiple sessions of an Autodesk product on an individual computer, only one license is used. When the last session is closed, the license is released. By using this approach, a single lmgrd daemon can be used by multiple software vendors to provide license authentication.

The lmgrd daemon starts and restarts the vendor daemons as needed. Each software vendor has a unique vendor daemon to manage vendor-specific licensing. NOTE If the adskflex vendor daemon terminates for any reason, all users lose their licenses until lmgrd restarts the vendor daemon or until the problem causing the termination is resolved. Interpreting Your License File The network license file you receive from Autodesk contains licensing information required for a network installation.

You obtain license file data when you register your Autodesk product. It also contains an encrypted digital signature that is created when Autodesk generates the file. The license file configures network license servers to manage licenses. When creating a deployment, the network license server name s are specified so that each product instance knows which server s to contact to obtain a license.

The network license server s must be accessible to every user who runs one or more products that require a network license. The following table defines each license file parameter.

Expiration Date Amount of time the licenses are permanent available. Number of Licenses Number of licenses supported by the 25 license file. In this example, the maximum period that licenses can be borrowed is hours days , unless otherwise noted. License borrowing is disabled when this parameter is absent in the license file. Serial Number Serial number of the Autodesk product. License File Examples The Autodesk network license file contents reflect the license server configuration and the licensed products, as shown in the examples provided.

NOTE The redundant server model requires the addition of a port number the default is for each server. Example of a License File for Combined Autodesk Product Versions You can combine a license file for different releases of the same Autodesk product or for different Autodesk products, and run all products from one license server.

Package License File Types and Examples Autodesk offers a package license file option, which allows the use of a suite of products that are packaged and sold together. The package license file contains a set number of licenses for four different versions of your software. Running an instance of any one of the versions uses one license in the package.

Packaged license files support prior versioning for subscription users. For example, you cannot combine an Autodesk package license file with a regular license file for an Autodesk Product , , or When you combine license files, be sure to include both of these sections.

If the heartbeat signal is lost, the server tries to reconnect. If the server cannot reconnect, the user receives a license error. If the product stops working because it has lost a connection to the server, you must shut down the product, and then restart it. Most Autodesk products give you the opportunity to save open documents before shutting down.

If the problem causing the original loss of the heartbeat signal is resolved and licenses are available on the server, you can restart your Autodesk product. When you create a deployment, the installer prompts you for information about the license manager, such as license server model and server name. When you install the Network License Manager files, you must provide a path to a local drive. You must specify the drive letter; the universal naming convention UNC is not permitted.

You can install the Network License Manager before or after you install the products that will use it. Network License Manager must configure the license servers before any products can obtain licenses and start running. If an earlier version of the Network License Manager is already installed on the computer, you should upgrade by installing the new Autodesk Network License Manager into the folder where the old version was located.

To obtain the information, use one of the following procedures. Eliminate dashes from the physical address. This is your twelve-character host ID.

NOTE If your server has more than one network adapter, select the one that corresponds to a physical network adapter. View the Description field above each physical address. If there is more than one physical network adapter, it does not matter which one you use. Copy the host name and paste the information into a text editor.

The character Ethernet address is the host ID. NOTE If your server has more than one Ethernet adapter, select one that corresponds to a physical network adapter.

If you are using a Mac OS X computer with more than one network card, you must use the address of the primary network card. Configure a License Server You configure a license server to manage your Autodesk product licenses. Open port for adskflex, and open ports through for lmgrd. If FLEXnet is managing other software on your computer in addition to Autodesk, you can change the service name to avoid confusion.

For example, you can rename Flexlm Service 1 to Autodesk Server1. Make sure that only one Autodesk service is listed. This is the path to the license file obtained through autodesk. The log file must have a. For new log files, you must enter the. Click Yes when prompted if you would like to save the settings to the service. The license server starts running and is ready to respond to client requests. Some Autodesk products provide a script to automate some of this procedure.

See your product appendix to this guide for more information. For example, sudo mkdir StartupItems. NOTE You must manually delete files that you created for use with the Network License Manager, such as log files, license files, and the options file.

These files are not automatically deleted when you uninstall the Network License Manager. License Borrowing If you are using a network-licensed version of your Autodesk product and your network administrator supports the license borrowing feature, you can borrow a product license from your network license server to use the Autodesk product for a specified time when your computer is not connected to the network.

Your license is automatically returned to the license server at the end of the day on the return date you set when you borrow the license. You can also return a license early. The maximum borrowing period is six months. NOTE A limited number of licenses are available for borrowing.

If you try to borrow a license and are notified that no licenses are available, see your network administrator for help. Borrow a License With a borrowed license, you can run your Autodesk product with your computer disconnected from the network until your borrowing period ends.

When the borrowing period expires, the borrowed license is automatically returned to the license server. When your computer is reconnected to the network, you can run your Autodesk product from the network or borrow a license again. Using the license-borrowing feature in your Autodesk product is the recommended way to borrow a license. Some third-party borrowing tools may also be available to you, but these tools are not supported or compatible with the license-borrowing feature in your Autodesk product.

However, you cannot return a license until you exit and then restart your Autodesk product. You can then use the license-borrowing feature to borrow licenses for your Autodesk product. This date must be within the valid date range set by your network administrator. The valid date range is displayed in this window. The license is borrowed, and you can now use your Autodesk product with your computer disconnected from the network.

NOTE In some products, you can verify that your license is borrowed by placing your cursor over the Borrowing icon in the status tray, which is in the lower-right corner of your Autodesk product. The license is borrowed, and you can now use the Autodesk product with your computer disconnected from the network.

Access to the command varies by product, and includes one or more of the following options. The return date must be within the range specified by your network administrator.

Borrow a License Borrows the license from the network license server based on the specified return date. Return a License Your borrowed network license is automatically returned to the network license server on the day that the license expires. You can return a license earlier than the expiry date, but to do this, your computer must be connected to the network license server. Once a borrowed license is returned, you can borrow a license again as long as your computer is connected to the network license server and a license is available on the server.

Click Return License Early. NOTE If your product supports access to license borrowing commands in the status tray, you can use this method to return a borrowed license early, but the display settings for the status tray must be turned on. To turn on the display settings, right-click an empty area on the status bar. Click Tray Settings. Command line: returnlicense.

FLEXnet provides administrative tools that help to simplify management of network licenses. You can use FLEXnet tools to monitor network license status, reset licenses lost during a system failure, troubleshoot license servers, and update existing license files.

Stop and Restart the License Server Before you can perform any system maintenance on your license server including uninstalling the Autodesk License Manager you must stop the license server. When you have completed maintenance, you can restart the license server.

Both versions are provided here. Enter the following in Terminal:. If you are currently using an earlier version of FLEXnet, you need to update. The version number of the file you selected is displayed. If necessary, use the following procedure to update your version of FLEXnet. For details about installing the Network License Manager to the same location as the previous version, see Install the Network License Manager page NOTE Version Please note that Autodesk products older than version are no longer supported.

All Rights reserved. The logged in user ID should be in the sudoers list to execute some of the following commands. NOTE In the string, replace acad. Copy the new version of the FLEXnet network license manager files lmgrd, adskflex, and lmutil to. Set Up and Use an Options File With an options file, you set configuration options that determine how a license server manages licenses.

An options file sets parameters that the license file reads and the lmgrd program executes. The options file on each server specifies the license-handling behavior for that server. By managing the contents of the options files, you can specify the same behavior on all license servers, or implement particular differences among the servers. NOTE For options file changes to take effect on a license server, you must save the options file, and then reread the license file.

You can also set up advanced license parameters, such as reserving a license, restricting license usage, or defining groups of users.

To learn more about setting advanced options file parameters, see the FLEXnet documentation. This documentation is installed on the license server, in the Network License Manager directory.

NOTE Make sure you save the file with the extension. The default extension. Create a Report Log In the options file, you can create a report log file, which is a compressed, encrypted file that provides usage reports on license activity.

It is recommended that you use this option to retain a history of log entries. For example, define the maximum number of licenses that can be borrowed from your network at any one time. In addition, define which users can borrow an Autodesk product license. Licenses are assigned to users, not computers. For more information on license borrowing, see License Borrowing page NOTE If your Autodesk product licenses are borrowed from a redundant license server pool, you must restart the license server after you stop the Network License Manager.

At the end of a borrow period, the borrowed license is automatically disabled on the user's computer and becomes available again on the license server. Users can also return a license before a borrow period has ended. When this number is reached, no more licenses can be borrowed.

NOTE Licenses are borrowed in increments of 24 hours only. Any number that is more than a hour increment is not used. For example, the number would be rounded down to hours, or 15 days. Alternatively, enter borrowlicense on the product command line. Set Up License Timeout License timeout is set in the options file to determine how long a product session can be idle before the license is reclaimed by the license server.

When you set this flag in the options file, a user's license is reclaimed by the license server if the product is idle on a computer for more than the timeout period you define. If a user's license is lost because of the idle timeout, the product attempts to claim a new license once the user uses the product again. If no license is available, the user can save work before the product shuts down.

For more information about using the license timeout feature, see the FLEXnet documentation. Frequently Asked Questions about Network Licensing This section outlines some common questions and their solutions with regards to software licenses and licensing your product s. For additional advice and assistance, go to Autodesk Support, click your product name, and search in the Knowledgebase for your product.

What is the difference between a stand-alone license and a network license? A stand-alone license supports one or more Autodesk products for an individual user. Similarly, a multi-seat stand-alone license supports a specific number of users. While the software can be installed on additional computers in your facility, the licensed number of users cannot be exceeded.

A network license supports a specific maximum number of users who are connected to a network. A software utility known as the Network License Manager NLM issues licenses to users, up to the number of licenses purchased.

What is the benefit of using a network licensed version of the software? The Network License Manager provides centralized control of licenses, including their registration, activation, and distribution to users. One main advantage of a network license is that you can install products on more computers than the number of licenses you have purchased. For example, you can purchase 25 licenses but install them on 40 computers for ease of access.

At any one time, products can run on the maximum number of computers for which you have licenses. This means you get a true floating license. A network licensing system can also be configured to allow users to borrow a license for a limited time to use on a computer disconnected from the network. How does the licensing process use the Internet? An Internet browser is used to facilitate license activation. After installing your product, you can operate in trial mode for a specified period, typically 30 days.

When you choose to activate the software and enter your registration data, your computer communicates with Autodesk over the Internet. An activation code is returned and you are not prompted again during startup.

The Internet is also used to communicate with Autodesk for other purposes such as authorizing access to the Subscription Center, downloading service packs, and sending product support messages. Languages are not distributed in this way for all Autodesk products. License Transfer Utility A tool used to transfer a stand-alone license for an Autodesk product from one computer to another, using Autodesk servers. Both the source and target computers require Internet access. No dialog boxes are presented that require interaction from the user.

Check out this online solution: How to move migrate a license server. You also might want to check Microsoft website. This page could be of help: Windows Server Installation and Upgrade. C heck the details Windows Server R2. Notice: updates available for Apache Log4j vulnerabilities. See the security advisory on the Autodesk Trust Center for more information. Subscription, Installation and Licensing.

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