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    #1

    License Management; Restrictions & Borrowing

    I'd like to start with saying I HATE Autodesk license management. It is the one singular thing I can not forgive them for. Why? Because for all their efforts to prettify their products and improve the WYSIWYG nature of their GUI - they've forgotten to do the same to the most fundamental link of the chain; Autodesk Network License Manager.

    I got sent a wonderful link by our reseller, that goes someway to make sense of the license files : http://www.licenseparser.com/
    but I often find myself having to open our two licenses in seperate tabs in FF, and flick left>right<left>right>left>right between them and two instances of RDC to our two servers, simply to get a handle on who's using what...

    Until recently our limited seats, (and version ages running back to 2009) weren't an issue given the slow uptake of Revit.

    But now there's a swell in demand. Moreso since we bought a BDSU seat (which everyone wants to have a play on). I've also recently insisted on borrowing, rather than "use-at-home" installs on our laptops. So it's now on me to kick people off certain seats, mid-work, because they've unknowingly taken (for example) the BDSU license needed by someone else.

    And so I'm thinking it time to delve a little deeper into writing access-restrictions for it, but first I wanted to get an idea of :

    1. How many of you here employ these management methods?
    2. What, if any, issues should I expect to encounter? Are there particular questions I have to ask myself/my team?
    3. Is this something I should be getting my reseller to do for me?
    4. Is there any good online "howto" guides documenting this in a clearer manner than Autodesk's offering?
    5. Er, anything I've missed?
    Tags: None
    #2
    File a Support Request on it.
    I've been talking to Support about pretty much the same issue. We have (had) 42 RAC licenses and 2 MAX licenses. Since we don't use MAX all the time, we thought we would take advantage of the BDSU offer and convert the two MAX into Suites. That way we could use the Suite for Revit if MAX wasn't in use.

    However, it appears that the licenses are coming out of the BDSU Suite FIRST instead of last. We (Adsk Support and I) have been trying several different approaches, and they think they may have the issue solved, but we're not sure yet.

    And, yes, the FlexLM Status Enquiry is very difficult to read. Even worse with the BDSU enabled. There is another license monitoring program, but it's something like $800. I haven't quite reached that pain point yet.
    Last edited by DaveP; August 22, 2011, 08:50 PM.
    Dave Plumb
    BWBR Architects; St Paul, MN

    CADsplaining: When a BIM rookie tells you how you should have done something.

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      #3
      Just for reference, I do not think that the license parser works for 2012 products - or at least not for all of them. I got that bit of advice directly from Autodesk so it would sure be nice if they posted that up on the parser website. :crazy:

      This is a link to the best info I have found on Autodesk licensing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ZRkkSbXFA

      It was done before all the giant suites came out, but one would hope that the same basic principles should still apply.

      I have actually played around with the SamReport Lite package that comes for "free" with the ADLM, and have found it to be not worth the effort to install and configure.

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        #4
        Originally posted by DaveP View Post
        File a Support Request on it.
        Thing is, there isn't an "issue" as such - more a complete and utter madness at the alien language and obtrusive interface of the "utility" - I don't think they'll be whipping up something pretty (and organised) for me in response.
        Originally posted by DaveP View Post
        We (Adsk Support and I) have been trying several different approaches, and they think they may have the issue solved, but we're not sure yet.
        See that's just worrying. If Support can't fathom the science behind "the-license-rules-file" (I forget the name of the text files you write to write the rules) then what hope do we mere mortals have?

        Originally posted by DaveP View Post
        There is another license monitoring program, but it's something like $800. I haven't quite reached that pain point yet.
        even if I were at such a point, buying one would be out of the question, and it vexes me somewhat that such a thing is even on the cards - I mean, seriously? I'm only juggling 14 (different) seats here and have a headache - how anyone in the bigger 100+ license firms is supposed to keep a handle on this is beyond me.

        Originally posted by jsnyder View Post
        Just for reference, I do not think that the license parser works for 2012 products
        Thankfully, we've still not made "that" switch.

        Originally posted by jsnyder View Post
        This is a link to the best info I have found on Autodesk licensing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ZRkkSbXFA
        I think that's the one you posted before on my Distributed License Server thread, but I'll watch it again tomorrow - I've no problem going to sleep, and it's late enough already! :thumbsup:

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