nanoCAD Licensing

Technical support at «Nanosoft» receives many questions about licensing nanoCAD products. I decided to collect some interesting customer questions and answer them in a series of articles. We will start with general licensing principles and the features of the FlexLm License Server.

First, I would like to clarify which license types are available for nanoCAD products.

A local license is requested for one PC and bound to its ID-1 or ID-2. The license cannot be transferred. If the hardware fails, reactivation is possible only by making an official request to the technical support team at Nanosoft JSC.

Here is what ID-1 and ID-2 mean. ID-1 is the MAC address, a unique identifier for network hardware usually assigned to a network adapter. ID-2 is the hard drive volume label.

A local license can also be supplied with a hardware protection key, currently a Wibukey device. In this arrangement, the license is bound to the key and can be moved between PCs. The license works only when the key is connected.

A network license uses the same binding methods as a local license: ID-1/ID-2 or a hardware protection key. The main difference is that it is deployed on one computer acting as the license server, which other users connect to for licenses. Any number of workstations may have nanoCAD installed, but the number of concurrent users is limited to the number of licenses purchased.

Because local licenses rarely cause difficulties, I will focus on network licensing.

The network licensing mechanism from Nanosoft JSC consists of utilities for installing, maintaining, and monitoring network licenses.

License Server Setup Wizard

The wizard's primary purpose is to install, uninstall, and maintain the server component of the network licensing system (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

Users often confuse it with the Registration Wizard because they look similar. Below, we will explain the differences and when to use the Registration Wizard (RegWizard.exe) versus the License Server Setup Wizard (LicServSetup.exe).

• Nanosoft License Server (Nanosoft License Server) is the server component of network licensing: a set of programs and services that monitor the use of network licenses. In other words, it includes utilities that control license distribution on a local network and provide certain reports.

To begin network licensing, launch the License Server Setup Wizard (LicServSetup.exe).

When the wizard starts, you will see the window shown in Fig. 1.

The License Server's main workflow is the first option, Request a License. Completing it obtains a license file, registers a new user at www.nanocad.ru if necessary, and installs the License Server if it is not already installed. You can also add a license file for another software product.

When adding one, the server name and binding ID must match those in the existing license file. Use this first option when no network license file exists and you are just starting with the License Server.

If you already have a license file and are ready to install the server component, or the License Server is installed and you need to add a license for another product, select the second option: License Server Maintenance.

Requesting a License

Many users initially do not understand the difference between a license file and a license number or product serial number. They ask technical support, “Why does the program ask me to register after launch?” When support asks, “Did you request a license file?”, they reply, “Why request a license again if it is in my account?” In fact, your account contains a serial number, not a license file. That serial number is your license number, which you must use to obtain the actual license file.

You can open the Registration Wizard from Start — Nanosoft — Registration Wizard.

Fig. 2

Select Request a License (Fig. 2).

Enter the serial number shown on your certificate or in the My Licenses section of your account (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

In the next window (Fig. 4), enter your user details and the login and password for your account at www.nanocad.ru.

Fig. 4

After filling in the fields and clicking Next, you will reach the Registration Data Confirmation window (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5

Here you can check whether you entered your serial number or account login correctly. Make sure the hardware protection key is connected to the PC. If ID-1 and ID-2 appear in the window, the Registration Wizard cannot detect your key. Click Cancel so the license does not become bound to that computer's hardware. Then check the key: reinstall its driver, try a different port, and repeat the license request until the wizard recognizes it.

After you click Next, the Registration Wizard reminds you that the license file will be bound to this PC's parameters (Fig. 6). You can still cancel the request at this point.

Fig. 6

Even after clicking Yes, it is not too late. The Registration Wizard gives you one final chance to remember, for example, that you forgot to install the key driver or insert the key into a USB port. You can click Cancel here for the last time.

If everything is correct and you are ready to request the license file, choose the most appropriate request method (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7

If this PC has a working Internet connection, choose Request License Online. The Registration Wizard automatically saves the license file to the required directory. No additional steps are needed; you can launch the program immediately (Figs. 8–9).

Fig. 8

Fig. 9

After an online license request, the license file in lic format is saved in these folders:

For Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista: C:\ProgramData\Nanosoft\RegWizard\Licenses\ For Windows XP, Windows 2000: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Nanosoft\RegWizard\Licenses\

You can also request a license by email (Fig. 10), but an email client must be installed on your PC.

Fig. 10

Otherwise, the message shown in Fig. 11 may appear.

Fig. 11

If your email client is installed and the request succeeds, you will receive a generated lic license file. Activate it through the Registration Wizard and then launch the product.

Launch the Registration Wizard and select Activate License (Fig. 12).

Fig. 12

In the window that opens, specify the path to the license file (Fig. 13), then click Next.

Fig. 13

The last option in the License Request Method window, Save License Request (Fig. 14), is generally used if the other two methods are unavailable, for example when there is no Internet access or email client. After creating a license request (an eml file), transfer it to a PC with Internet access or an email client and submit the request there (Figs. 15–16). If you cannot make the request yourself, send it to technical support; the team can generate a lic file for you.

Fig. 14

Fig. 15

Fig. 16

After receiving a response from technical support, add the supplied lic license file through the Registration Wizard and launch the product.

Further License Server Configuration

The License Server Wizard's next steps depend on the current server status. The following scenarios are possible:

The License Server is not installed on the computer. In this case, the wizard automatically proceeds to the installation or upgrade workflow (Configure TCP Ports and Windows Firewall tab, Fig. 17).

Fig. 17

In the window that opens, you can use the License Server service's default TCP port range (27000–27009) or specify a particular TCP port.

You can also keep automatic selection of the vendor daemon TCP port or specify a particular port.

Users usually leave the defaults. However, some organizations block certain ports or use them for other applications, so an option is provided to specify available ports.

You can decide whether to add a Windows Firewall exception. We recommend leaving this checkbox selected, because Windows Firewall may otherwise block the License Server.

You can choose whether to replace “THIS_HOST” with the server name. By default, the Server Name section of a network license file contains “THIS_HOST” after the SERVER line, but the wizard can substitute the server's actual name. Either form works.

However, if your organization frequently changes PC names, it is better to leave “THIS_HOST” by clearing the checkbox, because it works with any computer name. If the file contains a specific PC name and that name changes later, the license file may stop working. You can fix it in Notepad ++ by entering the new name or “THIS_HOST”.

Let's continue.

The License Server is installed and already uses a license file. In this case, the wizard automatically adds the new license to the file and reloads it on the server (Fig. 18).

Fig. 18

After obtaining the license file, you reach the final License Server window. Close it by clicking Finish (Fig. 19).

Fig. 19

That completes the installation. If there were no errors, you now have a working License Server hosting your licenses. The next step is to configure client PCs so they can check out licenses from the server while using the software.

It is also useful to check server status. Open LicServSetup, select License Server Maintenance, and check whether the status is Running or Stopped (Figs. 20–21). The installed License Server version is also shown here.

Fig. 20

Fig. 21

Connecting to the server is usually straightforward: start the Registration Wizard on the client PC and enter the License Server computer name or IP address (Figs. 22–23).

Fig. 22

Fig. 23

If you configured the License Server to start on a specific port, specify that port when connecting. Figure 24 shows a connection using port 27003. The address format is: Port@ComputerName or IPAddress.

Fig. 24

Note.

All PCs must be on the same network to connect to the License Server. Otherwise, the connection will fail or you must set up a VPN for a remote PC and configure it separately. Other methods exist, but they are special cases beyond the scope of this article.

The License Server is installed and client PCs are connected. You might think the work is done, but how can you tell who is currently using the software and how many licenses are occupied? The server's built-in tools, Flex.log and Lmtools, provide this information. They are in the installation directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Nanosoft\Nanosoft License Server (Fig. 25).

Fig. 25

Let's look at each tool in more detail.

Flex.log looks as shown in Fig. 26.

The log records which PC checked out a license and for which product. (Here IVANOV-PK checked out a nanoCAD SPDS license. “OUT” is recorded by the server to show that it issued a license.)

When IVANOV-PK closes the application, the license returns to the server and the log displays “IN”.

Fig. 26

The Lmtools application (Fig. 27) lets you configure the License Server, review logs, restart the server, and perform many other administrative tasks. Here we will cover its main tabs.

Fig. 27

The Service/License File tab shows which server is currently in use (Nanosoft License Sever in our example). License servers for other CAD applications that also use FlexLm may appear in the same window if they are installed on this PC.

The main server management tabs are Start/Stop/Reread and Server Status. The others are used much less often, so we will focus on these two.

On the Start/Stop/Reread tab (Fig. 28), you can stop the License Server service (Stop Server), reload the license file (ReRead License File), and start the server (Start Server).

When using these buttons, check the log. Stopping or starting the server generates messages such as Stopping Server, Start Server Failed, and Start Server Successful.

Fig. 28

Click Perform Status Enquiry on the Server Status tab to view the total number of licenses and the numbers in use and available. The example (Fig. 29) shows that both of the server's two licenses are free.

Fig. 29

The Config Services tab (Fig. 30) lets you check all server settings: the path to the executable (lmgrd.exe), the license file (.lic), and the server log (flex.log).

Fig. 30

Click View Log in this window (Fig. 31) to open flex.log, discussed above (Fig. 32).

Fig. 31

Fig. 32

If you need to specify a different license file under Path to the license file, remember to click Save Service and restart the server using Stop/Start.

In practice, LicServSetup and Lmtools are sufficient to manage the License Server.

We would also like to draw your attention to the Knowledge Base on our technical support portal, available 24/7.

Search by keyword to find answers to many questions about product licensing and other technical support topics. We regularly add information to keep the knowledge base up to date.

In conclusion, licensing «Nanosoft» products is not as difficult as it may first seem, and the details can be learned quickly. This freely available article can serve as a practical reference. If you have questions or suggestions about licensing «Nanosoft» products, email office@cad.kz.

Source

https://www.cadmaster.ru/

Author

Shamil Khamzin, Nanosoft Technical Support