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Error During Vault Server 2012 Language Pack Installation

During the installation of Vault Server 2012 this error can cause the whole install to fail and roll back

via crackingthevault.typepad.com

General Licensing: Using the www.licenseparser.com to help create an options file

The license parser is a website that will parse out your network license file into plain english!

The Product Support Team has been using the license parser website for about a year and as far as I am concerned, it's a fully functional beta website.

So what else is it good for?  You can use it to help you create your options file!

The basics for setting up an options file for licensing can be found here:

http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1055247

Another useful Technical Solution (TS)  is here:  

http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS13944136

Basically, when creating an options file, you do not require the Package part of the license file. It only requires the Components part of the license file.

 

 

Here is a sample adskflex.opt file that means that Revit Structure Suite 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 can only be borrowed for 144 hours.

MAX_BORROW_HOURS 85792REVSU_2012_0F 144
MAX_BORROW_HOURS 85594REVSU_2011_0F 144
MAX_BORROW_HOURS 74000REVSU_2010_0F 144
MAX_BORROW_HOURS 61000REVSU_2009_0F 144

You can then use Google to convert hours to days via search.

 

AutoCAD Family: Migration Custom Settings file (zip) is empty

When you Migrate Custom Settings in AutoCAD from the the Start Menu:

The .zip file seems to be empty but the file size indicates that there is something in there.

This behaviour will only happen if you have not installed any 3rd party programs (Winzip or Winrar) to handle compression of files on Windows.

http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS14859214

Thanks to Dwayne Poot for this tip.

Network licenses based in different Ethernet addresses

A license server can have multiple NIC, each one has a different Eth. Address.

LMTOOLS displays in the System Settings, Ethernet address field, the Eth. Address for each NIC present in the system.

Note: When requesting licenses for the same server, you must provide always the same Eth. Address.

If licenses are generated for the same licenses server, based on a different Eth. Address than the one already declared in the license file, the licenses are invalid and the following messages are displayed at different points in the Network License Manager

In the Perform status enquiry window: Users of 85660PDSSTD_F:  (Error: 10 licenses, unsupported by licensed server)

In the debug log file: 0:08:34 (adskflex) Invalid license key (inconsistent authentication code)

As best practice, when ordering new licenses for an existing and running license server, use the Hostanme and Eth. Adress from the first line of your existing license file.

SERVER <HOSTNAME> <ETH. ADDRESS>

Understanding License Time-out Feature

What is License Timeout?

The Network License Manager (FLEXnet) can be configured to reclaim a license when a client workstation is idle for longer than a defined time-out period, or the connection with the workstation is lost.

Common Queries.

Q1. How do I configure Timeout?

A1. Refer - http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS67304

Q2. Timeout is not working (eg. after leaving machine for 30 min, the license was not returned)

A2(i). Probable reason. Machine was not really “idle”. Any of the following activity in the active application prevents the client workstation from being idle:
- Any keystroke.
- Any mouse click.
- Any command, Lisp expression, menu macro or script in progress.
- Any Windows or Modal dialog box opened (a dialog box which needs to close before continuing to other tasks).

A2(ii). Probable reason: There was available license in the license pool.

- If your license is lost because of the idle time-out, the product attempts to claim a new license once you access the product again. If a license is available, the client pulls a new license and continues the session. So, it will appear as Timeout was not working since the machine was re-issued with a new license.

- Normally, if no license is available, you will be prompted to save your work before the product shuts down.

FLEXnet: don’t like 27000 or 2080 port numbers? Change them.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is responsible for maintaining the official assignments of port numbers (http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers). However, many unofficial uses of both well-known and registered port numbers occur in practice. Ports officially used by FLEXnet license manager for Autodesk products:

flex-lm              27000-27009     FLEX LM (1-10)
autodesk-nlm    2080/tcp            Autodesk NLM (FLEXlm)
autodesk-nlm    2080/udp           Autodesk NLM (FLEXlm)

In some particular cases you may have to use different ports.
Note: These changes are not officially supported as they may generate conflicts with other applications and spin out of control; hence we strongly recommend not to change the ports unless it is absolutely necessary.

To change the ports you have to modify the license file as follows:

Original license file (first 3 lines)
SERVER <HOSTNAME> <ETH. ADDRESS>
USE_SERVER
VENDOR adskflex port=2080
…

Modified license file:
SERVER <HOSTNAME> <ETH. ADDRESS> <PORT #>
USE_SERVER
VENDOR adskflex port=<####>
…

AutoCAD Mechanical 2011: Exception in ACVMTOOLS.ARX

Recently, I had a customer with a qualified laptop running the Inventor 2011 Suite. Autodesk Inventor was working but AutoCAD Mechanical was not working.  The error was:  

• Exception in ACVMTOOLS.ARX. Unhandled exception c0000005 (Access violation reading 0xd900fa08)@69a32c8fh

The specifications of the laptop are below:

• Lenovo W510 laptop
• Windows 7 x64 
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 880M v8.16.11.8825 (current driver on our list)

You will need to uninstall the Lenovo USB port replicator software and AutoCAD Mechanical should function properly:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-72822.html

I would like to thank Vicki Hill for sharing this tip.

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Installation-Licensing/AutoCAD-MEP-2011-Exception-in-ACVMTOOLS-ARX/td-p/3034658

 

Installation Error related to installation source path

When installing Autodesk Software if you get an error similar to the following it could be due to the spaces in the install source path.

This is applicable if you have downloaded the installer from the web site (or copied the installer source) to a path which contains spaces

E.g.:-C:\documents and settings\username\Desktop

Simple work around to fix this error would be to copy the install source to the “C:\Autodesk” folder. Then run the setup from there.

The error is not very informative for troubleshooting.

Thanks to Anil Choudhary for reporting the issue.

Maya 2012: A deployment with only Maya in it....

The deployment creation doesn’t create setup.exe file when only product to be installed is Maya 2012.  This happens with both x64 and x86  versions of Maya 2012 in English  and Japanese.

The workaround is:  

1.  Create deployment with everything in it.
2.  Go to tools > Create & modify a deployment.
3.  Select: Create a new deployment configuration using an existing configuration as a template.
4.  Uncheck all other product options, but Maya 2012.

Thanks to Avto Chachava for this tip.

Borrow your licenses intelligently

I would like to make you aware of the fact that there is no way to restore a borrowed license in your license server if the borrowed client machine has crashed

For the most part of the Autodesk products, the maximum borrow period is 180 days (6 months). 

We can see the maximum borrow period for each feature, in the license file, under the value BORROW=4320, where 4320 is the time in hours. In this case, 180 days correspond to 4320 hours. Please, don’t try to change this value in the license file, it would make the license file invalid. 

It is important that you use the borrow feature in a way, that the borrow period reflects the period you really need to use your license disconnected from the server.  

As best practice in an environment where people are supposed to borrow the licenses frequently, it is advised to set a maximum borrow period reflecting the needs of the user.

This would allow the license administrator to control the borrow period. 

To set a borrow period lower than the default one set in the license file, you need to set in the option file the statement MAX_BORROW_HOURS. 

Please don’t use the Borrowing tab in the LMTOOLS utility, it doesn’t work with the Autodesk products. Autodesk products licenses must be borrowed from the product interface. 

The sample line bellow, set the maximum borrows period to AutoCAD 2011 to 3 days: MAX_BORROW_HOURS 85536ACD_2011_0F 72 

Please refer to the technical solution How to control network license access using an options file, to set your options file.