Fix for some Autodesk 2009 products in JTB FlexReport

A customer found that some features like 60500PNID_2009_0F (AutoCAD P&ID 2009) and 67700PNID_F (the package feature for P&ID) did not show up in the reports in an older version of JTB FlexReport.

We found that lmutil.exe version in the JTB FlexReport folder was 10.8.0.1. When upgrading lmutil.exe to 11.4.100.0 or higher it started to work.

Download for lmutil.exe 11.4.100.0 and lmutil.exe 11.5.

JTB FlexReport 4.2 released - now with IBM LUM support

Now JTB FlexReport adds reporting on concurrent usage for IBM LUM licensed products like Catia and Enovia from Dassault Systemes.

FLEXnet-enabled (previously named FLEXlm) applications like AutoCAD 2009 are of course supported since before and the support for Matlab usage has been improved.

Request your free trial right now and give it a try.

Software Asset Management for Autodesk licenses

During the recent Virtual Event I found the following useful resources. If you visit www.autodesk.com/piracy or www.autodesk.com/licensecompliance there are several resources available on how to identify genuine Autodesk products and protect yourself against piracy, stay compliant and get compliant.

Software Asset Management Toolkit (pdf - 1280Kb) is a document worth reading.

For network licenses JTB FlexReport can be tool that helps you with SAM (Software Asset Management).

 

Useful Tips from Autodesk

Ensure You Are Purchasing Authentic Autodesk Products

If the price is too good to be true, it probably is not a legitimate (a.k.a. “legal”) product. If the vendor states that the product is available for download and/or if the vendor does not offer tech support, do not buy from that vendor. Learn more about how to identify authentic Autodesk products.

Institute a Company Policy Regarding the Use of Software
Communicate the policy clearly and consistently to advise leaders and employees to adhere to software license agreements. Commit to supplying original software to meet the needs of all your users. View our Software Asset Management Toolkit for sample text to use in writing a company policy.

A copy of the Autodesk End-User License Agreement can be viewed by choosing “About (program name)… from the Help menu in your Autodesk program.

Regularly Review and Revise Policies Regarding the Use of Software
Policies should be reviewed regularly and revised to clarify existing points and to address new issues that have become part of the work environment.

Create a Software Code of Ethics
Ask employees to sign a letter acknowledging the company forbids illegal software duplication. This can be part of a new employee orientation packet. View our Software Asset Management Toolkit for sample text of a software code of ethics.

Develop a Support Structure for a Code of Ethics
Create mechanisms—an ombudsperson, an ethics committee, a suggestion box, or an employee "help line"—to support the code of ethics. Employees need to feel safe reporting software copyright infringements to management without fear of negative repercussions or job loss.

Anticipate and Fulfill User Needs
Survey your employees once or twice annually to determine their software needs. To deter users from unauthorized copying, make sure bureaucracy does not impede timely delivery of the software.

Establish Realistic Budgets for Hardware and Software
Do not take financial shortcuts to pay for software. Make sure to plan for software purchases as you do for hardware.

Perform Software Self-Audits
Inspect software in use to ensure it was acquired legitimately and is accounted for in your software register. View our Software Asset Management Toolkit for information about compiling a software register.

lmutil.exe 11.5 problem with Tekla Structures

JTB FlexReport uses lmutil and a customer found a problem using the version 11.5 when reporting license usage for Tekla Structures activation based licensing. lmutil.exe version 11.5 for some reason does not report the usage as it should.

Going back to using lmutil.exe version 11.4.100.0 solved the problem.

Reports on denials of FLEXenabled applications

JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports now has three reports that can help you determine if the denials are unacceptable so you need to purchase more licenses or restrict usage of licenses for certain users or reserve licenses for some.

Some companies has a license policy that denials should never happen while others can accept it to a certain degree.

The following report shows when a user/host was denied the first and last time as well as if a license eventually was checked out soon after the last denial, and finally how many denials there was during this period.

Here is a report that shows the denials on a monthly basis.

 

JTB FlexReport also supports distributed license servers so denials that happens on one server where the request fall over to another server that eventually gives a license to the user will not be counted as a denial. Settings for creation of distributed license server groups can be done in JTB FlexReport Config.

If you want to try JTB FlexReport a free trial is available upon request with full support without any cost during the trial period so you can make sure it works as expected.

Who used licenses at 1am?

JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports can help you with this if you wonder why there are for example 7 licenses used in the middle of the night, or you might wonder about what users were using an application at a certain point when all licenses were used.

Set the filters like this for example. You don't have to specify start and end date because you can filter out that information later if needed. If you want a larger span you can set the start and end time between 00:00 and 04:00 as well.

Here are a couple of reports that shows you the result. One with checked out licenses that are not borrowed and one with checked out licenses that are borrowed.

Typically this is when an application does not return a license correctly when closed or it could be that the application is borrowed. Causes for this can be older versions of FLEXnet/FLEXlm or some bugs in the vendor application. One solution that worked for many is to use TIMEOUT or TIMEOUTALL. Even with that setting it will not help if the user left say AutoCAD running with a modal dialog box opened or a command in progress.

If you want to try JTB FlexReport a free trial is available upon request with full support without any cost during the trial period so you can make sure it works as expected.

JTB FlexReport 4.1.2 released

JTB FlexReport 4.1.2 is now available to help you report on your network license usage. Check the revision history for details.

Autodesk's new prior usage and Package license file introduced with AutoCAD 2009 and other 2009 products is fully supported.

Fully functional trial is available upon request.

PS. This information has been emailed to all customers and trial users and if you have not received any email it might be that your email filter has stopped it so please contact me one way or the other.

Package license file introduced with AutoCAD 2009

One of the new features in Autodesk 2009 products is prior version support.

This knowledge base document describes the details:

Package license files for prior version licensing

Issue

You received a package license file for prior version network licensing and you want to know more about the new license file format.

Solution

The package license file contains a set number of licenses for four different versions of your software. For example, an AutoCAD 2009 package license file will contain a set number of licenses that can be used for AutoCAD 2009, 2008, 2007 or 2006. Note: Running an instance of any one of these versions will consume one license in the package. Running more than one version, even on the same machine, will consume more than one license in the package.

If you have a 2-license package for AutoCAD 2009, the following scenarios can be expected:

• Two machines running AutoCAD 2009 will consume two licenses. No licenses will be available for other users.
• The same machine running AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD 2009 will consume two licenses. No licenses will be available for other users.
• The same machine running three instances of AutoCAD 2007 will consume one license. One license will be available for other users.

Important notes regarding package license files:

• Package license files come with the current version and three previous versions of the same product only. It is not possible to configure the products included in the package in any way.
• Package license files may be combined as usual with license files for different products. See the following solution for details on combining license files: Combining Autodesk® license files.
• Do not combine package license files with non-package license files for product versions contained in the package. Doing so will disable the older license INCREMENT for the product and only the package license count will be available. For example, do not combine an AutoCAD 2009 package license file with a regular license file for AutoCAD 2008, 2007 or 2006. 
• Both the PACKAGE and INCREMENT sections of this license file are required for licensing to work correctly. When you combine license files, be sure to include both of these sections along with any PLIST INCREMENTs.
• License borrowing, options files and license cascading work the same for package license files as they do for regular license files. When you configure an options file, use the feature codes of the individual product versions contained within the package. For example, if you want to reserve 5 licenses of AutoCAD in an options file, you will need four separate RESERVE statements, one for the feature code that corresponds to each version.

The following is an example of a package license file for AutoCAD 2009:

SERVER servername 123456789012
USE_SERVER
VENDOR adskflex port=2080
PACKAGE 64300ACD_F adskflex 1.000 COMPONENTS="57600ACD_2009_0F \
    54600ACD_2008_0F 51200ACD_2007_0F 48800ACD_2006_0F" \
    OPTIONS=SUITE SUPERSEDE ISSUED=09-Apr-2008 SIGN="012E 89A4 \
    36DD 8159 57BA 4F7E 90B7 8D70 F7BB 894D F530 73BD 9F61 CFB5 \
    B219 1F86 83A0 A9B1 6996 6866 B63A D7F2 88B7 0DDB AFB4 C576 \
    90BE 792B 7YT4 2AE1" SIGN2="1150 74B2 6D6C D194 9IT2 0B6E F745 \
    BE18 48A1 D48B B049 0A4A F4B0 7F13 45DE 04E3 BDEA EA5B EE04 \
    806B 4001 C1BB 4826 423A 971D 4349 12AA 6178 724F 4257"
INCREMENT 64300ACD_F adskflex 1.000 permanent 1 \
    VENDOR_STRING=nfr:permanent BORROW=4320 SUPERSEDE DUP_GROUP=UH \
    SUITE_DUP_GROUP=UHV ISSUED=09-Apr-2008 SN=321-12345678 \
    SIGN="016F 83DD FBDE 7D7E 7E53 AD0F 0750 2B2C 04EB A746 B2BB \
    41C0 5986 C1F1 7603 1128 F51B 920C 3CA7 B8FF 6B39 D4C7 6C44 \
    F86B E5C2 683C 0FB2 7904 4393 D8A8" SIGN2="0236 3870 7AC9 B755 \
    123A F111 AFEF HS%$ 4554 3EE6 547E 8DE4 E7D3 26D8 96EA 0398 \
    A696 1A87 2DCE 04B0 E49C 910C B707 459D JD6A 92C3 0120 BCAA \
    961F AC90"
INCREMENT PLIST adskflex 1.000 permanent 1 \
    VENDOR_STRING=A07:51600ACDLAND_2007_0F:52200CIV3D_2007_0F;B07:51900AMECH_PP_2007_0F:51300INVBUN_11_0F:52900INVPRORS_11_0F:53000INVPROSIM_11_0F:51400INVPRO_11_0F;C07:51200ACD_2007_0F:52500REVITS_9_0F:54100REVITS_9_1F:53700REVSU_3_0F:54200REVSU_4_0F;D07:52600REVIT_9_0F:52500REVITS_9_0F;E07:57600ACD_2009_0P:59300INVBUN_2009_0P;F07:51800BLDSYS_2007_0F:53100REVSYP_1_0F:54500REVSYP_2_0F;G07:53400REVITST_3_0F:53700REVSU_3_0F;H07:54300REVIT_9_1F:54100REVITS_9_1F;I07:54400REVITST_4_0F:54200REVSU_4_0F;A08:55500ACDLAND_2008_0F:55400CIV3D_2008_0F;B08:54900AMECH_PP_2008_0F:55000INVBUN_2008_0F:55100INVPRORS_2008_0F:55200INVPROSIM_2008_0F:55300INVPRO_2008_0F;C08:54600ACD_2008_0F:54700REVITS_2008_0F:54800REVSU_2008_0F;D08:57100REVIT_2008_0F:54700REVITS_2008_0F;F08:55600BLDSYS_2008_0F:55700REVSYP_2008_0F;G08:57200REVITST_2008_0F:54800REVSU_2008_0F;A09:59800ACDLAND_2009_0F:59700CIV3D_2009_0F;B09:59200AMECH_PP_2009_0F:59300INVBUN_2009_0F:59400INVPRORS_2009_0F:61700INVMFG_2009_0F:59500INVPROSIM_2009_0F:59600INVPRO_2009_0F;D09:62100REVIT_2009_0F:60900REVITS_2009_0F;C09:57600ACD_2009_0F:60900REVITS_2009_0F:61000REVSU_2009_0F;F09:59900BLDSYS_2009_0F:60000REVSYP_2009_0F;G09:62200REVITST_2009_0F:61000REVSU_2009_0F;J09:67800RVTMPJ_2009_0F:60000REVSYP_2009_0F \
    SUPERSEDE ISSUED=09-Apr-2008 SIGN="1DA3 DE47 4E42 2C8C 6342 \
    E829 9E8D 1C22 3095 5717 63F3 152F 30D6 C903 7726 1B03 7F59 \
    C85D D60D D920 20C7 0E04 88BE BAB6 A55A 0182 EBB9 9B44 12C5 \
    E5AE" SIGN2="10B8 3138 5505 2D5B 3963 D17B 4950 1CF3 EBB9 5782 \
    4085 3A4A D888 9A5E 5371 173D A556 074D 5FBD A93A 5203 1127 \
    13CD 3DE4 6EED ED54 6F33 D840 C4C2 8426"

Knowledge Base document: Package license files for prior version licensing

JTB FlexReport works with these license files and can also report company wide usage on combined usage of multiple versions of one product.

Access 2007 Runtime SP1 available

I have updated the detailed network license reports in JTB FlexReport that can make use the Access 2007 Runtime SP1. Download details are found in this previous blogpost.

Found out about SP1 via the Access Team Blog.

Welcome Autodesk NavisWorks

NavisWorks has now been added to Autodesk's website (time for a visit as it has been updated for the 2009 product launches). You find the products at www.autodesk.com/navisworks. If you are into 3D construction, BIM, PIM or the like NavisWorks is a great solution to review and manage your project.

The products are now named:

• Autodesk NavisWorks Freedom (Free viewer)
• Autodesk NavisWorks Review (For reviewing of project designs)
• Autodesk NavisWorks Simulate (For reviewing project designs, 4D scheduling and presentation)
• Autodesk NavisWorks Manage (For reviewing project designs, 4D scheduling, presentation and interference checking.)

   

NavisWorks is now also possible to license using FLEXnet like most other Autodesk products and that means JTB FlexReport can be used for network license monitoring and statistics.

JTB FlexReport 4.1.1 released

JTB FlexReport 4.1.1 is now available. Check the revision history for details that only affects very few if you already have installed 4.1. If you have not installed 4.1, now might be a good time to upgrade as 4.1.1 is as stable as it can be with several customers already using 4.1 or 4.1.1 and I have even tested that it works on Windows Server 2008. If you you on the other hand have old Excel 2000 consider upgrade Excel or stay with an older version of the graphic reports.

It probably is needed to uninstall the old version before installing this one. To be sure the latest version of the reports are installed rename or delete JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb and JTB FlexReport Graphic Reports.xls.

JTB FlexReport 4.1 released

JTB FlexReport 4.1 is now available. Check the revision history for details on the performance improvements and the news.

It probably is needed to uninstall the old version before installing this one. To be sure the latest version of the reports are installed rename or delete JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb and JTB FlexReport Graphic Reports.xls.

FLEXnet issues when restarting the server or service

If and when you restart your FLEXnet/FLEXlm server or service it can be good to know that the status will be incorrect if lmutil.exe or lmtools.exe is used.

If the user has an application running and restarting the license server or just the license service the following can happen:

USER1 HOST1 HOST1 (v1.000) (HOST1/27000 103), start Sat 1/19 08:24

Restarting server or service and it will not pick up that a license actually still is in use and it will look like the license was checked out just after the server restart notice also how the license handle can change.

USER1 HOST1 HOST1 (v1.000) (HOST1/27000 101), start Sat 1/19 12:26

It affects the report like this one jtbflexreportHTML2.htm where used hours are showed and it is the same with borrowed licenses that you cannot fully rely on when the license was borrowed:

USER1@HOST1 Checked out license at 2007-04-28 06:33  Hours used: 2:52

Network license news in AutoCAD 2009

Prior version support is the new thing for the 2009 products (soon to be available) when it comes to network licensing. When new licenses are generated for subscription customers the license file will allow the current and three past versions to run.

Autodesk Network licensing tools include the Network License Manager, the Network License Activation utility, the FLEXnet (sometimes still referred as FLEXlm) configuration tools, and SAMreport-Lite. SAMreport-Lite from Macrovision is still the old 3.6 version from 2006. If you want something better, easier and more flexible consider JTB FlexReport that among many things supports all your other vendors FLEXnet licenses as well as features like combining of multiple versions so you can make sure you follow your subscription contract.

Software Requirement Notes:
Windows Vista 32-bit
Windows XP 32-bit
Windows 2003 Server Edition
Windows 2000 Professional
Windows 2000 Server Edition

Windows Server 2003 R2 is still not mentioned but probably works anyway. Windows Server 2008 SP1 is neither mentioned but I think it will work with the 32-bit version. 64-bit OS seems still not to be supported. Virtual machines like Microsoft Virtual PC or server and VMWare

AutoCAD 2009-based products require FLEXnet version 11.4.1 (or 11.4.100 as it says) or later. If you are currently using a version of FLEXnet that is earlier than 11.4.1, you need to upgrade to version 11.4.1 or later.

The most simple way to upgrade is described here. The latest version of the FLEXnet files are found here except the AutoCAD daemon adskflex.exe that is found on the installation DVD.

Version 11.4.1 of the FLEXnet license manager that ships with AutoCAD 2009-based products is backwards compatible and will administer licenses for the Autodesk 2008-, 2007-, 2006-, 2005-, 2004-, and 2002-based products as well as products from other vendors.

57600ACD_2009_0F is the FLEXnet feature code for AutoCAD 2009.

The registry hack to change from SLM to NLM will not work with AutoCAD 2009 so if you have a standalone installation you need to uninstall completely before installing the network one. Using the registry hack, the cascading licensing service doesn’t install, so cascading will not work, if you install network version then PLU doesn’t install and user will not be able to transfer his license.

SAMreport alternative

Macrovision has retired SAMreport and has replaced it with FLEXnet Manager. After December 31, 2007, Macrovision will no longer provide any support to resolve SAMreport issues. The end-of-life notice does not apply to SAMreport Lite.

There is a great alternative available though.

Take a look at what JTB FlexReport can offer you to help you with your license tracking of FLEXnet or FLEXlm licensed software.

JTB FlexReport 4 released

JTB FlexReport is a reporting tool that can help you analyze the usage of your network licenses.

The major news in this release of JTB FlexReport are:

• FLEXnet license denial notifications. You can get automatic emails sent when license requests are denied. The information on the denials are also saved to the database so they are available for study.
• Support for applications like 12d Model from 12D Solutions.
• The latest JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb must be downloaded separately if you upgrade an existing installation or you can rename JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb before installing.
• Groups defined in the detailed report are now correctly saved to the JTBFlexReport.NET.mdb again. For help to migrate the groups contact us.
• For other fixes and news see the Revision History on the website.

Existing customers should contact us for a new license file before installing. The license file should be located in the installation folder.

FLEXnet license denial notifications

If your users are having a lot of denials of their FLEXnet/FLEXlm licensed applications I invite you to beta test the latest version of JTB FlexReport that will enable you to get email warnings when license requests are denied. Contact me if you are interested.

License report for 12D Solutions applications

If you are using applications like 12d Model from 12D Solutions from Australia and want to get great reports I invite you to beta test the latest version of JTB FlexReport. Contact me if you are interested.

JTB FlexReport 3.4.3 news

JTB FlexReport has been updated.

The installation package is not updated for this release though. If you want the added features or have had problems with the Concurrent report you can just download the new database or if you don't have Access use the free Runtime.

• JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb (file ver. 3.4.9) updated with reports that includes User, Host and Server. Host Group Report per year added. Max Min Avg Concurrent Usage reports should work in older versions of Access now. Download here.

• Version that does not require Access is available. It uses Access Runtime 2007. Details here.

JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports using Access 2007 Runtime

Want to try network license reporting functionality of JTB FlexReport that supports FLEXlm and FLEXnet?

Either contact us for a time limited fully functional version for free or you can use these downloads below and try the reports with a sample database.

Download of JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports that does not require Access to be installed. It uses the Access 2007 Runtime that you will be asked to download and install if needed. The Microsoft Office Access 2007 Runtime allow users who do not have the full version of Access 2007 (or earlier versions) installed on their computers to run JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports. JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports supports older versions but some functionality and reports work better or only in Access 2007.

Download for the Access 2007 Runtime. (56.4 MB)

It seems like the queries for the reports below does not work in all older versions of Access. It works in the 2007 version though.

Download JTB FlexReport Graphic Reports.

Download the sample database with several months data that can be viewed using the reports above.

Documentation is found here. But if you only want to use the three downloads it's suggested that you start installing JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports. It will as default install in the User AppData folder in the subfolder JTB FlexReport. A JTB FlexReport Detailed Reports.mdb shortcut is also created in the All Programs folder on the Windows start menu.
In Windows Vista
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\JTB FlexReport
In Windows XP
%USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\JTB FlexReport

Place the two other files in the same folder and correct the path when you start the reports.