Activation on New PC - Wrong Server

We have a locally hosted license - XM version due to versioning issues.

We recently had to lease some additional products which apparently requires a Bentley hosted license. In the past, I have been unable to reset a server to allow a Bentley server license to be used on a PC that one time was looking at our server. Out IT guys claim we have no security settings that should prevent redefining a license server, but it has never worked.

So yesterday, I am setting up my new Windows 8 PC - which is a trip, BTW. So this PC has never seen or heard of our license server. I follow the install directions and then run the activation tool using the information provided by Bentley. It seems to work, but when I run the license tool from inside Power InRoads, it shows our server and a license in 30 day trial mode.

Since we are leasing a product that we do not have in our permanent license pool, how do I get this to work. I have logged a TR but my account guy, who is the one making us lease these seats told me to post here. So I am covering all my bases because if I'm paying for a lease I was to use it.

We have a contract with a DOT that has Bentley host the licenses for the contract and could not get that working which meant we were using one of our licenses instead of the DOT license. That is still going on so if I get this working I should be able to then get that working.

  

Parents
  • Hi Cadcop,

    It is possible that the server name and activation key are being pushed out via a group policy.  You may get a notification when you run the license management tool (licensetool.exe) that the settings are set by your administrator.  One way to see if the licensing keys are being pushed out via a group policy is to see what Group Policy settings have been applied to your machine by typing rsop.msc into the run box and then hit enter. Once that completes and brings up the results and you can see which AD group is applying the policy.  If it's there, it would be under the Administrative Templates>Classic Administrative Templates area.

    In the registry, the group policy licensing keys are under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Bentley\Licensing.  See this technote for more on licensing registry settings:  communities.bentley.com/.../activation-of-client-side-products-and-registry-basics.aspx

    HTH,

    Phil



Reply
  • Hi Cadcop,

    It is possible that the server name and activation key are being pushed out via a group policy.  You may get a notification when you run the license management tool (licensetool.exe) that the settings are set by your administrator.  One way to see if the licensing keys are being pushed out via a group policy is to see what Group Policy settings have been applied to your machine by typing rsop.msc into the run box and then hit enter. Once that completes and brings up the results and you can see which AD group is applying the policy.  If it's there, it would be under the Administrative Templates>Classic Administrative Templates area.

    In the registry, the group policy licensing keys are under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Bentley\Licensing.  See this technote for more on licensing registry settings:  communities.bentley.com/.../activation-of-client-side-products-and-registry-basics.aspx

    HTH,

    Phil



Children
  • Phil

    I ran rsop.msc and here is what I see.

    What does this tell me?

    Additional Information:

    Apparently, our entire site license is now on the Bentley Server. So I could have all products access that server an stop using ours. How do I accomplish this if I cannot get a brand new PC to ignore our local server?

    This should not be this difficult!!!!!!


    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996
  • Hi CADDCOP,

    This tells me that the licensing keys are being pushed out to your machine via a group policy.  The license tool will read these keys first and use the settings there over what you enter in the license tool.  Your IT guys will have to disable to policy pushing out your local server information in order for the license tool to detect the server name and activation key that you want to enter.  Here is a link to a technote that explains more on the group policy and how it is applied:

    communities.bentley.com/.../9431.aspx

    Regards,

    Phil



  • To supplement Phil's response, I believe it would be a better idea, instead of disabling the group policy, to modify it instead to use selectserver.bentley.com instead of your locally deployed SELECTserver name. Though you had previously been using a deployed SELECTserver--and that license may continue to work until its expiration date is exceeded--your site's licensing is now configured for SELECTserver Online. As such, it would make more sense to push out the updated licensing information to all of your workstations to assure they are correctly configured before your existing deployed SELECTserver license expires.

    Nicole Thomas

  • Is this being done by our SELECTserver XM? Because the IT guys are not aware of anything they are doing to "push out" a group policy for Bentley products.

    I guess that if Bentley is already hosting our license we could stop our SELECTserver XM, but I don't want to do that until I understand how all of our user's PC's will find the new server.

    Also, streaming videos are blocked at many offices, so relying on them to help users and administrators is problematic. You should also provide a link to download a zip file of these videos for those of us who are limited by corporate policy.


    Charles (Chuck) Rheault
    CADD Manager

    MDOT State Highway Administration

    • MicroStation user since IGDS, InRoads user since TDP.
    • AutoCAD, Land Desktop and Civil 3D, off and on since 1996
  • Hi CADDCOP,

    I'll see if I can get a copy of the video zipped up and provided to you.

    Regards,

    Phil