SELECTserver General [FAQ]


 Product:SELECTserver 
 Version:XM Edition - present
 Environment:N\A
 Area:N\A
 Subarea:N\A

What is a hosted license and what are the advantages?

 Hosted Licensing Services allows your licenses to be stored on a server at Bentley. It offers the same pooled licenses and usage reporting as an "in-house" SELECTserver but does not require the same hardware, software or personnel investment. The requirements for desktop connectivity of V8 XM Edition and V8i applications are no different for hosted licensing than for SELECTserver.

What are the main differences between SELECTserver V8 2004 and SELECTserver?

Why is my company required to report application usages through log transmissions to Bentley?

The transmission of usage logs to Bentley is a requirement with the advent of the SELECTserver licensing configuration. Previous versions of SELECTserver have compiled and reported application usage but none have allowed for disconnected working as a default. SELECTserver therefore introduces a brand new infrastructure and process for report transmission, automating the process and, thereby, removing any demands on the administrator's time. This reporting function is very important to Bentley, as this detailed knowledge helps inform Bentley regarding:

Furthermore, long-range development priorities can be also be better validated when Bentley understands how many users will benefit from a compelling new product or feature.

What information is transmitted in a usage report sent to Bentley?

 There is no proprietary or personal information in usage reports that are transmitted to Bentley. SELECTserver supports the Secure Socket Layer (SSL), so all transmissions are secure.

Desktop-to-SELECTserver Communications
SELECTserver-to-Bentley.com Communications
Product Activation/License Checkout
License Request for a Deployed SELECTserver
Product ID
SELECTserver activation key
Product Version number
SELECTserver serial number
Machine Name
Windows Machine Name
User Name
Usage Reports
Windows Machine Name
SELECTserver version number
Windows Account User Name
SELECTserver serial number
Activation Key
SELECTsite ID
Date/Time application/tool was started
Product (application/tool) ID
Date/Time application/tool was shut down
Product (application/tool) version
 
Max usages statistics
 
SHA1-Hash Machine Name
 
SHA1-Hash User Name

Will I be able to run my pre-XM products with SELECTserver?

Any pre-XM product that currently receives its licenses from a SELECTserver will be able to receive licenses from SELECTserver through SELECTserver Gateway.  

What is the SELECTserver Gateway Service?

SELECTserver Gateway Service manages pre-XM applications, such as MicroStation V8 2004 Edition or MicroStation/J. It emulates the pre-XM SELECTserver and allows pre-XM products to communicate with the new SELECTserver . The difference though is that the SELECTserver Gateway machine does NOT have its own license file, but must communicate with SELECTserver to proxy licenses on behalf of pre-XM applications. The Gateway Service must communicate (at least once) with a SELECTserver to pull down, or cache, license information before it will serve licenses to clients. Like other XM Edition and V8i applications, the Gateway Service must also communicate with the SELECTserver at least once every 30 days. This is necessary in order for the SELECT Server to collect usage logs from pre-XM applications, and for the Gateway Service to download any new licenses from the SELECTserver . Should the Gateway Service fail to connect to SELECT Server for 30 consecutive days, it will cease to serve licenses.

In addition, pre-XM Edition clients still require a continuous (heartbeat) connection to the Gateway Service in order to operate normally. Lastly, the Gateway Service monitors usage information amongst pre-XM clients and then periodically uploads the log data to the SELECTserver, just as an XM Edition or V8i application would.

Do I need to install SELECTserver and the Gateway Service on the same machine?
SELECTserver and the Gateway Service may be installed on the same machine, or on separate machines.

When accessing the SELECTserver Administration page, receiving a message that the Gateway Service is not running. It is running, but on another machine.

A FULL or TYPICAL installation of SELECTserver was done. Check the machine that SELECTserver is running on and see if there are two Bentley services running (Bentley SELECTserver and Bentley SELECTserver Gateway). If so, you will need to uninstall the SELECTserver Gateway.

1. Open a command prompt
2. Change directories to the directory you installed SSXM to (Typically c:\program file\bentley\selectserver)
3. Type: SYSTEMROOT%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\InstallUtil.exe /u Bentley.SelectServer.Gateway.exe /Assembly bin\Bentley.SelectServer.Common.dll
4. Press Enter.

Will my SELECTserver operate in a proxy server environment?

Yes, SELECTserver will work in a proxy server environment in several ways. First, V8 XM and V8i applications will be able to communicate to SELECTserver via a proxy server. SELECTserver will also be able to communicate with Bentley.com Web services via a proxy server. Finally, SELECTserver Gateway will be able to communicate with SELECTserver via proxy servers.  

In what order should the software prerequisites be installed? 

1. MSXML 6.0
2. Internet Information Servers (with ASP.NET support)
3. .NET Framework 1.1  

How do I install MSXML 6.0?

Download the MSXML 6.0 from Microsoft's Website.

There are four options for downloading MSXML 6.0:

1. Use msxml.msi to install MSXML 6.0 and the SDK on your computer. You may also save msxml.msi to your local disk to install later. The MSXML 6.0 SDK is not installed by default. You must select the custom install option to install the SDK.
2. Use msxmlsdk.exe to download the redistributable merge module xmlsdk4.msm to distribute with your setup application.
3. Include msxml4sxs32.msm and msxm4sys32.msm in your msi installer. To get these files run msxml6msms.exe. For more information about packaging these msm files, see the release notes.
4. Use msxmlcab.exe to download the CAB file to redistribute MSXML over the Internet.

Click the file you want to download from the list on the Webpage.

Do one of the following:

* To start the installation immediately, click Open or Run this program from its current location.
* To copy the download to your computer for installation at a later time, click Save or Save this program to disk.

How do I install IIS?

 NOTE: When installing IIS on Windows 2003 Server, you are given the option to install ASP.NET. However, this option is not available when installing IIS on Windows XP, or Windows 2000 Server. In order to install ASP.NET on Windows XP, or Windows 2000 Server, you should install IIS before installing Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1. When .NET Framework is installed, it will then detect that IIS has been installed and add support for ASP.NET. If you install IIS after .NET Framework, you will not have support for ASP.NET, and the SELECT Server XM Administration site will not function.Windows 2000 Server Installation

1. Internet Information Server is distributed as an optional component of the operating system. Installation options can be found from:
2. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel
3. Click the Add/Remove Programs icon
4. Click Add/Remove Windows Components
5. Click the Components button.
6. A checklist of various options, including Internet Information Services (IIS), will appear on your screen.
7. Select "Internet Information Services" from the "Components" list.
8. Click the Next button.
9. The wizard will proceed to install, insert the "Windows 2000 CD" when prompted.
10. Once completed, click Finish to complete the setup of IIS.

Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition Installation

1. The installation options for Internet Information Services can be found from:
2. Click Start > Manage Your Server.
3. Click the Add or remove a role icon.
4. Click Next and wait for the computer to detect your system settings.
5. Select "Custom configuration" and click Next
6. Select "Application Server" and click Next
7. The two options presented are not necessary for IIS installation, click Next to continue.
8. Click Next to begin installing.
9. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Windows XP Professional Installation

1. The installation options Internet Information Services can be found from:
2. Click Start > Control Panel
3. Click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
4. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
5. A checklist of various options, including IIS, should appear on your screen.
6. Select "Internet Information Services"
7. Click the Next button.
8. The wizard will prompt for the Windows XP Professional CD to be placed in the CD-ROM Drive, assuming it is not already in the drive.
9. It should then proceed to install. Click Finish to complete the installation of IIS.

How do I install .NET Framework?

1. Download the .NET Framework 2.0 from Microsoft's Website.

Once the download is complete, run dotnetfx.exe. Complete the wizard as instructed and then restart your computer.

When installing SQL receiving message about needing a strong SA Password.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP030894271033.aspx?mode=print

Run the installation executable from a command prompt with a switch:

setup.exe SAPWD="AStrongSAPwd"

Replace "AStrongSAPwd" with your own strong password for the system administrator (SA) login account.

 The prerequisites are installed. Now what?

1. Contact the Sales Support Group for your SELECTserver Site Activation Key and the address of the Bentley Server you will be validating your information against.
2. Download SELECTserver .
3. Double click on the downloaded .EXE file to extract the necessary installation files.
4. See SELECTserver.chm, the SELECTserver help file included in the extracted files, for step-by-step installation instructions.
5. Install SELECTserver .
6. Activate your SELECTserver .
7. Install the SELECTserver Gateway (If necessary).
8. Activate the SELECTserver Gateway.
9. Install Microstation V8 XM or V8i.
10. Activate Microstation V8 XM or V8i.
11. Modify the local license file for all pre-XM products to point to the machine running the SELECTserver Gateway (If necessary).

During SELECTserver install receiving the message: "Cannot find internet information server". If you only want to install the Gateway click "next". 

 There is no Internet Information Server (IIS) loaded on the server. It is a prerequisite for SELECTserver installation. You must uninstall SELECTserver and install IIS and any other prerequisites not installed.

What is the name of Bentley's server for hosted licenses? 

SELECTserver.bentley.com  

With a new hosted license the error message "Server does not support activation key" is returned when trying to activate a product. 

* Be aware that the activation key takes at least an hour to be updated in the Bentley Hosted XM server for it to be recognized for MicroStation.
* Check the email that came from the Bentley Administration Center. It should only list a Bentley Server Name and Activation Key. If it lists a SELECTserver Serial Number, SELECTserver Activation Key and Site/Gateway Activation Key you have the information for running a Select Server XM on your site. Contact the Bentley Administration Center to resend the information for a HOSTED license.

Verifying Server and Activation key failed. Error 401 received when accessing SELECT Server administration page.

 HTTP 401 Error usually means "Access Denied". Although Anonymous access was defined, the Windows 2000 Server is most likely a domain controller also. The IUSER_Server did not have sufficient access or did not exist. Use a domain administrator account instead.

An error occurred retrieving the license from Bentley.com: HTTP status 404. Not Found.

This indicates that the SELECTserver could not communicate with the licensing server at bentley.com.

* Your SELECTserver does not have access to the internet or requires a proxy server to access the internet. If your server needs to use a proxy server to connect to the internet use the "Server Settings" link in the SELECTserver administration site to configure your proxy settings.
* Reinstall .NET 1.1.
* If you cannot connect your server to the internet, contact the Bentley Administration Center for assistance with obtaining a your license manually.

Receiving a "Page not found" error when opening the SELECT Server administration web site; Or see RAW HTML in the browsers window.

Workaround 1:

On Windows 2003 - Insure that ASP.NET support has been loaded for IIS:

1. Open Add or Remove Programs from the Windows Control panel.
2. Click "Add/Remove Windows Components".
3. Select "Application Server" and Click the "Details" button.
4. Select ASP.NET.
5. Click OK.

On Windows 2000, Windows XP Pro or Windows 2003 - If IIS was installed AFTER the Microsoft.NET Framework then you need to register .NET with IIS

1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type cd /d %windir%\microsoft.net\framework\v1.1.4322
3. Hit Enter
4. Type aspnet_regiis.exe -i
5. Type iisreset

Workaround 2:

Add the ASPNET user to the Power Users group on the server.

Windows XP Professional

1. Go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Computer Management.
2. Expand Local Users and Groups.
3. Click on Groups.
4. Right click Power Users and select Properties.
5. Click the Add button.
6. In the Enter The Object Names To Select box enter ASPNET.
7. Click OK.
8. Make sure something\ASPNET is showing in the Members box.
9. Click OK.
10. Exit Computer Management.
11. Restart the machine.

Can I access my Administration Web Page through Internet Explorer on a workstation like I did for V8 2004 Select Server?

 Yes. On the remote workstation open Internet Explorer. In the address bar type http://SERVERNAME/bss/admin replacing SERVERNAME with the name of the machine running SELECTserver.

An error has occurred while attempting to verify the activation key from an XP Pro SP2 workstation to the SELECTserver.

Windows XP Pro SP2´s firewall settings disable all remote access to the machine. In order for SELECTserver and SELECTserver Gateway to work, you must add a firewall exception to the Windows Firewall rules.

1. From the Control Panel, double-click the Firewall icon. The Windows Firewall dialog box opens.
2. Click the Exception tab.
3. Click the Add Port... button. The Add a Port dialog box opens.
4. Type Microsoft Internet Information Server in the Name text box.
5. Type 80 in the Port number text box.
6. Click OK to close the Add a Port dialog box.
7. Click OK to close the Windows Firewall dialog box.

An error, "Crypto API could not be loaded", occurs when requesting your license file.

According to Microsoft you must reset the permissions on the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA\MachineKeysto the default settings.

· Click Start ? Run

· Type "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA" in the Open textbox Note: include the quotation marks

· Click OK

· Select the MachineKeys folder.

· Right click and select Properties from the context menu.

+ Remove all entries in the Group or user names: box except for
# Administrators
# Everyone
+ Click the Advanced button.
# Select the Everyone group in the Permissions entries list.
# Click the Edit... button.
* Select This folder only from the Apply onto dropdown.
* In the Permissions list change permissions to match the following
o Full Control - Neither selected
o Traverse Folder / Execute File - Neither selected
o List Folder / Read Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Read Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Read Extended Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Create Files / Write Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Create Folders / Append Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Write Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Write Extended Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Delete Subfolders and Filed - Neither selected
o Delete - Neither selected
o Read Permissions - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Change Permissions - Neither selected
o Take Ownership - Neither selected
* Click the OK button to close the Permissions Entry for MachineKeys dialog
# Select the Administrators group in the Permissions entries list.
# Click the Edit... button.
* Select This folder only from the Apply onto dropdown.
* In the Permissions list change permissions to match the following
o Full Control - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Traverse Folder / Execute File - Allow checked, deny not checked
o List Folder / Read Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Read Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Read Extended Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Create Files / Write Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Create Folders / Append Data - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Write Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Write Extended Attributes - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Delete Subfolders and Filed - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Delete - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Read Permissions - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Change Permissions - Allow checked, deny not checked
o Take Ownership - Allow checked, deny not checked
* Click the OK button to close the Permissions Entry for MachineKeys dialog
# Ensure that Inherit from parent the permission entries that apply to child objects... is NOT checked
# Ensure that Replace permissions entries on all child objects... is NOT checked
# Click OK to close the Advanced Security Settings for MachineKeys dialog
+ Click OK to close the MachineKeys Properties Dialog.

· Restart Internet Information Services

+ Click Start ? Run
+ Type IISRESET in the Open textbox
+ Click OK

See also

Deployed SELECTserver Knowledge Requirements

Other language sources

 Original Author:Bentley Technical Support Group