This article explains how to configure checkout restrictions on the SELECTserver administration site.

Background

The majority of Bentley products utilize trust licensing to activate products. With this licensing philosophy, workstations log product usage and periodically send the usage data to a license server. However, SELECTserver provides the ability to lock or "check out" a license to a workstation for a specified duration. Checkouts are required for the following situations:

1. A product will be used apart from a network connection for more than 30 days.
2. A product license resides on a non-SELECT account. The sharing of licenses (i.e. pooled licensing) is a SELECT benefit. So licenses must be checked out to a workstation instead.
3. A product is licensed using the Bentley IEG License Service which utilizes automatic license checkouts instead of trust licensing.

Apart from the situations mentioned above, license checkouts are discouraged because they can potentially inflate usage statistics, especially if a user forgets to check in a license that is no longer needed.

Fortunately, SELECTserver provides the ability to restrict the licenses available for check out.

Important: For users of SELECTserver OnLine, Bentley's licensing solution over the Internet, a Bentley login with the Site Administrator role is required to complete the steps below.

Steps to Accomplish

Option 1 Set Up Checkout Restrictions

1. Access the SELECTserver administrator site. Unless you have an on-premise (i.e. deployed) SELECTserver, visit the Enterprise Portal, locate the License Management tile under the "Support service & Administration Resources" section, and choose SELECTserver Admin as shown below:
   

2. Locate the navigation bar along the top, and select Checkout Restrictions from the Site Configuration drop-down menu.

3. If managing multiple sites or Custom Activation Groups, select the site or Custom Activation Group to configure from the drop-down menu in the upper right titled "Select a site to configure."
   

4. Select the radio button labeled "Apply Checkout Restrictions" if not already selected. This will enable the product list immediately below it.

5. Select specific products in order to enable or disable checkouts by selecting the checkboxes on the left, and then choosing Enable/Disable from the drop-down menu just above the list.

6. The value in the Status column will change from Enabled to Disabled.

7. The enabled  status means a product will be available for checkout while the disabled status means a product will be unavailable for checkout.
8. The quantity of licenses available for checkout can also be specified by using the Restrictions drop-down menu. This is especially useful for users with an Enterprise License Subscription or SELECT Open Access who have unlimited license quantities.

If a product has checkouts disabled, the Checkout Restrictions will simply prevent licenses from being checked out via the Product Activation Wizard or License Management Tool. Most products will still activate and log usage as before with the exception below.

Important: Products that utilize the Bentley IEG License Service require license checkouts to function. These licenses should not be restricted. Please visit How products that use the Bentley IEG License Service are licensed for a list of affected products.

Option 2 Disable license checkouts completely

1. Access the SELECTserver administration site. Unless you have an on-premise (i.e. deployed) SELECTserver, visit the Enterprise Portal, locate the License Management tile under the "Support service & Administration Resources" section, and choose SELECTserver Admin as shown below:
   

2. Locate the navigation bar along the top, and select Site Settings from the Site Configuration drop-down menu.

3. Locate the Checkout Settings section, and uncheck the checkbox labeled "Enable clients to check out licenses."

4. Click the Apply button in the upper right to save changes.

Products will still activate and log usage as before. The Checkout Restrictions simply prevent licenses from being checked out via the Product Activation Wizard or License Management Tool.

Important: Products that utilize the Bentley IEG License Service require license checkouts to function. These licenses should not be restricted. Please visit How products that use the Bentley IEG License Service are licensed for a list of affected products.

Note: If the box is checked for "Restrict usage to only checked out licenses- All users will need to check out a license for every application they wish to use," programs will not be able to activate without a license check out. 

See Also

SELECTserver TechNotes and FAQs