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1) How can I properly configure the program to use an appropriate feature level (pipes, inlets, ponds, AutoCAD/Standalone, etc) based on the needs of my particular project and on what I am licensed for? (to avoid accidental overage / QTL)
2) I've received an unintended overage and need to know how to properly set the feature level at the end user to avoid it in the future.3) I'm getting a message when computing my model that I've exceeded the number of registered pipes / inlets / ponds but I don't have more than what I'm licensed for.
4) When trying to open the program in AutoCAD mode, I'm getting a message that there is "no valid <product name> for AutoCAD license..."
5) I'm seeing multiple licenses show up in the Activation status tab of the License Management Tool, some say expired. Is this a problem?
For a video demonstration, see further below.
The Haestad products (with the exception of FlowMaster and CulvertMaster) use the concept of Feature Levels for licensing. The product can be purchased and/or licensed differently depending on the number of allowable elements in the model. For example, WaterCAD has a pipe limit, such as 2000 pipes, and can also be purchased with or without AutoCAD integration.
Since there is a possibility of having multiple available feature configurations for the same product, a tool called the Municipal License Administrator (MLA) must be used on the client computer to select which one the program will use (and log license usage against). If you do not use this tool or select a feature configuration for your product during installation it will default to the lowest limit. If you're encountering an error about exceeding the limit it may be that the default was not set.
This concept is especially important for those who are on SELECT OpenAccess, because every possible feature level for every Haestad product will be available to you by default. It is important to understand how to properly set the default feature level and its impact on billing. With SELECT OpenAccess (SOA), the general idea is that you can easily move up to the next feature level when needed (for example if a project expands and the model gets larger) without the need to go through a procurement process and purchase additional licenses. You simply set the feature level and will be billed based on what you use. However, this relies on proper selection of the default feature configuration so as not to accidentally use a feature level that is too high for your needs. See more further below under "What if I don't want to accidently set the wrong feature limit?"
The Municipal License Administrator (MLA) can be accessed from the product's folder off the Start menu (Start > All Programs, Bentley > Program Name > Municipal License Administrator) or on the home screen via the search tool. Upon opening it available products and their feature configurations should display. If they do not click "Refresh Configurations". Left click the row with the configuration you want to use and click the "Make Default" button. Close the MLA, re-open the product in question and confirm the "Size" under Help > About <Product_Name>
Warning: license charges may be incurred, so please ensure that the correct feature limit is selected.
In the above example we can see several feature configurations available for SewerGEMS, StormCAD and WaterCAD. For example, WaterCAD is set to use a 10,000 pipe limit, with the ability to integrate with MicroStation and AutoCAD. Here is the "About" window:
The feature level selection is primarily dictated by the maximum number of hydraulic model features (such as pipes) that can be present in the model during calculation. You can always open and work on a model that contains more features than you are licensed for, but you will not be able to compute or print.
If your company has a SELECT OpenAccess subscription, all feature levels will be available for you to select from. If set your feature level (using the Municipal License Administrator) to the feature level that you own, and there is no other concurrent use of that feature level, then no overage will occur. If you set the feature level to one that you do not own, then it will be included on your quarterly term license (QTL) invoice. So, it is important to be aware of your organization's purchased feature levels. Of course, if the need arises to use a higher feature level, you're always able to do so, and will only be billed for the usage of that higher feature level when you record usage against that feature level.
Important note: if only one user is expected to be using the software at a given time, it is best to avoid setting the default feature level to one that is below one that you own. For example if you only own a 5000 pipe license of WaterCAD but need to work on a model with only 800 pipes in it, it is still best to set the feature level to 5000 pipes (rather than 1000 pipes), to avoid an overage/QTL invoice on the 1000 pipes feature level that you do not own a license for. However if a second user in your organization needs to work on a larger model (for example 4000 pipes), and anticipates needing to work on it at the same time that you will be working on the 800 pipe model, then it would be best to use the 5000 pipes license for that user, and the 1000 pipes license for the other one, since the QTL/overage of the 1000 pipe license will be less than the QTL/overage of the 5000 pipe license.
If you are unsure of which feature level to use because the model has not yet been built, you could check the source data that will be imported (shapefile polylines, DXF polylines, spreadsheet, EPANET file, etc) to see the number of features that will be imported.
Note that the use of Laterals and Customer elements , isolation valves and Skelebrator can assist in reducing the number of pipes in a WaterCAD or WaterGEMS model.
This is especially important if you have a SELECT Open Access subscription, which allows access to all products and feature limits.
In general, you should use the lowest feature limit (and set it to one that you own, if you do own one, as explained above), unless your Site Administrator specifies otherwise. For example, if you know that the maximum number of pipes you will need to use in a given WaterGEMS model is approximately 400, then set your pipe limit to 500. If in doubt, check with your Site Administrator.
If you manage licenses for your company consider Custom Activation Groups, which allow you to create separate activation keys with only selected products and features available. For more, see "Custom Activation Groups" under the "See Also" section below.
First check if the product is checked out. Open the License Management Tool, click the License Checkout tab, and note the list of products at the top. if you see your product/feature listed there but with a zero next to it that means someone has it checked out. If this is the case contact your site administrator for assistance (a site administrator is usually someone the IT department).
If the product does not display in the list in the License Management Tool (LMT), contact your Site Administrator to ensure that the correct Activation key is being used (as seen under Tools > Options in the LMT). It could be that you're using a custom activation group or ELS feature configuration with the product hidden, or there are access restrictions in place on the server side.
This can happen if you have more than one seat of the license and one of them is checked out. A checked out license will also be forced as default so it will show as an extra line in the MLA. For more information see "Default license configuration not retaining setting" under the "See also" section below.
The activation status area will show a history of all feature levels and products that were attempted to be activated in the past. See more here:
Products are listed multiple times in the Activation Status tab of the License Management Tool
Not necessarily. Depending on the permissions that the Municipal License Administrator (MLA) is opened with and the version of the program, the default feature configuration is either stored in the area of the registry that all users can access, or the area that only the user who set the default can access. See below article for more:
Setting the Default Feature Configuration as an Administrator, for other Windows Accounts
Check the other resources below under "See Also" or contact technical support.
Hydraulics and Hydrology Product Licensing (Activation) FAQs and Troubleshooting [TN]
Performing a silent installation for Bentley's Water and Storm Sewer products
How can I reduce the number of pipes in my model?