You are currently reviewing an older revision of this page.
If you have a need to work remotely or from home, Bentley is here to help. To ensure a smooth transition of work and effectiveness of your daily workflows with Bentley OpenFlows software, consider the following tips and resources (to supplement the general information available here). We are working hard to deliver high levels of customer service, and welcome feedback, questions, and ideas (See: OpenFlows Forum) on how we can serve you better in a remote work environment.
If you have a connection to the internet and are using a company-issued computer at home, your OpenFlows product should continue to activate as it did at work. You will need to sign into the CONNECTION Client with your company credentials. More general information on license activation at home can be found here: Working from Home using Bentley Licensing
If you have a need to activate an OpenFlows product for the first time while working remotely and your organization has access to multiple feature levels of the product (for example 2000 pipes, unlimited pipes, etc for WaterGEMS) you may be prompted to select a license feature level. Care should be taken to select the appropriate feature level to prevent any unintended term license usage. In our latest CONNECT Edition releases, feature levels that your organization owns a perpetual license of will be highlighted in bold font. It is typically best to select one of these unless you have a need to use an elevated feature level. If in doubt, consult with your Administrator or the person who manages your licenses. See below for how to find your administrator(s). For more guidance on feature level selection, see: Setting the License Feature Level in the Feature Level Selector
If you are unable to connect to the internet on your company-issued computer while at home, there are licensing considerations. The latest CONNECT Edition versions (10.02.XX.XX and greater) can be used offline for up to seven days. If you need to be without internet access for longer, your OpenFlows product has the capability to "reserve" (check out) licenses. For computers without internet connectivity, license files can be generated from the administration website by the Administrator from an internet-connected machine. See: How to check out licenses from Entitlement Management:
If you are able to connect to the internet but are experiencing network-related problems or performance issues (slow speed or sporadic connectivity) please note the features mentioned in the below section which will be impacted. It may be best to store model files and any attachments (such as backgrounds) on your local hard drive if network connection or performance is a concern.
For more information on installing and licensing your OpenFlows product without internet, see:
Install and license OpenFlows CONNECT Edition products without an internet connection
Additional information and troubleshooting for OpenFlows product licensing can be found here:
Latest CONNECT Edition releases: Licensing OpenFlows products - Subscription Entitlement Service
Older versions: Licensing OpenFlows | Hydraulics and Hydrology products - SELECTserver
Your organization can have one or more Administrators who can assist with Bentley license management, downloads, assigning permission, etc. A list of your Administrators can be seen by going to https://connect.bentley.com. Below the Welcome Banner, click on the 'How are you CONNECTED?' link; you will find a list of your site Administrators in the “Administrators” tab (with email addresses)
The following feature rely on an internet connection:
If you are connecting to your corporate network using a VPN and experience connection problems or slow connection speed, the above features can be impacted. For example a background image may take a long time to load or may fail.
Virtual machines (VMs) are a way to manage operating systems and work remotely with a running Remote Desktop Connection, login credentials and a valid IP address. Installing virtualization software allows one or more virtual machines to share one physical computer. Your IT administrator can create VMs with a ready-made image of Windows operating system that includes the OpenFlows software and any other software needed. When such a VM is provisioned to you, you can directly launch your OpenFlows product from inside the VM and start working on your project.
Note that OpenFlows product performance will be slower when working within a virtual machine, for example panning in the drawing pane, computing a hydraulic model and performing various operations. Internet connection is maintained separately within the virtual machine and the items further above regarding internet connection apply to the OpenFlows products running inside the VM.
If you encounter graphical problems with the plan view drawing page, you may need to adjust the graphical settings on the VM. Check the graphics hardware drivers (update if possible), check the screen resolution and display settings (through the Windows control panel). If you still encounter problems:
It is best to use a company-issued computer with the OpenFlows software installed on it, but if this is not possible you may need to remotely access your computer through a Remote Desktop connection. If you encounter visual problems while connected via Remote Desktop:
If you use a large screen and/or multiple monitors when in the office, you may encounter challenges when transitioning to using a smaller screen size (such as a laptop display) when working remotely.
OpenFlows products have a customizable user interface, where you can drag/drop and dock toolbars and managers in such a way that works best for you and your current display configuration. Click here for a demonstration of this, or see the first part of the fundamentals training course for your product. Click here for WaterCAD/WaterGEMS for example.
Remember to use the search bar in the top-right corner (CONNECT Edition) if you are having trouble locating a specific tool or feature.
If you encounter problems accessing tools, menus or other user interface components after transitioning to a smaller screen, try resetting the workspace via View > Gear icon > Reset Worspace (article here.)
If you are working remotely and have time available to do so, it may be a good opportunity to invest in extra training and professional development to prepare yourself for the next project.