I'm an autodesk product user mainly, but we have a couple microstation and water cad seats on select.
We got a $500 bill this week for some one opening a third watercad once, likely to just look at the program.
We normally have only one person using it at once, and have never had an overage.
Let me just say that after seeing how Bentley handled this, with a sudden invoice like they did, is the worst thing they could have done.
We have paid about $7,000 a year to them and only use about 1/2 the software. No More.
Node Locked it is.
Yes, we recently received a substantial bill. Bentley did not realise that the INSTALLATION process also consumes a license, so while we were upgrading our machines and and at the same time migrating to CE, were unwittingly were creating overages.While Bentley finally removed these instances from the final bill, they were a source of serious conternation and questioning from Senior Management for some time. FWIW, there was a user left the license checked out when specifically instructed not to while we trained a new user. Our own fault, but a painful lesson, and definately easily preventable by Bentley.The ability to prevent Overages should be a setting by SELECT Server Admins (now changing to Bentley User). It is siply done and I really cannot understand Bentley's retisence in enabling this tool, other than akin to our police speed enforcement practices - income.
It certainly does not endear them to their customers, nor create the environment where we are confident in using their software, or even trialling software fo rpotential purchase.I do understand their position that they do not wish to halt production simply due to someone taking an extra seat, but with the tools available now (and were in the SITE based SELECT Server), this is very simple to resolve.
The user above would then have the confdence to run the software on SELECT Server and you would have a potential extra seat when they start using the product more widely and demand rises.
Greg Smith
Microstation 10.17.01.058
Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily those of my employer
This has been a problem for years and Bentley point blank refuse to listen.
since it is now apparently possible (in CONNECT Update 11) to get a notice of a possible overage, and, as it has been stated that it would be possible to prevent overages, I would like to see the CONNECT licensing strategy to implement a way for the Site Administrators to configure the way to handle potential over uses. Make it possible for the Administrator to decide if he/she want overages to be a warning and allow continues use, or just deny access until a new seat is available. That would preserve Bentley's desire to not deny access to their software IF THE ADMINISTRATOR DECIDES ITS IN ALIGNMENT WITH COMPANY POLICY.
Agreed! Are you listening Bentley?
I agree as well. Let the network admins decide if we want to allow uninterrupted work and deal with the cost vs blocking usage\interrupted work. After all its our money that has to pay the bill, why can't we decide if we want to use the product which causes the overage\bill. Every other software does this. Our account rep even try to push use a Overage savings account that we could put money in to cover the overages at a discounted rate. What a joke. Of course it works out in Bentley's best interested,not ours.
BTW we have tried to utilize Softtrack to prevent overages. It has helped but is not 100% effective, if one of the 2 services stops reporting back to the management server, you can still get into the software and cause an overage. Connect edition has helped with some of our single license products but our Civil product team has a large project and cannot upgrade just yet to the latest versions.
It is possible to prevent overusage using cmd checkout tool and a expire license so it doesn't allow to open program after check-in or expired check-out:
https://communities.bentley.com/products/licensing/m/licensing_gallery/272191
https://communities.bentley.com/products/licensing/w/licensing__wiki/3563/license-tool-command-line-options
https://communities.bentley.com/products/licensing/w/licensing__wiki/13916/can-i-restrict-license-usage-to-checkouts-only