Autodesk 2015 Products Require Network License Manager Version 11.12

Autodesk has been rolling out the new 2015 software, but this year is a little different – especially if you have network licenses of the software. In past years you would need to request a new license file, place it on your license server, configure LMtools to look to the new license and restart the service, and users would be able to pull licenses for the latest release. Although it is a best practice to upgrade the version of the license manager with each release, not many people do it. When you do upgrade, it’s typically because there is an issue and is part of the troubleshooting process. In fact, here at Ideate, Inc. I only upgrade our license servers every 2-3 years.

But like I said, this year is different. Autodesk now requires the latest version of the Network License Manager, 11.12, for its 2015 products.

I’m not sure why this change was made, but we think it might have something to do with them using Flexera to build their network licenses. Flexera is a 3rd party license developer, and is actually the same licensing service we use for our Ideate Software applications.

For this year you’ll need to request a new license file and update your license server(s) to version 11.12. Take note of “server(s).” If you have a distributed license server system all license managers will need to be upgraded. Same goes for a redundant license server system.

A quick word on upgrading the server. In support I hear a lot of network admins saying they don’t want to upgrade/reinstall the license manager during business hours so users don’t lose a license. The license manager only communicates back and forth with users’ software to check to see if they have a valid license about every 15 minutes. This is called the heartbeat. This means you have a 15 minute window to do the upgrade. When I upgraded our license manager here it took me no more than 2 minutes. 

License Manager version 11.12 can be found on your Autodesk media, download or physical under the “Tools and Utilities” section of the installer, or it can be downloaded here.

I hope this post has helped. Have fun with the new release! 

Be sure to check for additional information found by our Ideate Technical Team in the new Autodesk 2015 releases for Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Revit Architecture, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2015

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Derek Wielkopolski
Ideate Technical Support Manager/Application Specialist
Derek holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University, Rhode Island. He is experienced working within the AEC industry from concept design through construction administration for both small and large scale projects. As Ideate’s Support Manager he ensures a timely and quality response to support requests and questions. Follow Derek on Twitter: @dwielk

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eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

9.4.12::Ideate 101:
Network License Manager
9.11.12::Revit 201:
Converting Blocks to Families
9.13.12::Revit 201:
Stairs and Railings in Revit
9.18.12::Civil 3D 201:
Analysis for Master-Planning

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

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eLearning – Upcoming Classes

Join the Ideate Tech Experts for eLearning – live online classes that provide your entire organization with easy access to premium education.

Upcoming classes include: 

8.30.12::Revit 201:
Revit for Interior Designers
9.4.12::Ideate 101:
Network License Manager

Each class is designed to give you specific, improved results in a particular topic. You can interact with the instructor right from your own office, while eliminating travel time. Because the class schedule rotates, you can easily select your topics of interest and choose the day which best meets your schedule.

Click here for class descriptions, times and registration link. Questions? Contact education@ideateinc.com

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Autodesk Tip - FLEXnet® feature codes for Autodesk 2011 Products

From Autodesk Services & Support:

Issue
You want information about FLEXnet® feature codes for Autodesk 2011 products.

Solution
When you start the network version of an Autodesk product, a request is made to the network for a license. The Network License Manager controls the licenses that are issued and handles license requests through feature codes. Feature codes are specific to the networked application. Any network version of an Autodesk product has a specific FLEXnet® feature code.

Feature codes are necessary because the Network License Manager is designed to administer licenses for multiple Autodesk applications. An example of feature code usage in a log file entry is shown below.

Sample log file entry:

11:00:04 (adskflex) OUT: "40100ARCHDESK_3_3F" user@hostname

Click here for the complete list of feature codes for Autodesk 2011 applications from Autodesk Services & Support.