Applies To
	Product(s):	Bentley MX
	Version(s):	2004 Edition
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	N/A
	Subarea:	N/A
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Bentley Licensing 

Bentley MX 2004 Edition will no longer be using Sentinel for securing and licensing of modules. Bentley License Manager (LM) and SELECTserver will be used. This takes two forms:

• Node Locked licensing - Used for stand alone license installations.
• SELECTserver licensing - This replaces the MX network license manager and is supplied with any SELECT Agreement, Bentley's software maintenance program. Note: It is possible to have Node Locked licenses under the SELECT Agreement but you cannot have a SELECTserver license manager without having a SELECT Agreement.

There are many similarities between Sentinel and Bentley licensing functionality, and in the following pages each of the major functions will be compared and contrasted.

 

Changes to the MX Licensing Model 

Since moving to the Bentley Licensing Model there have been several changes made to the way MX licensing is sold and works. The main differences are:

• MX is no longer sold as one of three foundations plus optional MX application "add-ons". MX is now sold as a series of civil engineering products.

  In the past you may have purchased a Professional foundation, MXROAD application, MicroStation and Windows Environment. Now you will simply purchase MXROAD, which will give you all the previous functionality plus the ability to run in all suitable environments installed on the PC.

• Where a base product, e.g. MXROAD has already been purchased, it is possible to purchase an "Add-In" to this base product, extending the functionality, e.g. MXRENEW Add-In.

  It is important to be aware of the differences between the following two license combinations:

  1. MXROAD + MXRENEW Add-In
  2. MXROAD + MXRENEW

  For license combination 1 MXROAD + MXRENEW Add-In:

  A user will be able to start an MXROAD session, and if they wish also use the MXRENEW functionality, when they use an MXRENEW option the MXRENEW Add-In license concurrency will be taken as well as the MXROAD concurrency. The MXRENEW Add-In concurrency will be released when the user exits the MXRENEW option.

  For license combination 2 MXROAD + MXRENEW:

  One user can start an MXROAD session and a second user could start an MXRENEW session simultaneously. Alternatively, one user could start an MXROAD session. If they later attempted to use an MXRENEW option within this session, providing the MXRENEW concurrency is still available, this concurrency will now be taken and the MXROAD concurrency released.

• All environments are supplied with a product. For example; if MXROAD is purchased and installed on a machine with a compatible AutoCAD and MicroStation version, the customer will have the options to run MXROAD in Windows, AutoCAD, and MicroStation environments at no extra change.
• MXChange is no longer a purchasable product and is freely available to all SELECT customers.
• Redundant servers are no longer an option within the SELECTserver framework. However if a SELECTserver stops working MX clients will be able to continue working via the "15-minute try-out" function.
• Distributed Servers - If you have more than one License Server you can list all servers in the license file. If the first License Server is unavailable MX will display an error message, stating that it was unable to obtain a license from server1. Once the client selects OK, MX will search the second server for a license and so on.
• Dongles are no longer used as a way of securing MX.

A Bentley MX Product Matrix is located at the end of this document, and more detailed information regarding licensing specifics are available from your Account Manager.

 

Changes to the Arenium Licensing Model 

Arenium is now licensed in the same manner as Bentley's other server products.

The Arenium Server will require an Arenium RTR, (right-to-run) license, and the Arenium clients will require a Bentley UCL, (Universal Client License). These licenses have to be managed by SELECTserver License Manager.

The Arenium server installation will install a License Broker utility, which will allow the Arenium Server to request the RTR license and also a Bentley UCL for each Arenium client, which logs into the Arenium Server.

On the Arenium Server side, when a client now applies for a license, the Arenium Server makes an application to the SELECTserver for a Universal Client license, (UCL). These are generic client "tokens" and are used for Internet connectivity based applications such as Bentley Navigator, Bentley Publisher, Digital InterPlot, and ProjectWise. Taken from a pool, these UCL's could all be used for Arenium, or spread out amongst a mixture of the above listed applications depending on demand at the time.

N.B. License file names are now different for MX and Arenium:

mxs = MX.lic
mxa= licbroker.lic

 

How to install a node-locked MX license 

In order to install a Node Locked license the following is needed:

• Any necessary installation software can be downloaded from the Software Downloads link in CONNECTION Center.
• A license file from the Bentley Administration Center (BAC). (Be sure to supply the name of the computer on which the Node Locked license will be installed). Notes on how to install the MX.lic file are enclosed with the file you will receive from BAC. The file can then be read in using the "Configure Licensing" option run from MX Options.
• Windows 2000 or XP are the supported operating systems for Bentley MX.

The Bentley MX installation no longer requires a license file before you can install the software. This is useful if you haven't received the file yet but want to get MX installed.

Once received, the MX.lic file should be copied to the C:\Program Files\Bentley\Program\Licensing folder. Be sure the MX.lic file does not have a .txt extension. To do this right-click the files, choose properties, and check the MS-DOS name.

For details on troubleshooting this type of install refer to TechNote 8232 - Troubleshooting Node Locked Licenses.

How to install SELECTserver 

In order to install SELECTserver the following is needed:

• SELECTserver installation software, which is in the form of a self-extracting zip file and found on Software Downloads in CONNECTION Center.
• A license.lic file from the Bentley Administration Center (BAC). (Be sure to supply the name of the computer on which SELECTserver will be installed).
• TCP/IP protocol installed on the proposed SELECTserver and client machines.
• PC running Windows NT, 2000, or XP.

SELECTserver License Manager must be installed to a physical hard drive, at the machine. Do not attempt to install it across the network.

On the server machine, double-click the self-extracting SELECTserver executable you downloaded/received.

When prompted, choose the option to "Start Service with Auto-restarts on reboot". The license.lic file is not needed in order to carry out the installation. This is useful if you haven't received the file yet but want to get the SELECTserver ready.

This is also a trend repeated throughout Bentley software, but unlike the other software lines there is no 15-minute grace period if the license.lic file is not found.

Once received, the license.lic file should be copied to the SELECTserver directory, (default is C:\Program files\SELECTserver). Be sure the license.lic file does not have a .txt extension. To do this right-click the file, choose properties, and check the MS-DOS name.

When in place you must stop and restart the "Bentley LMserver" service or use the SELECTserver Admin Tool to reload the license file.

Set-up for the SELECTserver MX client machine  (How to connect a client to get a license from SELECTserver)

Use "Configure Licensing" from MX Options and select "Configure Licensing", or using a text editor (Notepad is recommended), create a file called MX.lic and save it to C:\Program Files\Bentley\Program\licensing directory. Be sure the MX.lic file does not have a .txt extension - right-click the file, choose properties, and check the MS-DOS name.

Add the following line, (lines if using Distributed servers) to the MX.lic file: SERVER="YourServerName"
(Where "YourServerName" is the name of the computer that SELECTserver License Manager is installed).

If you are not using DNS or WINS for IP - for name resolution you will need to add the following line: SERVER="YourServerName" IP ADDRESS="255.255.255.255"
(Where 255.255.255.255 is your server's IP address).

Features of SELECTserver

SELECTserver Administrative Interface 

Once installed you will want to check that SELECTserver is functioning correctly and that the licensed products and concurrencies are as you expect them to be. With Sentinel, WLMAdmin provided this service. For Bentley licensing there is an Administrative Interface accessed via a web browser. All licensing and log information is held here and is a lot more centralized and accessible than it was with Sentinel.

Note: Internet Explorer 4.x or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.x or higher is required to view the SELECTserver Manager page.

To access the Administrative Interface, open your Web browser and type "http://<YourServersname>:3999" in the address field. This should bring you to the SELECTserver License Manager page. If your browser can't find the page or produces an error, substitute the server's IP address for the server name.

The Administrative Interface can be viewed from any computer. If you are on the SELECTserver machine you can substitute "localhost" for the computer name.

 

License list 

As shown below in the license list, every license feature available is listed along with its expiration date, quantity, current usage and availability and daily analysis of license usage. If you receive a new license file, once copied in place you could load the new license from this screen by selecting "Reload license file".

 

 

 

Usage List 

This option shows similar information to the License list and can be useful in identifying who is using a particular license Both user and machine name details are displayed along with the start time.

 

 

 

Check Out List 

This option reads from a file called checkout.inf and is filled out by the SELECTserver Administrator. It lists which features it is currently possible to check out, (or "Commute" as was the case with Sentinel), the number of concurrencies that can be checked out, and the maximum duration. If a Reservation flag has been assigned to a feature, that information is also available here.

 

 

 

View License File 

This is the equivalent of "LSDECODE" from Sentinel and allows you to read the contents of the MX.lic file. It holds feature information, serial number/license number, and server expiration date.

 

 

 

Log file 

Monitoring MX usage was not activated by default with Sentinel. It also required a little preparation and knowledge before the information, (which is provided by default with Bentley licensing) was viewable. The log file can be saved from this screen, but isn't too user friendly for compiling usage statistics.

 

 

 

History Reports 

The variety of comprehensive reports supplied by default with SELECTserver are far more superior to that offered by Sentinel and are a more useful way of interpreting the log file data.

 

 

The reports show both successful and failed attempts to obtain licenses, are searchable through the use of filters, and can be saved to file.

 

 

The Usage Analysis report gives an at a glance summary of usage which will give customers the facility to monitor usage over a period of time.

Server history provides a count of the times the SELECTserver has been stopped and started.

The other section of note is the documentation section, which provides help on all of these functions.

 

Checking Out/In Utility 

As mentioned above, Bentley offers the ability much like Sentinel did, to export a license to a machine, which can then be taken off the network.

As with Sentinel, the machine you wish to check out the license to needs to be connected to the network initially so that it can see the SELECTserver. Unlike Sentinel, commuting is not activated by default, and you need to manually specify which features will be commutable, the number of concurrencies to be available for commuting, and the duration of the check out. This is carried out in a file called "Checkout.inf" which is located in the SELECTserver directory.

By opening it and following the format illustration supplied in the file you will generate an entry at the bottom of the file similar to the one below:

FEATURE="MicroStation" TERM="30" USAGES="5"
FEATURE="MXROAD" TERM="90" USAGES="1" CLIENT_FINGERPRINT="epic10" RESERVED=TRUE
FEATURE="MXRENEW-ADDIN" TERM="4" USAGES="2"

The Administrator decides here which features will be "commutable", how many out of the total will be available, and the duration it will be possible to export for. The maximum value is 90 days and is more flexible than the Sentinel equivalent, which could only be 30 days maximum and could not be changed to another value.

The "Client_Fingerprint" addition to the second entry states that the machine name "epic10" has an MXROAD license reserved for checking out should it ever be needed.

Once the Checkout.inf file has been updated and saved, to activate the amended checkout list, it is necessary to click "Reload Checkout Access File".

On the client machine unlike with Sentinel, the user can be running the application when checking out a licenses. This option is found under Tools > License > Check Out / In, but once the feature has been exported, until the application is closed, two concurrencies are in use.

 

 

Alternatively, by using the License Check Out/In option in "MX Options" in Control Panel, an additional concurrency is not taken up whilst commuting.

In order to check out a license the user must be using a SELECTserver license or have the SELECTserver license information in the node locked license. The Check Out / In utility for MX shows the applications where licenses are available for check out, in the top panel, and any features currently Checked Out in the bottom panel.

For more details on this refer to TechNote 8208 - "Setting up and Using the SELECTserver License Check Out / In Utility" 

 

Home Use Licenses 

Home Use Licensing is a privilege of Bentley SELECT and carries the following considerations:

• Has to be applied for via the online "License Tool" on SELECTservices Online.
• You must agree to "Home Use" Terms and Conditions in addition to the respective product End User License Agreement. These terms and conditions state that you:
  1. Cannot use it for commercial-related work.
  2. Cannot use it in your office.
  3. Will not transfer or distribute it to any firm or individual external to the company.
  4. Will not include the license file on any electronic media, (CD, floppy, web site, etc).
  5. Check Home Use is allowed in your jurisdiction or organization (check with your SELECTservices Site Administrator).
• You can have 1 Home Use license for each SELECT covered license you own.
• Home Use licenses are termed at 6 months and must be renewed every 6 months.
• Home Use License is sent to the email address of applicant.
• The only evidence that a home license is in use is [Home use only] on the edge of any plot and on the project header bar whilst using the Home Use License.

The same version of MX software is used with a Home License as it is for the Full License version.

For more details on this refer to Bentley Software Home Use Edition General Information page.

 

Evaluation Licenses 

Evaluation Licenses can be requested by end users so they can evaluate software. Requests can be made directly through telesales, the customer's Sales Representative, or directly to BAC. The licenses are always node-locked.

• Evaluation licenses are always termed. The Term period is typically set to expire one to three months from the date of the request.
• Evaluation licenses are only sent to end-users.
• A "Restricted Use" dialog box is displayed whilst the software is running.

 

License Partitioning 

It is possible to hold more than one set of licenses separately on a SELECTserver. This could be useful if a company has two or more departments who wish to keep autonomous control over their licenses, or if there is an evaluation or training license set that you want to keep separate from the main license pool.

A separate license file is necessary for each partition, which can be obtained from the BAC.

The lmserver.inf file located in the SELECTserver directory will need editing so that each license file has its own "licensing section" and TCP port. (This is edited using a text editor).

For more details on this refer to TechNote 8216 - License Partitioning from SELECTservices.

 

Time-Based Licensing 

This effectively creates a local license on the client for a specified period of time. It stops heartbeats from being sent to the License Manager, (LM) until just before the local license is due to expire when it will contact the LM to renew itself. Time-based license concurrencies can not be released until they expire even if the user exits the application before the time-based license has expired. The option reduces network traffic, as the heartbeat does not keep being sent to the LM.

For more details on this refer to TechNote 8226 - Time Based Licensing

 

License Revoking 

By clicking the usage ID of a feature in use there is the option to revoke the license This is useful if a license is urgently required or appears to be stuck on a machine.

 

15-Minute Tryout 

If a license feature is not available for any reason the user will get the option of going into a 15-Minute Tryout mode. The user will be notified that no licenses were found. A window will then appear that says, "Wait for the OK button to activate". After 10 seconds the grayed out "OK" button will activate. The user can then use any required feature for 15 minutes, with a 2 minute warning before hand that MX will shut down when the 15 minutes is reached. Continued use of this feature will result in an increase waiting time for the "OK" button to activate.

 

Administrative control 

By editing a value in ADMIN.INF, (located in the SELECTserver directory) it is possible to stipulate which users can see the Administrative screens of the SELECTserver License Manager, either by machine name or IP address.

Similarly, by editing a value in CLIENT.INF in the SELECTserver directory, it is possible to prevent access to the SELECTserver License Manager from unknown clients. By default both of these controls are set up to handle requests from any client on the network.

 

Troubleshooting the installation of SELECTserver 

Troubleshooting licensing problems with SELECTserver is a lot more straight forward than it was with Sentinel because its error messages are more understandable, fewer in number and the locking criteria is not as stringent.

If you have ever worked with Sentinel installations the problems that may arise with SELECTserver are very similar in nature. For example:

• If the machine name changes the llicense file will no longer work.
• If the system clock date on the MX PC trying to obtain a license is more than 90 minutes adrift of the SELECTserver machine system clock date, it will not be able to obtain a llicense.
• If the license file has a .txt extension on it the license will not be read, either on the SELECTserver or the client machines.
• If TCP/IP is not installed the SELECTserver will not run.

For more details on troubleshooting refer to TechNote 8173 - Troubleshooting Steps for SELECTserver License Manager 

FAQ 

Q. Can I install SELECTserver License Manager on the PC currently running MX's Sentinel License Manager?
A. Yes. The two products can co-exist on the same PC, allowing you to migrate your users from MX2.6 to V2004.

Q. Can I install MX V2004 alongside MX V2.6 on the same PC?
A. No, MX V2.6 must be uninstalled from the PC before the MX V2004 installation will proceed.

Glossary 

BAC	Bentley Administration Center
Check Out / In	Commuting
SELECT Agreement	Maintenance
SELECTserver	Bentley's License Manager
UCL	Universal Client License
MX.lic	MX licensefile (.mxs)
licbroker.lic	Arenium Server Licensefile (.mxa)
Configure Licensing	New Authorization Code
SELECTserver Administrative Interface	Monitors your MX License Manager
V2004	Next version of MX

 

 

Location of related documents and information 

The main point of reference for all help is http://selectservices.bentley.com/. You will need a username and password in order to gain access to many parts of this site, which is supplied when the SELECTserver contract is purchased.

More specifically, the TechNotes/ FAQs are found at: http://selectservices.bentley.com/technotes/index.htm These do not currently require a user name and login to access them.

And the KnowledgeBase is found at: http://selectservices.bentley.com/knowledgebase/index.htm This tool does require a user name and password.

All aspects of SELECTserver Administration can be found in the Documentation section of the SELECTserver Administrative Interface.

Bentley MX Product & Licensing Matrix 

 

 

See Also

Product TechNotes and FAQs

MX TechNotes And FAQs

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

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