Activating Applications Using SELECTserver Based Licensing as a non-SELECT User


 Product:All SELECTserver Licensable Applications
 Version:Various
 Environment:N\A
 Area:Activation
 Subarea:N/A

NOTE:

Starting from July 2022 the activation process for non-SELECT accounts has changed so that it requires to register machines, on which the licenses will be used.

Please refer to the following articles for more information:

Announcement: non-SELECT Announcement and FAQs

Process: Machine Registration for non-SELECT accounts

Please note the new process is not a change in policy, it is a change in enforcement.

Overview

Most version 8.9 and 8.11 applications activate using a SELECTserver style license.

Online activation of the software is achieved by entering a server name and site activation key into the product. The Server Name and Site activation key are entered into the "Product Activation Wizard" or into the “License Management Tool”.

For NON-SELECT users, the server name will always be ProductActivation.bentley.com.

Offline activation is achieved by having an Administrator supply the user with a checked out license in the form of an ".XML" file, and the user preceding to import the license file onto the License Management Tool on the workstation.

In any case, activation checks out the license from the product activation server and on the machine, and by default, the checkout is for one year, which is the maximum term.

Please Note:

Non-SELECT licensing is version and machine specific. You may not freely switch between different versions of the same application.
If you are trying to activate a Non-SELECT license, for the first time, and get an error message saying that "The version number does not match" then do the following.

1. Make sure all versions of the Bentley Application has been uninstalled.
2. In the PDF document you received containing your Download Links for the Bentley Software and the Licenses > Download the Bentley Application from the provided link.
3. Install the Bentley Application.
4. Activate the Bentley Application from Licensetool.exe (Make sure that you run Licensetool as Administrator).

If you require the ability to run multiple versions of the same software, you may wish to investigate Bentley SELECT. The licensing options available under SELECT allow you to run multiple versions of the same application.
More information about SELECT can be found here.
 

Obtaining your Bentley Software License

Your Products need to connect SELECTserver OnLine in order to authenticate and check-out your license. Once the check-out is successful, you will not need to keep a connection to SELECTserver OnLine. 
In order to activate and check-out a license you will need to enter an activation key and server name into the product when it starts up after installation, then continue with a license check-out.  This will remove the license from SELECTserver OnLine and make it available on the machine on which you performed the check-out.  Once again, this machine will no longer need to connect to SELECTserver OnLine until you need to renew it or move it to another machine. Please see below for the activation details.
   
  
Users With Internet Connectivity

Please follow the Product Activation Wizard Instructions below. You may be put straight into the “Product Activation Wizard,” If the Product Activation Wizard does not prompt upon launching the application, you can activate using the License Mangement Tool.

Once in the Product Activation Wizard, you are given the following options:
You will want to verify that NON-SELECT or Node locked user is selected. 

Once selected, click Next> in the bottom right corner.

On the next screen, you will be asked about your "License Information."  You are given the following options:
Typically you will have an activation key to activate with. This is sent through fulfillment documentation once the perpetual license is created.
 
Once selected, click Next> in the bottom right corner.

When selecting the "NON-SELECT or Node locked user," the server name will be filled in by default.

Fill in the Site Activation Key in the Site Activation Key box. Due to the length of the site activation key, it is recommended that each user copy and paste the information directly into the license management tool.  Also, be sure there are no extra spaces before or after the server name and site activation key as this can prevent a proper activation.

 
Once completed, click Next> in the bottom right corner. 

Depending on what version of software in being installed, the country where the product will be in use may have to be selected.

   
Once a "Country of Use" is selected, click Next> in the bottom right corner.
 
On the next screen, you are prompted with a "License Checkout" dialog.  As a NON-SELECT user, you must use a checked out license.
 
The box next to "Use a checked out license," should be checked by default, but if it is not, be sure to do so.  Fill out all fields on the License Checkout screen
 
*** Please note: It is important to enter the correct version number of the product being activated.
Some versions of the License Management Tool require that you enter 3 digits for each field of the version number instead of 2. If you cannot proceed to the next step of the product activation, try adding a leading zero to the values in the version boxes (for instance, 08 becomes 008).
 
The version number can be found by opening the product, clicking the Help menu and selecting "About <Product>".
 
Once completed, click Next> in the bottom right corner.
*** Please note on some versions of the License Management Tool that you may get a message stating "The requested operation failed'. This is a non-fatal timeout error. Please allow the software 20 seconds to complete its activation.
The final screen will give you a summary of the licensing activation you just processed.  Click "Finish".
 
You're product is now activated and ready for use!
   
   
Users Without Internet connectivity

User's must be supplied a checked out license in the form of an ".XML" file by an administrator. This also works for users unaffiliated with your account.

Administrator Check Out Instructions - 

How to check out licenses from Entitlement Management
https://bentleysystems.service-now.com/community?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0018789 

   
Client XML File Import Instructions - 
  1. Start the License Management Tool.
  2. Make sure that you are on the License Checkout Screen.  Some older versions default to this screen, newer versions will need to click on the Tab.
  3. Go to File>Import.
  4. Navigate to an XML license file, and click Open. If successful, a dialog should state that the license import succeeded.
  5. Close the License Management Tool by selecting “Exit” from the “File” menu. If the product(s) are currently running, you will need to restart them in order for your new license(s) to take effect

How to Transfer a Checked Out License from one Machine to Another 

To transfer a non-Select nodelocked license from one machine to another: 

1) Check the license back into Entitlement Management (this releases the license) -   

  1. a) For users able to connect to the internet, this can be done thru the License Management Tool.
  2. b) For users unable to connect to the internet, this has to be done by an administrator with access to Entitlement Management 

This is covered under Step 3 of the following WIKI - 

How to check out licenses from Entitlement Management
https://bentleysystems.service-now.com/community?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0018789

2) Activate the software as a non-Select user on the new machine following above instructions.

See Also

Product Activation TechNotes and FAQs

SELECTserver TechNotes and FAQs

How to check out licenses in the Entitlement Management

Activating as a non-Select User via SES

Other language sources

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 Original Author:Bentley Technical Support Group