Authorizing "at home" copy of Revit

[pashley]

[This has also been posted on the AutoCAD Revit Forum]

Under the old Revit licensing system, you were allowed to have a duplicate license on a home computer and Revit had a mechanism for authorizing that installation without its counting against the total number of licenses purchased.

Is this allowed under the new license authorization system and how is it done?

Is an internet connection required?

Do I use the new "Request Code" generated by the installation or use one of the already-issued Request and Authorization codes?

Does the official method not count the home installation against my license count?

[Scott D Davis]

If you are on a license server, you can check out a license for a period of time, using the Licnese Borrowing Utility located in the Start Menu>Programs>Autodesk Revit 6.0

Couple of draw backs: The computer to want to 'borrow' a license for, must be on the network where the license server resides. You can't 'borrow' to a disk, take it home, pop it in and go. Once you borrow a license, it will revert back in the number of days you choose. But you will have one less available for that time frame on your license server. You can have an 'Early check-in' which will put the license back on the license server before the time is up.

Another alternative: VPN. If your office has a VPN set up, you can tag the license server at your office over the internet from home.

[mlgatzke]

pashley, I agree. We need a way to use Revit at home as well as work. I wouldn't mind checking a license out of a license server IF I COULD CHECK THE LICENSE TO A DISK. Users of AutoCAD (sorry for the bad language) have authority to do this. . . why not Reviteers?

[cccm1863]

I have a single license of ARS series. I use it in my home office in the basement and I also have it installed on my notebook which I use when sitting around the TV.
I installed the office first. I then installed the notebook. It went on the internet to register and everything worked fine. I put in my serial number and that was all it took.

[gregcashen]

Ditto mjml, except for the basement part. :roll:

[PeterJ]

Standalone licenses allow you to borrow the license to any remote machine, so you could install Revit on 20 machines and just use it on only one of them at any one time. That way I use my desktop and my laptop with the same installation.

It seems that is not the case for the network license.

[swissclive54638]

That's correct. Standalone versions of Revit and AutoCAD have a Portable Licence Utility. Network licence verions of both products have a Licence Borrowing Utility. The former you can transfer to disk, the latter you need a server connection to borrow the licence.

[sfaust]

ok, so here's a question. We currently have 1 standalone seat of Revit series for our office. Can we install it on 2 computers and only have 1 of them run it at a time? I tried to enter the same serial # and authorization code for both, but it only worked on the first one...

[pashley]

We are running stand-alone licenses. I remember the portable license utility in pre-6.0 versions but I don't think its in 6.0 - at least I can't find it.
I'm wondering if its even allowable anymore to have a econd license. We have not yet installed all of our licenses at work so if I try one at a home computer I will not be able to tell whether or not it counts against my total.

[beboyle]

I have 6.0, one stand alone license. I authorized it both at work and at home. I had to call AutoDesk to get a separate authorization number for each computer.

Brian

[slb]

It looks like this thread is pretty well on track! I just want to verify a few things and answer a few questions and comments:

Standalone Licenses - Licensing twice

The licensing agreement reads:


Additional Installation: Except with Educational, Student and Evaluation Versions, you may make a second copy of the Software on the hard disk of a second computer owned by you or under your control provided that (1) the original and second copies are used only by the same person; (2) the second copy is installed and used only on either (i) with respect to Network Versions, a redundant server that makes the Software available for use only when your primary server on which the Software is installed becomes inoperable, or (ii) a notebook computer, home computer, or other non-server computer away from your usual work location for the purpose of enabling you to perform work while away from your usual work location; (3) only one of the Software copies is in use at any one time; (4) the second copy of the Software is used exclusively with the copy protection device (if any) supplied with the Software, and (5) the Software is not licensed and/or labeled as an Educational Version or Student Version.

I'm no lawyer, but in summary you can license Revit on a second machine if you are in control of that machine and do not use Revit on the two machines concurrently. There's a bit more to it than this, but for the purposes of this thread, that should answer the question on stand-alone usage and licensing the software on multiple machines.

Standalone Licenses - Moving your license

If you need to move your license from one machine to another, you can use the Portable License Utility (PLU). This will disable Revit on the machine from which the license is "borrowed" and enables it on the "borrowing" machine. This is pretty well documented in help, and PeterJ summarized it pretty well earlier in this thread.

IMHO - this functionality provides greater flexibility than was available to users prior to 6.0 (and 5.1L).

Network Licensing - Borrowing

Scott nailed this one on the head...


If you are on a license server, you can check out a license for a period of time, using the License Borrowing Utility located in the Start Menu>Programs>Autodesk Revit 6.0

Couple of draw backs: The computer to want to 'borrow' a license for, must be on the network where the license server resides. You can't 'borrow' to a disk, take it home, pop it in and go. Once you borrow a license, it will revert back in the number of days you choose. But you will have one less available for that time frame on your license server. You can have an 'Early check-in' which will put the license back on the license server before the time is up.

Again IMHO - this is an increase in flexibility to the prior licensing method (5.1 and earlier).

Replies to some specific questions / comment:

pashley - So the answer to your 1st questions is "Yes" on all accounts (assuming you have Stand-alone licenses).

mlgatzke - I'm not an ACAD expert, but I do not believe the Server allows you to check a license out without the physical device (computer) actually being on network during checkout. Feel free to double check this on the autodesk.autocad.network newsgroup.

sfaust - You need to acquire a new Authorization Code to license on the new machine. You can (and will need to) use the same serial number on the new computer, which will result in a new/different request code, to acquire the new authorization code. The serial number and your computers unique "signature" combine to create a unique request code which, in turn, returns a unique Auth Code.

pashley - Prior to 6.0 (5.1L) there was no such thing as a Portable License Utility in the terms it is being used today. You were permitted to install and license Revit on two machines... that has not changed, and it will not count against your totals if you do so. In addition to that, now you can move that license from/to any computer at your discretion using a tool called the Portable License Utility. In the past, once you licensed on your "transfer" computer, and wanted to move the license again, you had to call Revit Support and get us to clear your license.

[beegee]

And theres another post for the FAQ's.

Good one Steve, thanks.

[mlgatzke]

Steve,

My apologies. When I was stating that AutoCAD users could do this, I (apparently) had been mis-informed. I apologize. However, I still think that checking a license out to a disk would be a good thing to be available. After all, how many people are going to want to carry their home machine into the office just so they can check out a license to do some work at home - say for an evening or weekend.

Sorry for the confusion.

[cccm1863]

I would just like to restate that I purchased 5.1 in Dec 03, installed on my workstation, got the authorization on line. Installed my notebook by just entering the serial number and the notebook went on line and that was it. Very simple.
One problem I encountered was:
I upgraded to 6.0 and everthing was fine. I basically stopped using 5.1 so I decided to unistall it. After doing this my 6.0 version stopped working and wanted a serial number. When I clicked on the default to log on and get authorization the screen was inactive. I had to re-install 5.1 and everthing was fine again.??

[Steve_Stafford]

The uninstall of 5.1 removed the license file that 6.0 was inheriting...most likely

[cccm1863]

This brings me to my next question

How can I un-install 5.1 and not loose my licensing

[Scott D Davis]

Copy the license.txt file from the Revit 5.1 directory, and place it in the 6.0 directory. (make a backup somewhere before replacing)

[pashley]

I did find the PLU - don't know how I missed it in Help before.

So let me wee if I understand this right ... each time I want to work at home I have to disable the license on my work computer at work and import it at home. Then when I go back to work I have to remove it from home and install it at my work station?

If that's the case, I would have to do it every day if I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to work that night. Well at least that's a good excuse not to work at home (or to get a laptop!).

[pashley]

Oops, forgot to say thanks for all the help.

Paul

[beegee]

New in 6.1 ....


License Borrowing Available Inside Revit
The licensing dialog under Help|License and Product Information offers direct access to license borrowing

[cphubb]

But we still cannot take a license on a disk?

Chris

[PeterJ]

Chris, yes you can, but only if it is a license for a standalone authorisation. If your machine is networked I haven't used it so I can't comment, but the PLU system is tolerably straight forward. Just read the help before you use it as there are certain things like upgrades that can affect the licensing structure.

Pashley, if this is really a problem for you, you could look at using VNC (http://www.realvnc.com) which enables use of your office machine from remote locations, though its best done with a static ip for the office machine. That would enable you to look at your office machine and transfer the license from home. I haven't used this method but do have success accessing my desktop for other reasons. Windows XP remote desktop might offer similar functionality.

[pashley]

Another question somewhat related. If I have 6.0 installed and want to install 6.1 on the same machine and license it using the 6.0 license, what steps do I take?

Installing 6.1 and tranferring the license from 6.0 doesn't seem to work as the transfer has to be between machines and also has to be to the same product - 6.0 can't transfer to 6.1 it appears (I get an eror message).

[mlgatzke]

Am I to understand that a stand-alone license of Revit can be "checked-out" to disk?

[PeterJ]

Mike you can check out a Standalone Instalation license to a disk, though I think you only need to do this the first time, thereafter, all you need is the transfer code itself, which can be jotted down and typed into the remote machine.

I am uncertain of the network instal behaviour.

[mlgatzke]

Hmmm. When I try to export my license on a stand-alone installation, the only things I can select to export to are other computers on the same network. I see nothing that would allow me to export to a disk or mass storage media device.

[PeterJ]

Are you using the Portable License Utiltity or the License Borrowing Utility? It should be the former.

[mlgatzke]

Are you using the Portable License Utiltity or the License Borrowing Utility? It should be the former.

Portable License Utiltity. The utility that's installed alongside Revit in the Start Menu group.

[Wes Macaulay]

Hey Mike - you gotta get the "identification code" of the home computer.

Open the PLU utility on your home computer, and you'll see an Identification Code for your computer listed out. COPY the code with your cursor to a text file, and e-mail it to your office.

On your office computer, open the PLU util and go to the "Computers" tab and add your home computer. The computer name doesn't matter -- it's just to help you know which computer is which. What does matter is the identification code. You've got to have it down perfectly, so copy and paste from the text file to do this.

Then you can transfer the license around as you wish.

[mlgatzke]

Awsome! Thanks!

Where is the duration of the license controlled? For example, if I let someone borrow the license for working at home, how can I control the duration of their lease so they don't have Revit at home for a year or more?

[Steve_Stafford]

Pretty sure the max is 30 days...

[aaronrumple]

No. The network license borrowing utility allow for checking out a license for up to 30 dayts.

On the standalone version - check it ou and move it to a new machine and the license is gone until it is physically checked back in from the other machine.

Yes and an unscrupulous user could walk away with a license that would be good forever.

[Steve_Stafford]

aah yes, I've only been working with network licensing...guess the rule, "never give out your passwords, pin numbers etc needs to include, don't loan out your standalone authorization"... :wink:

[cccm1863]

Guys...

I have a standalone version and have it on 3 computers that I use at different times depending what room I am in at my house. There was nothing to do but load it and go on line and register. No complications at all regarding how many machines ect. With the standalone version I don't think they care how many times or how many machines it is loaded on as long as only one copy is running.

[LRaiz]

Oh yes, Autodesk cares. Software piracy is a big problem. Don't be surprised if your next attempt to register and authorize yet another computer fails.

License agreement says 2 computers (not more than one used at the same time). Every time you authorize a license is issued for a particular computer. Each authorization event is associated with a computer fingerprint. Expectations that one can use the same serial number to authorize unlimited number of computers are wrong.

LR

[mlgatzke]

I just had a thought (a sometimes dangerous situation). . .

I use Revit in an academic environment. What's to stop all of my students from checking out their machines' licenses on the last day of class and taking them home for their personal computers? Is there any way of turning off Revit's ability to "check out" a license?

[studio3p]

What's to stop all of my students from checking out their machines' licenses on the last day of class and taking them home for their personal computers?

The same thing that would stop a student, or an employee from stealing anything - you'd simply call the police to take care of it. Unless you're teaching (or employing) transient hobos, the risk of someone taking the authorization code without you knowing who did it and where it went is next to zero. That would be like an employee stealing their employer's car - it's possible, and it's probably been done, but the likelihood that they'll get away with it borders on the ridiculous.

[mlgatzke]

I there a log kept of who checks out the license, or some way of finding out who has it? If so, where can I find it?

[beegee]

Mike, presumably you'd have a network license, which would reside on the server and would not be accessible to students.

I think a network license can only be borrowed for a set period anyway, unlike a standalone license which can be transferred to another machine. In the latter case, there would be a record on the source machine of the computers id code that the standalone license was transferred to. This is in the Portable License Utility program, separate to Revit . But thats not likely to concern you in your situation.


If desired, you can obtain license server reporting information. For more information on license server reporting and license server configuration, see the associated documentation on the SAMreport-Lite utility that you can install with Autodesk Revit.

[aaronrumple]

A PLU system will not work in a student lab in my opinion. I ran a lab for 10 years and know student s will take anything not nailed down. Heck - they would even routinly steal mouse balls.

For our hardware locked software we had to have a special loop cable that allowed us to lock tyhe hardware lock inside the computer.

As far as knowing what hardware ID the license was exported to - how are you ever going to track down the ID number of a student's home computer?

Student's have lots of time to figure out how to 'aquire' software and get quite creative.

[mlgatzke]

Mike, presumably you'd have a network license, which would reside on the server and would not be accessible to students.

Unfortunately, this would be an incorrect assumption. Autodesk has us running on a Stand-Alone licensing because they claimed that the could not license an educational institution on a network license yet. So, the question remains. . . is there a way to track WHO has checked out a license (perhaps by username from login)?


A PLU system will not work in a student lab in my opinion. I ran a lab for 10 years and know student s will take anything not nailed down.

This hasn't been much of a problem, but this is the first time I've encountered the ability to "remove" a license (possibly) without being able to track who took it. Hmmmmm.

Makes me wonder if this license fiasco was really thought out completely before implementation by Autodesk.

[Steve_Stafford]

I find it hard to accept that they can't set up network licensing for your school Mike...time to Escalate your issue I think. Maybe our area Autodesk rep can put you in touch with someone with more expertise? I'll ask him.

[Scott D Davis]

Make the consequences of stealing a license known, and make them serious. You may need to have all the students sign a "rules" statement. Any student caught stealing a license, is expelled. No refunds. No re-applying for class the next semester. Sorry, you can't go to school here ever again.

Then whether you can or not at this point, make them believe you can track every user's check-in/out of licenses.

[studio3p]

Is it possible to uninstall the PLU from the computers in question? I can't imagine the PLU is Autodesk's Internet Explorer i.e. - can't be removed without destroying the entire system.

[Steve_Stafford]

Well you could certainly remove the license utility from the start menu tree...that would make it less obvious that it's possible to export a license.

[bclarch]

Mike,

I would contact Autodesk directly with your concerns. They are so paranoid about software theft that I am sure that they would be able to help you track and lock the licences. I can't believe that they don't already have some system in place for all of the schools that have networked Autocad licences.

[mlgatzke]

Removing the PLU from the Start Menu may be my only option. I'll have to take a look. I'll look in the Program Files folder too, to see if there's an .exe file for the PLU that I can delete. However, I have to admit that I don't mind if the students check out the license -- as long as they return it. That's why I wanted to know if there was a way to log or otherwise monitor borrowed licenses.

As far as licensing on the ADLM, that's been quite a fiasco. We had to get special permission to run 6.0 (couldn't even run 6.1 if we wanted to). The provision was that we had to run Stand-Alone installations. I'd love to be able to switch to Network licensing when we get our new workstations early next month.