Portable License Utility

[nat]

Help…please…

I understand portable licenses have been extensively discussed elsewhere, but I have an unusual problem with the PLU that I have not yet found an answer for. We use the PLU to ‘swap’ a license from one user in the studio to another, as per demand. This has been, and is still, working wonderfully. Except in one instance:

I have exported a license to a user via the PLU using a ‘transfer file’ (rather than ‘code’) as we always do. That user, however, cannot pick it up - they recieve the attached error message whenever they try to import it. I have tried exporting from another user to him, and the same thing happens, except now there are two licenses (sitting on our sever as .plu250 files) that the recipient can’t pick up, and that the sender can’t retrieve…i.e. we’re two licenses down!

I have deleted the.plu250 files and re-exported, I’ve re-started, uninstalled and re-installed, all to no avail. I have used the PLU to transfer between different users since, and it works fine.

Any ideas very much appreciated; The world would be a darker place without AUGI to peruse…

[aggockel50321]

I've had a similar problem in the past, related to the different license versions available and inadvertently not paying attention to the license being exported. This might be your problem

On export, when the PLU dialog appears at start-up, note which license is being exported in the product drop-down menu, and be sure you have the correct one.

The PLU seems to randomly pick any license in the product list on startup of the PLU.

[benmay]

In my experience there are two key things you need to watch here:

1. The identification code is correct, to ensure this I usually save a text file with the code somewhere on server so I can add the computer to the PLU with the license to export

2. That you are transferring a license to the same install (2008.1 for instance)

But I have also had problems with AutoCAD with installs having different serial numbers not transferring. I would guess this could be it if you can confirm that the license was transferred to the correct identification code

[nat]

Thanks for your guidance.

I do have a txt file with all workstations and their codes listed, had checked and rechecked that they correlated (but the PLU won't let you enter them if they're incorrect anyway..), and we are definitely transferring the same 2008-type license (have also made that mistake before).

Even if it were such an issue - like the license had been exported mistakenly to a workstation that had recently been replaced - there seems no clear way to retrieve a license once you've exported it, one can only re-export over and over to the same user/workstation.

Surely I am mistaken, and there's a way to say 'I'll have that license back please'...?

[benmay]

No, there is now way to get it back once exported other than importing it into the machine exported to.

If you have lost the license, I would reccomend contacting your re-seller regarding obtaining another activation code. I have done this before.

good luck

[nat]

Thanks Benmay,

I have started this process; still a mystery as to why it wouldn't get through but if I find out, I'll let you know.

Thanks

[Elmo]

I've seen this quite often as a reseller. The main reason is that the user didn't export it to the right machine or the name/code of the machine is slightly incorrect. You wont be able to get the license back so you might as well get a new one. I haven't been able to find a way to get the license back and I haven't been able to find any other reasons why they have done this.

[nat]

Yeah it's funny Elmo; our reseller suggested precisely the same thing, and that would be logical, but I copy-pasted into an email his code and computer name as it appeared in all 3 PLUs (on his one from both the bottom of the first tab and as it was listed in the computers tab)...and they're all precisely the same, right down to spaces and so on.

We've got new licences for all but one of the machines now, but I'm yet to test another license transfer...will do shortly.

Cheers