Manage legacy on-premises licenses

After on-premises licensing is set up, you can verify that you have the correct number of licenses and that the licenses are used correctly.

You can use the LMTOOLS application that is delivered with the Tekla license server to monitor who is currently using licenses.

You need to make changes in the following situations:

If users are selecting incorrect license types or secondary users are reserving too many licenses, you can ensure that the correct types of licenses are available to the intended users by defining access rights for using licenses.
You need to deactivate your existing on-premises licenses in these cases:
- When you start using a new version of Tekla Structures, which requires activating renewed licenses.
- Before you activate a changed version of the same license (for example, the number of concurrent users is changed).
- Before you make hardware changes that affect the license server.
- If you want to move the licenses to a different license server.
If your on-premises licenses become untrusted or disabled, you can repair them a limited number of times.

Monitor Tekla Structures license use

With on-premises licenses, you can view current license usage using the LMTOOLS application that is delivered with the Tekla license server.

The LMTOOLS application requires Windows administrator rights to run.

Go to Tekla Licensing > LMTOOLS through the Start menu or Start screen, depending on your Windows operating system.
If the correct Tekla license server is not defined, switch to the Utilities tab and add the license server path:
1. Type tekla in the Vendor Name box.
2. Type your license server address as port@host in the Path box.
3. Click Override Path.
On the Server Status tab, click Perform Status Enquiry. You will receive a listing of how many licenses and which configurations are activated on the server, and how many of the licenses are in use at the moment of inquiry.

The status inquiry uses abbreviations of Tekla Structures configurations. You can also find the description of the abbreviations in your entitlement certificate or in Tekla License Administration Tool.

Configuration codes and keywords used in access right definitions

When you define access rights in tekla.opt, you need to use correct abbreviations (codes) for the configurations, otherwise the definitions do not work. The access rights are defined using certain keywords.

Configuration codes

When you define access rights for different Tekla Structures configurations in the tekla.opt options file, you need to add a proper code for each configuration in the definition.

Note:

The configuration codes are backward compatible, and the codes used for licensing in older Tekla Structures versions still work. However, the commercial product name of the configuration may change between versions. For example, the commercial product name for STDL-C used to be Steel Detailing Limited, but now it is Primary.

The codes for the Tekla Structures configurations are listed below:


Configuration code	Configuration
CM-C	Construction Modeling
DEV-C	Developer
DFR-C	Drafter
EDU-C	Educational
FUD-C	Full
PCD-C	Precast Concrete Detailing
RCD-C	Rebar Detailing
SDE-C	Engineering
STD-C	Steel Detailing
PPC-C	Production Planner for Concrete
STDL-C	Primary
VIE-C	Project Viewer

Most common keywords

The most common keywords that are used for defining license access rights and restrictions in the tekla.opt options file are listed and described below:


Keyword	Description	Usage information
`EXCLUDE`	Prevent access to a Tekla Structures configuration.	Use with the abbreviation of the configuration.
`EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT`	Prevent license borrowing.	Use with the activation ID of the license.
`EXCLUDEALL`	Prevent access to all Tekla Structures configurations.
`GROUP`	Define a user group for use with any options.	Use with Windows user names (separated with spaces).
`HOST_GROUP`	Define a host group for use with any options.	Use with computer hostnames or IP addresses (separated with spaces).
`INCLUDE`	Allow a user to use a Tekla Structures configuration.	Use with the abbreviation of the configuration.
`INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT`	Allow a user to borrow a license.	Use with the activation ID of the license.
`INCLUDEALL`	Allow a user to use all Tekla Structures configurations.
`MAX`	Limit the usage of a configuration.	Use with the number of licenses and the abbreviation of the configuration.
`RESERVE`	Reserve licenses for a user/host or a group of users/hosts.	Use with the number of licenses and the abbreviation of the configuration.

When someone is allowed to use a configuration with the INCLUDE keyword, other users are automatically prevented from using the configuration.
When someone is denied to use a configuration with the EXCLUDE keyword, other users are automatically allowed to use the configuration.
If no rules exist, everybody is allowed to use the configuration.

Some examples of definitions in a tekla.opt options file are given below:


Options file definition	Description
`INCLUDE PCD-C USER scarlett`	Only the user scarlett is allowed to use the Precast Concrete Detailing configuration.
`EXCLUDE FUD-C USER justin`	The user justin is not allowed to use the Full configuration. Other users are allowed to use the Full configuration.
`GROUP tsusers jessica joe neil` `INCLUDEALL GROUP tsusers`	The users jessica, joe and neil belong to the group tsusers. Only the group tsusers is allowed to use all configurations.
`EXCLUDEALL HOST pcrobert`	No configuration is allowed to be used on the computer pcrobert.
`INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT qwer-1234-asdf-5678-zx USER gwen`	Only the user gwen is allowed to borrow a license whose activation ID is qwer-1234-asdf-5678-zx.
`EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT rtyu-9876-fghj-5432-cv USER matt`	The user matt is not allowed to borrow a license whose activation ID is rtyu-9876-fghj-5432-cv.
`GROUP students amy chloe andy dean` `MAX 3 EDU-C GROUP students`	The users amy, chloe, andy, and dean belong to the group students. The limit to the usage of the Educational configuration for the group students is three licenses.
`RESERVE 1 RCD-C USER vera`	One license of the Rebar Detailing configuration is reserved for the user vera.
`GROUP STUDENTS user1 user2 user3` `RESERVE 3 VIE-C GROUP STUDENTS`	The users user1 user2 user3 belong to the group STUDENTS. 3 licenses of the Project Viewer configuration are reserved for the group STUDENTS. STUDENTS is a group name. user1 - user 3 are Windows user names separated with spaces. The number 3 is the number of licenses to reserve. VIE-C is the configuration code for the Project Viewer configuration. Note that any licenses reserved for a group are dedicated to that group. Even when that group is not actively using the licenses, the licenses are unavailable to other users.
`INCLUDE VIE-C:VENDOR_STRING=Enterprise USER john`	Only the user john is allowed to use the Project Viewer configuration which is of type Enterprise.

Modify on-premises license access rights (tekla.opt)

The Tekla Structures on-premises license server administrator can grant different users and user groups different rights to use licenses by modifying the tekla.opt options file. This can prevent situations where there are no licenses available for users that need them because someone else has reserved or borrowed a license that they do not really need.

The licensing options file tekla.opt is located in the ..\Tekla\License\Server folder.

The most common configuration options include the following:

You can define the access rights for specific user names or host names/IP addresses either individually or using groups that you define. You can use the same username or hostname in several groups.
You can reserve a number of licenses for a specific configuration (e.g., Steel detailing) for exclusive use by a specific user or user group. If necessary, the users in the group can reserve more licenses than the reserved quota. Other users can only use one of the remaining free licenses outside the reserved quota.
You can define a maximum (max) number of licenses that a user or group can simultaneously use. Users who are not included in this limitation can use any free license.
You can include (allow) a user or group in the exclusive use of all licenses for a specific configuration. Other users are prevented from using the configuration.
You can exclude (disallow) specific users from using any licenses for a specific configuration. All other users are allowed to use the configuration.
You can include and exclude users from borrowing licenses.

To modify access rights in the tekla.opt file:

Go to the ..\Tekla\License\Server folder.
Open the tekla.opt file in a text editor.
Enter your definitions for license access rights and restrictions.
The definition string consists of the following parts: [keyword] [Tekla Structures feature] [user type] [name]

When you write the definition, follow the rules below.
- Note that the options file is case sensitive.
- If you need to define user groups and host groups, define them first.
  
  Use Windows user names when defining user groups and host names or IP addresses when defining host groups.
- Enter one definition per row. A definition consists of the following things:
  - An options keyword that defines the actions.
  - A feature, such as a configuration, that is affected by the keyword.
  - The type that is affected by the keyword.
    
    The options are: USER, GROUP, HOST, and HOST_GROUP.
  - The name of the user, user group, host, or host group that is affected by the keyword.
    
    You can use the host names or IP addresses of the computers with the HOST and HOST_GROUP keywords.
- To disable a row in the options file, enter # in the beginning of the row.
Examples of definitions:

INCLUDE PCD-C USER scarlett (Only the user scarlett is allowed to use the Precast Concrete Detailing configuration.)

RESERVE 1 RCD-C USER vera(One license of the Rebar Detailing configuration is reserved for the user vera.)

For details about the allowed keywords and configuration codes together with more examples, Configuration codes and keywords used in access right definitions.
Save the changes and close the text editor.
On the Windows Start menu, go to Tekla Licensing > LMTOOLS.
In LMTOOLS, go to the Start/Stop/Reread tab and click the ReRead License File button to update the changes in the license file and in the options file.

Useful links

For more information about limiting certain Tekla Structures versions to certain users, see the following Support Article in Tekla User Assistance: How to limit certain Tekla Structures version to certain users

Move licenses between license servers

You can transfer an on-premises license from one license server to another. Moving licenses can be necessary, for example, if you are switching to new hardware or if you want to consolidate licenses from several workstations to a central server.

Deactivate the licenses that you want to move in the Tekla License Administration Tool on the computer that currently contains the licenses.
If the license entitlement certificate file containing these licenses is not available on the other computer, find the EntitlementCertificate.html file that contains the license and copy it to the computer on which you want to activate the licenses.
- Entitlement certificate files are sent over email. In the installation instructions, we recommend storing the entitlement files in the license server installation folder (..\Tekla\License\Server\), from where you can copy it to the same folder on the other computer.
- Rename the files as necessary to avoid overwriting different entitlement certificate files with each other.
- There can be several licenses in one file, so you can activate different licenses on different computers using the same entitlement certificate file.
Activate the licenses in the Tekla License Administration Tool on the other computer to complete the move.

We recommend that you back up the trusted storage (..\ProgramData\FLEXnet\) in a safe place away from the computer running the license server. Backups can help you restore your licenses on the same server if active licenses are accidentally erased.

Repair an on-premises license

If your on-premises licenses have become untrusted or disabled, they cannot be used and you need to repair them.

The license trust status is indicated in the Activated Licenses area in Tekla License Administration Tool. If a trust status symbol is green, the information is trusted, if red, the information is untrusted.

Warning:

Because of technical and security reasons, you can repair an Activation ID only a limited number of times, which at the moment is two times a year. Therefore it is important that you inform your local Tekla Structures representative about the license repairs you have been performing, and keep count of the repairs.

The status can be one of the following:

A red H (Host) indicates that the server has been moved to another computer, or the computer hardware has changed radically.

The Host trust status of your license is not trusted:

Note:
In some cases, it might not be possible to repair licenses that have the Host trust status untrusted.
A red T (Time) indicates that the system clock has been tampered with.

The Time trust status of your license is not trusted:
A red R (Restore) indicates that the license is obtained from a backup copy.

The Restore trust status of your license is not trusted:

To repair a license:

On the Windows Start menu, go to Tekla Licensing > Tekla License Administration Tool.

The Activated Licenses area shows the activated licenses.
Click Repair.

The license server contacts the activation server at Trimble. After a successful repair, the trust status in Tekla License Administration Tool dialog box is updated.

LMTOOLS options and settings used in Tekla licensing

LMTOOLS is a graphical user interface that allows you to administer the license server. This utility is provided by Flexera Software.

Note:

If you use FlexNet Manager by Flexera Software to manage other licenses, do not use LMTOOLS.

Service/License File tab


Option/Setting	Description
Configuration using License File	Not used.
Configuration using Services	You must always have Configuration using Services and Tekla Licensing Service selected on the Service/License File tab when you manage Tekla licenses. These options are selected by default during the installation of the Tekla license server.
LMTOOLS ignores license path environment variables	Not used.

System Settings tab

The System Settings tab shows common device and operating system information about the computer on which you are running LMTOOLS.


Option/Setting	Description
Hostid Settings	Computer/Hostname Username CPU ID IP Address Etnernet Address Disk Volume Serial Number FLEXID
Time Settings	System Time Zone GMT Time Difference from UTC MSDOS Time Local Time Windows Directory
Save HOSTID info to a file	Save the hostid information to a text file.

Utilities tab

The values on the Utilities tab affect the information that is shown in the status list on the Server Status tab. By default, the status list shows information about all the license servers that you are connected to.


Option/Setting	Description
File Name Browse Find Version	Find out the version of FlexNet Licensing linked with a file. Useful for diagnosing errors. Browse for the file and click Find Version.
Vendor Name Path Add Vendor Path Override Path List All Vendor Paths	An example of the vendor name and path: Vendor Name: `tekla` Path: `27007@myserver` (port and license server computer name/hostname) The Vendor Name that is used for Tekla license server is `tekla` (all letters lowercase). Add a licensing service to be listed in the status list on the Server Status tab, enter the vendor information in the Vendor Name and Path boxes and click Add Vendor Path. If you want the status list to only show information on certain license servers, enter the vendor information in the Vendor Name and Path boxes and then click Override Path to replace the existing license servers shown in the status list. The List All Vendor Paths button lists all the licensing services that are shown in more detail in the status list on the Server Status tab.

Start/Stop/Reread tab

On the Start/Stop/Reread tab, you can stop and start the license server, and adjust some settings related to stopping the server.

Note:

When you perform actions concerning the Tekla license server, Tekla Licensing Service must be active in the FlexNet license services installed on this computer list. You can select Tekla Licensing Service from the services list on the Service/License File tab.


Option/Setting	Description
FlexNet license services installed on this computer	Lists all FlexNet license services available on the license server computer. Always ensure that Tekla Licensing Service is active in the FlexNet license services installed on this computer list when you perform actions concerning the Tekla license server. Activate Tekla Licensing Service by selecting it from the services list on the Service/License File tab.
Start Server	Starts the license server that is active in the FlexNet license services installed on this computer list.
Stop Server	Stops the license server that is active in the FlexNet license services installed on this computer list. When you click the button, the status bar shows the message Stopping the Server, and it takes a couple of seconds to stop the license server. The message does not change when the server is stopped. If Stop Server does not stop the server, select the Force Server Shutdown check box and click Stop Server again.
ReRead License File	Updates the license server without stopping and starting it. You need to use this button, when you manually notify the license server about license changes. For more information, see Activate on-premises licenses .
Advanced settings
Restrict lmdown to work only from node where lmgrd is running.	When this option is selected, you can stop the server only on the server computer. No-one can accidentally stop the license server on a client computer. We recommend that you use this option.
Disable lmdown utility, use task manager.	When this option is selected, you cannot stop the server in LMTOOLS. The server can only be stopped in Windows Task Manager.
Disable ’lmremove’ of license file.	Not in use in Tekla licensing.

Server Status tab

The Server Status tab shows the status of the license server and the licenses. Here you can check how many licenses are in use or borrowed, who is currently using licenses on the server and on which computers licenses have been borrowed.

If you want to check the status of the Tekla license server and licenses only, enter tekla in the Individual Daemon box and click Perform Status Enquiry.

Below is an example of license server information:

The license server port@hostname
The license server is up and running
License server with Tekla identity is up and running
A default value for TeklaServer shown in every status check

Below is an example of license information:

The configuration for which license information is shown. In this example, Full Detailing.
The number of activated licenses on the license server
The number of the licenses in use; checked out from the license server or borrowed
A borrowed license
On which computer the license was borrowed
Tekla license version
Time when the license was borrowed
Licenses checked out from the license server
On which computer and show the user has checked the license out. In this case, the user is user4, the computer and show names are computer7.
The license server hostname/port from where the license is checked out
Time when the Tekla Structures session was started
Usage of licenses of other configurations. In this case, Precast Concrete Detailing.

Server Diags tab

The Server Diags tab shows more information about the license servers and licenses, and provides diagnostics.

Note:

If you have problems with the license server, send a copy of the tekla.lic, tekla.opt, and tekla_debug.log files to your local Tekla Structures support. The information on the Server Diags tab is not detailed enough to solve some of the problems.

To show the diagnostics, click Perform Diagnostics.

Below is an example of the LMTOOLS license server and license diagnostics:

The license server port@hostname
Common information for all Tekla license server installations
On which configuration the information is shown. In this case it is Viewer.
Tekla license version
The license server hostname
The expiration date of the license. In this case, the license is permanent.

Config services tab

The values on the Config Services tab are filled in automatically during the installation of the Tekla license server. However, if you encounter problems during the installation and the license server does not start automatically, you need to configure the settings manually on the Config Services tab.

Note:

Whenever you make modifications or perform any actions in LMTOOLS for the Tekla license server, must have Tekla Licensing Service selected in the Service Name list.

Borrowing tab

Warning:

Use Tekla License Borrow Tool for borrowing Tekla licenses. Do not use the Borrowing tab of LMTOOLS with Tekla licenses.