Set up on-premises license borrowing for offline use

Users who want to work in a location that does not have a reliable connection to the on-premises license server can borrow an activated license from the Tekla license server before leaving the office. The user receives a temporary local license file valid for a set time period.

The information on this page is not valid for Tekla subscriptions.

Users can borrow Tekla Structures on-premises licenses for offline use in Tekla License Borrow Tool. Users need to have a network connection to the license server to borrow and return a license.

Borrowed licenses are reserved for the duration of the borrowing even when they are not in use, so the borrowed license is not available for other users.

How on-premises license borrowing works

License borrowing reserves and releases the on-premises licenses like this:

The maximum license borrow period is one month. The user defines the borrow expiration date when borrowing the license. The borrowed licenses are unavailable to other users until they are returned or the license borrow period ends.
The user can return a license before the license borrow period is over through the license borrow tool on the borrowing computer. Make sure your users return all borrowed licenses before a major operating system upgrade, reinstallation or major hardware changes on their computer.
Borrowed licenses must be returned before you deactivate those licenses on the license server, for example, to upgrade the licenses to a new version or to move the license server to new hardware. You can see who has borrowed which licenses by inquiring the license status in the LMTOOLS application on the license server.

Note:

If you do not follow the guidelines above, all users may lose the use of the borrowed licenses until the end of the license borrowing period, including the users who originally borrowed the licenses.

Install the Tekla License Borrow Tool on the users' computers with customized product ID file(s).
To borrow a license, users must open the Tekla License Borrow Tool installed on their computer when they are still online and can connect to the Tekla license server.

The version of Tekla License Borrow Tool should be the same as the version of Tekla license server.
After borrowing a license, users can go offline and freely work with, close and reopen Tekla Structures within the license borrow period.
When the users are back online, they should return the borrowed licenses to the license server.

If a user does not return the license, it becomes available for other users on the license server after the license borrow time is over. However, the license is still listed in the license borrow tool for the user until the user returns it.

Configuration files

A product ID (.tpi) file is needed for borrowing licenses. If you use the licensing options file (tekla.opt) for managing license access rights, you must always provide a customized product ID file for users. The default file that lists all configurations will technically work in other cases, but administrators should still provide a customized product ID file. The customized file makes it easier for the users to select a license, because it includes just those licenses that you have actually activated on the server.

You can define which licenses are available for which users in the licensing options file (tekla.opt) on the license server. For more information, see Manage legacy on-premises licenses.

Provide offline users with a customized product ID file

Tekla License Borrow Tool for on-premises licenses needs the activation IDs of the licenses during borrowing. When you export a product ID file (.tpi) in Tekla License Administration Tool, the activation IDs of the activated licenses are written in the file. Then you can send the file to offline users.

When you install Tekla License Borrow Tool, the standard.tpi file is automatically installed in the ..\Tekla\License\Borrow folder. This default product ID file lists all Tekla Structures configurations and their product IDs. However, users can only borrow the licenses that are activated on the license server.

You can create a customized product ID file that only lists the activation IDs of the activated licenses available for borrowing. You need to export the product ID file on the license server computer using Tekla License Administration Tool and save the file on the computers of the users who borrow licenses. The activation IDs are encrypted.

Warning:

Product ID files are not updated automatically. If you deactivate borrowable licenses or activate new licenses for borrowing, you need to export a new product ID file and send it to Tekla Structures offline users who borrow licenses.

On the Windows Start menu, go to Tekla Licensing > Tekla License Administration Tool.
Click Export.
In the Save Product ID file As dialog box, enter the name of the product ID file or keep the default file name, select a folder where you want to save the file and click Save.
In a text editor, open your copy of the product ID file, add the activation IDs of the activated licenses available for borrowing, then save the file.
Send the product ID file to the Tekla Structures users who need to borrow licenses and inform the users about the usage of the file.

If the name of the file is standard.tpi and the file is saved in the ..\Tekla\License\Borrow folder on the user’s computer, the file is opened automatically when the user starts Tekla License Borrow Tool.

Set up Tekla License Borrow Tool for Tekla Structures offline use

You can use Tekla Structures on-premises licenses offline or off-site by borrowing Tekla licenses with Tekla License Borrow Tool.

Before you start, download and install the latest Tekla License Borrow Tool from the Tekla Downloads product download page.

You can use the same Tekla License Borrow Tool for borrowing licenses for different Tekla Structures versions. The version of Tekla License Borrow Tool should be the same as the version of Tekla license server.

On the Windows Start menu, go to Tekla License Borrow > Tekla License Borrow Tool.
In the Setup dialog box, enter the port number and the hostname (computer name) of the license server in the Server box in the format port@hostname, for example, 27007@server_hostname.
Still in the Setup dialog box, click Browse and select the product ID file.
Click OK.

The Products area in the Tekla License Borrow Tool is updated.
In the Tekla License Borrow Tool dialog box, click Language and change the language of the Tekla License Borrow Tool user interface, if necessary.

Note:

When you start Tekla Structures, and if Tekla Structures does not start with the borrowed license, enter an asterisk (*) in the server box of the licensing dialog box. This will force Tekla Structures to search for all possible locations for the license. This may take a while.