Forums >> Revit Building >> Technical Support >> Workstation crash "locks" network licence and we can't get at it... (2010)

snowyweston

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Joined: Mon, Jan 12, 2009
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As the title really, one of our workstations just died mid-Revitting - upon restarting the computer and launching Revit we are then informed the network licence is unavailable - despite being 100% sure no one else in the office has nabbed it during the crash-downtime.

Obviously this is an annoyance caused by user/hardware and not really Revit-born - but thanks to tonight's deadline (sods law) we need a fix... any ideas?

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itsmyalterego

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Joined: Thu, May 28, 2009
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You can use the standalone license, 30 day trial for your deadline. 

You might restart the flexnet license manager on your network.  

For reasons we cannot fathom, one or two of our workstations will lose connectivity with the license manager.  We have a fix in place for the hosts file on the workstations that points out the IP address of the server.  Helps revit find the license manager.  Altering the hosts file can decrease performance a little, some worryworts claim.  

The "hosts" file is at c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

"etc" really is a folder name.

In this file, using notepad or the like, add a new line:   

(server's ip) -tab or space- (servername)

192.16x.x.xxx   servername 

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snowyweston

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Joined: Mon, Jan 12, 2009
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Thank you, we got "around it" by muscling someone else off their seat who didn't need it urgently, but that was by no means an ideal "fix" and one I/we would have preferred not to have employed - but with limited licenses needs must/required.

I will be sure to keep your standalone option as a backup resort in future - although I understood you couldn't save in standalone trial mode? That said, I could be well out of date there.

RE: your IP fix, I don't think that's the issue - but if the problem remains on my return to work tomorrow I'm prepared to try anything as I simply can't abide valuable resource time wasted on wranglings with unresponsive IT (second only to arcane administrative protocols)

All in all though it's down to the simple truth that this never was a Revit problem - and one purely sat in the lap of the hardware - so revising the ROI game plan has just worked its way up on my list of priorities! 

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itsmyalterego

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Joined: Thu, May 28, 2009
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You have 30 days of no-strings-attached use in trial mode.  You can save.  The demo mode/viewer however, cannot be saved.   For those with scruples who are dissatisfied with autodesk's reliability for floating network licenses, and have paid for a service they cannot get to work... erm.  They may be interested to know that the "reinstall" method of repair resets the 30 day trial period. 

Edit:  This doesn't always work.  Better fixes below.  

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HuFlungDung

Joined: Tue, Sep 14, 2010
13 Posts

little does anyone know..

seriously- it's very rare that anyone actually gets it

when it comes to managing their program installations..

they all play ping-pong with their licenses and activations

and have constant computer problems..

but it doesn't have to be that way..

almost all programs run full-function for thirty days..

why bother with license or activation or any of that

stuff- it's a waste of time and causes constant problems..

i'm not going to tell anyone how to run programs without

ever dealing with the license/activation- because if anyone

suspects what i'm saying is true- and they want to

make their computer life real easy- they will search

out how to do it- and they also won't tell anyone

else how to do it because you will get people using

the software in violation of the EULA..

but i will tell you the most important thing about it:

YOU STILL HAVE TO BUY THE PROGRAM..

if you have read very many EULAs you will

know that they all have one thing in

common- they don't want you producing anything

with the program or making money with the

program if you didn't pay for it.. but if you don't

do those things with the program- then you don't

need to buy it- and you can run the program

all you want- especially for learning..

when you buy the program- you are using it

legally- and you can forget about activation

and license all that trouble- just use the

program..

i never active windows 7- microsoft doesn't even

know my computer is using it- because i'm always

running in 30 day trial mode.. exactly the same as

if i had an illegal copy of windows.. the ONLY different

is that I PAID FOR IT ANYWAY- just so i would

be legal..

all autodesk programs work the same way..

but if you have a lot of computers in the office

running revit- you will have to re-educate the

IT department and they will probably stumble

and fall all over themselves trying to understand

it.. opps..

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itsmyalterego

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Joined: Thu, May 28, 2009
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I have more to add on this. 

If you're having issues with your Flexnet licence manager not communicating with your workstations, giving you an error [-15.570.0] and saying the network licence is unavailable, I've FINALLY gotten it sorted out.  Google, and the majority of autodesk threads it returned were very little help in this matter, so I want to get the word out to anyone else with this very frustrating problem.  

You need to modify your Licpath.lic file in your local Revit folder, with wordpad. (c:\program files\autodesk\revit 2011\program\Licpath.lic) Your licpath file should have a line with your server name, followed by a string of zeros.  Preserve what you have (always safe) by adding a # sign before the existing line, and add a new line that reads: 

SERVER xxx.xxx.x.xxx 2080

The word, SERVER.  not your server name.  Then a space.  Then your server IP address (or server name, but this is more foolproof) another space, then the port number.  The port number is the key.  Your ordinary Licpath file may not come with a port number, but your licence file on your server likely specifies a port.  So go to your server and open up your master licence file, the one that LMtools points to. 

The third line down in your licence file should read something like:

VENDOR Adskflex PORT=2080

I gather 27000 is a common port number too.  Whatever it is, add that to your Licpath file, and you should be good to go!!

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itsmyalterego

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Joined: Thu, May 28, 2009
829 Posts

I have even MORE to add.  The most common revit failure in our office is the corruption of a revit file called "cascadeinfo.cas".

It is one kilobyte in size.  It is stored at C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\AdLM.  ProgramData is a hidden folder right under C.  In windows 7 to make hidden files and folder show,  go to folder options-->view--> check the circle "show hidden files, folders, and drives"  now Program Data will show as a slightly lighter folder. 

DELETE or rename CascadeInfo.cas.  This file periodically becomes corrupt and is derailing the whole train.  What makes it worse is that Revit will just generate a new file if it's missing--but if it's corrupt, Revit will crap its pants with confusion instead of, say, generating a new file like we know it can do in the blink of an eye.   

This discovery fixed 95% of our recurring license confusion.  

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