Roaming Licenses from a BricsCAD Network License

Here is a set os Q&A compiled from a dialog with our expert Jamie De Palmenaer:

Soon there will be a more concise description on how to use roaming licenses available on our knowledge base.
Basically, a user sets the RLM_ROAM environment variable to the amount of days he wishes to use to license, and will then automatically obtain a license file stored on his machine, comparable to a limited time nodelocked license.
For now, I can help you with the guidelines given by reprise themselves, found below.

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Question 1:
- How to know if License Roaming is Available

Your ISV makes the decision to enable roaming licenses. If you have been issued an rlm_roam license, then roaming is available to you with the restrictions specified in the rlm_roam license.
Note that you must be able to check out an rlm_roam license on any system that is disconnected. Practically speaking, this means that disconnected systems need a local license file with a node-locked rlm_roam license in it.

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Question 2:
- How to make a License Roam

If you have an rlm_roam license, set the environment variable RLM_ROAM to the number of days which you would like to use the license (this license will be available until midnight on the last day of the roam, so for example if you specify one day, the license is available until midnight tomorrow). Once RLM_ROAM is set, run the product and let it check out it's license(s). If the checkout succeeds, then the license is set up to roam. You can repeat this procedure for any other products that have roaming capability enabled.
Be sure your rlm_roam license is contained in a license file that is local to this system, otherwise you will not be able to use these licenses.

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Question 3:
- While your system is connected to the network

After the initial checkout of the roaming license, but during the time your system is connected to the network, the value of RLM_ROAM will affect the behavior of the roaming license. If RLM_ROAM remains set to the original value, the license will be "refreshed" each day to the total roam time. On the other hand, if RLM_ROAM is set to 0, the original roam end date will remain, and no subsequent checkouts of the license will alter the final roam day.

What this means, for example, is that if you set RLM_ROAM to 14 days, the license will always be available to you 14 days after the last time you checked it out on the network. If, however, you first set RLM_ROAM to 14 days, check out the license, then set RLM_ROAM to 0, the license will be available on the disconnected system for 14 days from the date of the first checkout, no matter how many times you check it out while connected.

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Question 4:
-While your system is disconnected

During the time your system is disconnected, RLM_ROAM must remain set to a non-negative value. This license will be available on this system for the number of days you requested, and you no longer need to be able to access the license server from which the license was granted.
On the network, the license server will show the license checked out to you.

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Question 5:
- If you want to return the Roamed License early
If your plans change and you would like to return the license before the roaming time has expired, reconnect the system to the network (so that it can contact the original license server), and set the environment variable RLM_ROAM to -1. Now run the program and let it check out the license. Once the program exits (or does a checkin), the roamed license will be returned to the license pool on the server. Please note that if you change the server node name or port number after you roam the license, you will not be able to return the license early.

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Question 6:
"Your ISV makes the decision to enable roaming licenses."

This is correct. A value can be set in BOA which defines the number of licenses that may be checked out with the roaming system. It then gets stored in the .lic file by a value max_roam_count=x
In V15 we set this to be equal to the number of seats of a license by default. In V14 this was set to 0, unless customers asked for it specifically.

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Question 7:
"Where can I set the environment variable ?
In BricsCAD I'm not being capable to do it. Would this be done by the Server Administrator ?"

Doing it in BricsCAD would be too late. This has to be done beforehand, since it is on BricsCAD startup that the license gets checked.

There are 2 common ways to do so:

- The first one is setting it in Windows. Windows remembers this until it is deleted again, so any time a user would startup BricsCAD, his roam period would be set to the number of days defined by RLM_ROAM.
Howto set an envvar in windows: http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm (No need to edit the path, more important: If you need to create a new environment variable, click New and enter the Variable name and Variable value.)

- The second one is using a batch script. This sets RLM_ROAM only when BricsCAD gets started with the batch script. This way the user can choose whether he wants to check out a license (if it is available), or just run BricsCAD.
I have attached a very basic example of such a script to this SR. This script would make a user, with BricsCAD installed on the path visible in the script, check out a license for 5 days.

Roaming licenses are quite complex when you haven't dealt with them that often, so there is no need for apologizing!

Example attached: "roam.bat"

HTH,
Miguel

Comments

  • Can you please repost the "roam.bat" example? I cannot locate the original file that you posted. Thank you.

  • The original post was for an earlier version of BricsCAD. In recent versions you can use the built in tool available in the licence manager.

    Regards,
    Jason Bourhill

    CAD Concepts

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