Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting FlexLM licensing issues on an end user machine, the first step is to always ensure that the correct product and version license is available on the server. Do not assume that just because it worked yesterday, it still does, as your IT department may have had something to say about it!

Topics in this section:

Server Start Failed on LMTools 11.19.9 or newer

There is a known compatibility issue with the current Ideate vendor daemon where in many instances LMTools 11.19.9 is unable to recognize that the service is started correctly and licenses are available. The error is ‘Server start failed’. The ‘Perform Status Inquiry’ will also incorrectly return a ‘No socket connection’ error. The service log will report the status correctly, it will also record the license check-outs and check-ins as expected. The network licenses continue to function as expected.

The license service log will display the correct status, including the records of Check OUT and Check IN when licenses are being used.

Check License Availability on the Server

Log in to the license server directly or via any remote access tool
Locate ‘LMTools’ and run it
Toggle to ‘Config Services’ tab
Pick ‘View Log’
If the server shows errors, see below
If licenses show as available, but you can’t access them from the user workstation, review Firewall settings here
If there are Ideate licenses available, just not the correct product or version, you will need a new license file. Please contact support or your internal software admin.
If all licenses of the correct type and version are in use, either manage the license usage or consider increasing the license seat count

An example of a correct server log state:

Unable to Access a License or it Reverts to View-Only Mode (Server Connection Issues)

No license is available

View only state may be caused by all licenses taken up by other users. See the section “Check License availability” above before troubleshooting further.

Server name resolution issues

These are especially common when using a VPN or cross-domain server access. Please test accessing the license by using @serverIP or @fully qualified domain name to help your DNS to route the request correctly.

Network Latency issues due to VPN or physical distance to the server

Depending upon the network speed, a request for a license may time out before the request reaches the license server. In this event the software will display an error ‘Service may be down or unavailable’ and may lapse into View-Only Mode. This can be quite common for remote or VPN users. This issue can be fixed by creating an environment variable on the workstation. The system variable should be named FLEXLM_TIMEOUT and a recommended setting would be 1000000.

Licensing Service is Not Starting

The most common reasons why a licensing service does not start or shows errors when you review the service log:

If licenses show as available, but you can’t access them from the user workstation, do not proceed with the steps below, go here instead!

Missing ideate.exe (see here for more info)
Mis-configured ‘Config Services’ tab (Do not point to ideate.exe)
Incorrect servername (fix it in Notepad) or MAC address (Do not edit, you need a new license file!)
A licensing service is already running (hit ‘Stop Server’ & wait for a confirmation or stop it via ‘services.msc’)
Open ‘services.msc’, R-Click on Ideate service, select ‘Properties’. Go to ‘Log On’ tab, and switch ‘Log On As’ to ‘Local system’
Now perform Stop/Start/Reread through LMTools again

Do not start the licensing service through the services list!

If the issue is not resolved, contact Ideate Technical Support ([email protected]).

Autodesk Licenses are Not Working

If, after setting up the Ideate FlexLM license service, the network licenses for Autodesk (or any other vendor) stop working, follow these steps in LMTools. If the issue is not resolved, contact Graitec Technical Support.

Check that the services are NOT using the same logfile. If they are not, continue
Select the ‘Config Services’ tab
Select the name of the service that is not working properly from the drop-down.
Select the ‘Start/Stop/Reread’ tab
Verify that the correct service is highlighted
Click ‘Start Server’
Wait a moment
Select ‘Re-read License File’
If you set up specific ports in the license files, make sure they are not the same ports for both services

Understanding Licensing Errors at the end user workstation

There are a few common licensing errors that can occur. This list explains the error and the first steps to resolving it.

-4 Licensed number of users already reached. Wait for licenses to be available. You can determine who is using licenses by performing a Status Enquiry on the server(s). Refer to Verify Service is Running.

-5 No such feature exists. Verify that you have licenses for the software you are trying to use. Either install the correct software title or request a new license file.

-10 Feature has expired. Request a new license file.

-15 Cannot connect to license server system. This is a general connectivity error.

Verify that the license service is running. The ideate.exe should be in the correct location.
Disable the firewalls on both the server and workstation. If the error is resolved, specify firewall program or port exceptions — see more here.
For VPN users the IP address of the license server or the fully qualified domain name may need to be useded on the workstation. Contact your IT for assistance editing your host file to include this information. Typically this file is located at: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
If the error still occurs, identify which workstations and which software is affected and contact Ideate Technical Support.

-18 License server system does not support this feature. Verify that you have licenses for the software you are using. Not all Ideate Apps are part of IdeateApps!

-96 License server machine is down or not responding. Check if the license service is running, then check your server Windows Firewall rules. See more here. If the error still occurs, identify which workstations and which software is affected and contact Ideate Technical Support.

-97 The desired vendor daemon is down. Restart the license service. If the error still occurs, identify which workstations and which software is affected and contact Ideate Technical Support.

-124 License Return Error – This can occur in both Revit and the Ideate software when the licenses are not returned in the order they were borrowed. This is a known Flexera issue. Read more about this under the License Borrowing topic in this document.

Submit feature or issue request for Ideate Software

Your Email Address * Software: Version: Bug or Feature Description: GDPR Opt-In:*

By entering your data above and clicking ‘SUBMIT’ you are consenting to the collection and use of that data to respond to your comments and inquires, as described in our Privacy Policy. We may also transfer the data you submit in the ‘Email Us’ form to our VAR partners for the limited purpose of a sales follow-up. Please review our Privacy Policy for more details on how and when we collect data and what we use it for.