Limit to 10 users?

I thought that I read somewhere that when using FlexLM on a peer to peer
network, you were limited to 10 users. Is that correct? If so, where can I
find that documentation?

Thanks,
Greg

 

Hi Greg,

You will find that in your Microsoft documentation since it is an operating
system imposed limitation. The issue is that Microsoft workstation class
operating systems are limited to 10 simultaneous connections. Since AutoCAD
uses TCP packets between the license manager and the workstation each
workstation consumes one of those connections at the time of packet
exchange. Server class operating systems are licensed by the number of
permitted connections.

 

But that doesn't seem to affect FlexLm in my experience. Maybe if ten
people all hit it at exactly the same time.

For perspective; we have a win2k workstation (pro, not server) that is
dolling out over 100 autodesk licenses, several more from another vendor
through flexlm, plus 4 other network licensing systems and we've never
run into a connection limit.

 

That depends on the particular workstation and the licensing software:
- if you replace some files of the Windows OS, you "crack" the
limitation of Microsoft -> violation of the Windows EULA
- AutoCAD Versions R14, 2000 and 2000i (and all verticals) use the
ADLM based on ELAN technology and this ADLM didn't care about
limits ;-)
- FLEXlm licensed products (AutoCAD 2002 and higher) can run on
rd. about 14 clients when the FLEX is installed on a Workstation OS
(this is caused by the "simultanious" TCP connections). One of my
costumers is running 18 workstations but he has designed an exact
order for starting his stations.
- about any other network licensing systems I cant say anything.
Regards

Andi

 

Still isn't a problem. We are running a stock win2k workstation (no
cracks) AutoCAD 2002, 04 and 05 off of Flex. I set the machine up
myself and can verify that it is a plain ol regular win2k install. I
intentionally didn't tweak the settings very much so that anyone sitting
down to it wouldn't have any suprises.

There are typically about 75 licenses in use but have tipped over 100.
On top of that we have a few seats of ABS, Raster Design, and ADT, that
get used now and then.

No one's ever reported a problem and I double checked the logs, nothing
there either. We don't have a perscribed startup procedure, clients all
start up between 7:30 and 8:30 plus there is another mass startage after
lunch.

I've never heard of anyone running into a connection limit because of
Flexlm, have you guys seen it happen?

We have another office with about 30 licenses and they havn't had any
problems either.

 

Somewhere in this 100+ user group there is a system running a server OS
though, right?
To my limited knowledge it may not be peer-to-peer with this many users and
those operating systems.
The limit has naught to do with the 'licenses or the number of AutoDesk
installations' but rather the number of authorized simultaneous connections
allowed by the newer workstation operating systems (2K and XP) in a
peer-to-peer environment. Microsoft has ever claimed this, but put teeth in
the threat with 2K and XP.
Once you get away from the peer-to-peer environment, (server with Client
Access Licenses (CALs) for pre-win2K systems, or Server with 2K/XP
workstations) then the limitation translates from a fixed number of '10' to
be equal to the # of CALs + # of XP/2K systems.

This has been my experience,
Hope it helps.

Matt

 

I can't contribute on the server topic, we don't have any Microsoft
servers, we're all linux/novell (soon to be all linux).