Revision History

Rev #	Date	Description
1.0	Dec 2020	Revised for use by customers Reset as document version 1.0
1.1	May 2022	Revised for SOLIDWORKS 2022

Note

All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks employees, VARs, and customers that are on active subscription. You may not post this document on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.

This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS 2022 SP01. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller.

Preface

The objective of this SolidPractice document is to share information about SOLIDWORKS licensing that can help with troubleshooting and licensing related issues.

Licensing is required to allow users access to their software entitlements. Licensing is the practice of leasing a property with legal protection (such as a trademark or copyright name, logo, likeness, character, phrase, design, or computer program) to another party in conjunction with use of a product or service.

This document covers basic information about SOLIDWORKS licensing, the types of licenses available, and best practices and troubleshooting tips and techniques.

Note: Troubleshooting tips in this document include references to a few Knowledge Base (KB) articles that are only visible to your reseller. Please contact your reseller for help with those topics.

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SOLIDWORKS Licensing

SOLIDWORKS licensing authorizes users to download and use SOLIDWORKS products based on the entitlement of a serial number. SOLIDWORKS licensing uses the FlexNet licensing technology, which is a widely used technology for licensing different products.

Purpose of SOLIDWORKS Licensing

• Authentication:The SOLIDWORKS licensing mechanism allows users with a valid 24-character serial number to install the SOLIDWORKS software.

• Concurrent usage access:In a multiuser environment, the licensing mechanism governs SOLIDWORKS license usage and availability.

• Subscription services: With a subscription service, customers obtain access to download the latest SOLIDWORKS service packs. Customers with subscription service can install the SOLIDWORKS version (any service pack of that version) to which the serial number provides entitlement.

SOLIDWORKS Licensing Mechanism

The SOLIDWORKS software uses activation-based licensing, which is a common method of licensing software. License activation is an automatic way of authenticating and managing the licensing information. During the activation process, the process automatically configures the licensing information and stores the information in an encrypted format on a computer hard disk drive.

In SOLIDWORKS, both Standalone licenses and SolidNetWork Licensing (SNL) use activation-based licensing.

Licensing based on a text based license file is also available. You can request this file in exceptional cases.

Transactions involved in Activation

• Activate license: - Activation is the basic transaction between the user computer and the activation server. The license information is stored on the local drive.

• Deactivate license: - Deactivation removes the license information from the local drive and stores the information in the activation server. This makes the license information available when activating the license the next time.

Ways to Activate and Deactivate a License

• Automatically over the Internet (recommended)

  • Use of this activation method performs most activities without manual intervention. The process sends an activation request to the activation server, which in turn responds to the requesting client computer. Both activities occur over the internet.

• Manually via e-mail: (If computer not connected to internet)

  • Use this method if the computer does not have an internet connection.

  • In this process, the user sends an activation request file to activation@solidworks.com.

  • In return, the user receives an activation response file from activation server. This file contains the licensing information for that serial number.

  • To complete the transaction, the user must load the response file in the Activation Wizard.

Activation Manager

The

Activation Manager

is a web-based interface where Value Added Resellers (VARs) can view activities that relate to a serial number. The Activation Manager contains information about the serial number, and a history of license activation and deactivation events. This information includes:

• The SOLIDWORKS version to which the serial number is entitled

• Any add-on products that are available with the serial number

• The Activation type (Generally Machine Activation)

• The expiration date of the subscription

• Computer details: Computer name, IP address, the computer date and time at the time of activation or deactivation

• The activated version of SOLIDWORKS

• Whether serial number is ‘Activation enabled’

• Expiration date (for term license)

SOLIDWORKS Licensing Types

This section describes the various types of SOLIDWORKS licenses.

Single User Licensing

This license type provides application access to a single user. The license is associated with a computer. The license retains the association after closing the SOLIDWORKS application.

1. Standalone Licensing

In the case of Standalone licensing, the license is associated with a specific computer. You cannot use the license on any other computer unless you first deactivate the license from the current computer.

Standalone users generally receive one activation for each serial number.

In the case of hardware failure or the unavailability of hardware, users cannot deactivate a SOLIDWORKS license. In such cases, to release licenses from a computer, you must submit a computer disable request to the SOLIDWORKS Customer Center.

1. Grace Period

When a user starts the SOLIDWORKS application for the first time on any computer, SOLIDWORKS prompts the user to activate the license before startup. However, the user has the option to run SOLIDWORKS during a 30-day grace period. The grace period is useful when it is not possible to activate the license immediately for any reason. When the grace period ends, the user must activate the license to continue using SOLIDWORKS on the same computer.

SolidNetWork Licensing (SNL)

An SNL license is also known as a floating license or a multiuser license. In a multiuser environment, a central server (the license server) stores the license information. During SOLIDWORKS startup on a client computer, SOLIDWORKS obtains the required licenses from the license server. Closing SOLIDWORKS returns the licenses to the server, which makes the licenses available to other users.

This floating license approach makes it possible to share a limited number of software licenses among a larger number of users.

SNL licensing associates the license information to a user as well as a computer.

For example, imagine that a company has two users, user A and user B, and two computers, computer X and computer Y. When user A runs SOLIDWORKS on computer X, SOLIDWORKS takes one license. If user B also logs in to the same computer X (switch user) and runs SOLIDWORKS, then user B takes another SOLIDWORKS license on the same computer X. In short, SOLIDWORKS takes two licenses on computer X. One license each by both users A and B.

At the same time, if user A runs SOLIDWORKS on computer Y, this takes another SOLIDWORKS license. This means that user A is consuming two SOLIDWORKS licenses; one on computer X and another on computer Y, and that user B is consuming one license on computer X.

• SNL server: The SNL server stores the licensing information and serves the licenses to client computers in response to requests. It is a best practice to install the SNL server software on a server class computer. However, you can use any computer that fulfills the basic SOLIDWORKS requirements as the SNL server.

• SNL client: The SNL client is a computer on which users access SOLIDWORKS. When a user runs SOLIDWORKS on a client computer, SOLIDWORKS takes a license from server.

  For more information about the hardware and operating system (OS) requirements, visit the following web page: https://www.solidworks.com/support/system-requirements

SOLIDWORKS supports only the TCP/IP protocols and connecting the SNL server and client computers by using a Local Area Network (LAN) and a wired connection. However, there are customers who use Wi-Fi, VPN, and WAN connections. For more information, see the KB solution S-032861.

1. SNL types

There are two main types of SNL, which reflect the number of servers used in the licensing environment.

1. Single Server

• These environments contain one server computer.

• This type of SNL uses activation-based licensing.

• The license file licensing option is also available. However, this option is available only on request and only in exceptional cases.

1. Triad Server

The limitation of a single server SNL setup is that when the license server fails, the licenses are not available to clients. A triad server setup helps to minimize down time because of server failure. The advantage of using a triad server setup is that clients will get the license even if one of the triad server computers is unavailable.

• The triad server environment contains three server computers.

• It is a best practice to connect the three license server computers via the LAN and on the same subnet. All three servers send periodic messages to each other to ensure that at least two servers are running and communicating at any given time.

• Triad server SNL uses license file based licensing.

The following images depict a pictorial representation of a working triad.

Figure 1: Client fetching license when three triad servers are running

Figure 2: Client still gets license when one of the triad servers is down

Term Licensing

Term licenses are perpetual licenses that have an end date. The term licensing model lowers the upfront cost of the SOLIDWORKS software and allows for more flexible deployment options.

Term licensing products are only available as standalone licenses. These licenses are available for purchase in 3-month and 1-year terms. Term licensing supports machine activation, and is available from SOLIDWORKS 2017 onward.

For information about SOLIDWORKS 2022 products that support term licensing, see the KB solutionS-075441.

Components of an SNL Environment

When a user run SOLIDWORKS on client computer, the computer requests a license from the SNL server. The license server handles the request and responds accordingly to the client computer. The SNL server and the SOLIDWORKS client computers communicate with each other at regular intervals. See the KB solution S-068453 for more information.

Figure 3: Schematic of SNL environment components

Vendor Daemon (sw_d.exe)

The SOLIDWORKS vendor daemon process is the brain behind licensing. This process negotiates licenses with the client computer. The vendor daemon process keeps track of the number of licenses that users check out or in, and maintains a list of clients using the licenses. The file sw_d.exe is SOLIDWORKS Vendor Daemon, which runs only on the SNL server computer. This process reads the activation information from the local drive and stores the information about available licenses for each product.

License Sever Manager (lmgrd.exe)

License Server Manager (lmgrd.exe) is a process that runs only on the server and receives the license request sent from a client computer during SOLIDWORKS start up. This process communicates internally with the SOLIDWORKS vendor daemon. According to information from the vendor daemon and license availability, the License Server Manager provides a license to the client.

SNL Log (debug log)

The SNL log is a text based file that stores information about the SNL environment and licensing activities. The SNL log is helpful to administrators while troubleshooting issues that relate to SNL. The SNL log contains information about:

• License usage: The log stores time-stamped information about licenses given to the clients, and about licenses returned to server.

  • OUT indicates a license given to a client

  • IN indicates a license returned from a client

• Error messages: The log also records unsuccessful transactions such as client failures to get license, in the form of error codes and short messages.

The typical location of the SNL log file is: [SNL_Manager_install_dir]\lmgrd.log.

Options File

In a multiuser environment, it is very important to manage the proper allocation of product licenses to users or user groups. To achieve this functionality, the administrator can define a set of rules in a text file known as the options file. This file allows the license administrator to control user access to specific products.

For example, consider an organization that has two groups. The Designer group and the Design validation group. Each of these groups have five members. Assume that the organization has five SOLIDWORKS Standard licenses and two SOLIDWORKS Simulation licenses. Members of the Design validation group always require both SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Standard licenses. To ensure continuous availability of these licenses, the administrator can reserve both licenses for the Design validation group. Therefore, among the five users of this group, any two users can use SOLIDWORKS Simulation.

By defining the options, an administrator can:

• Allow the use of licenses

• Deny the use of licenses

• Reserve licenses

• Restrict the number of licenses available

When creating an options file, remember to consider the following points:

• Use the appropriate options and syntax. For detailed information, refer to the “License Administration Guide” at:

  http://files.SOLIDWORKS.com/Supportfiles/FlexLM_Enduser/licensingenduserguide.pdf

• As a best practice, save the sw_d.opt options file in the same location as the license file. The typical location of the license file is: [SNL_Manager_install_dir ]\licenses

• Add the location path in SNL Manager: During license activation, in the SolidNetWork License Server Information dialog box, activate the

  Options File

  option, and browse to select the options file location. See Figure 4 and refer to the KB solution S-050382 for more information.

Figure 4: Options file location

SolidNetWork License Manager

Administrators can use the SolidNetWork License Manager Server (SNL Manager) user interface (UI) to configure and customize SOLIDWORKS licenses. SNL Manager is available on both server and client computers. The

SolidNetWork License Manager Server

is available on server computers. The

SolidNetWork License Manager Client

is available on client computers. Client users can view license usage, add or remove a license server, borrow a license, and adjust the license order.

Server Administration

The Server Administration tab is available only on the server version of SNL Manager because the license administrator has authorization to perform administrative tasks like activate or deactivate a license, start or stop the license server, and troubleshoot SNL issues by reading the SNL log, etc.

Figure 5: The SNL Manager UI on a server computer

The functions available on the Server Administration tab include the following:

• Modify: By clicking this function, the administrator can activate or deactivate licenses and view information for activated licenses. During activation, administrators can define port numbers for license communication and the location of the options file (see Figure 4).

Figure 6: UI for SNL activation

• Reread: This function causes SNL Manager to read the license file and the options file again for any changes in licensing information. It is a recommendation to perform a Reread after making changes in the options file to incorporate modifications in SNL.

• Reactivate: The button will help CAD admins to reactivate network license. Since SOLIDWORKS 2022 SP 0.0, it is mandated to reactivate licenses once in a year.

• Advanced Options: By default, SNL uses activation-based licensing. However, SOLIDWORKS also allows use of a license file within the same UI. To accomplish this, select the Use a License File option in the Advanced Options dialog box as shown in Figure 5. For more information about using a license file, see the KB solutions S-039286 and S-064746 (triad).

• Start and Stop: Use these functions to start or stop the SolidNetWork License Manager service. For a client to obtain a license, this service must be running on the SNL server.

• View Log: Click to view the SNL log. For more information, see the SNL Log section in this document.

License Usage

Figure 7: SNL ManagerLicense Usagetab

TheLicense Usagetab is available on both the server and client versions of the SNL Manager. This tab displays the following information:

• Total licenses available for selected product

• Free licenses available for selected product

• List of users and computer names for selected product

• Version of SOLIDWORKS used on the client computer

• The end date of borrowed licenses

By default, if there is no SOLIDWORKS installation on a server computer, the server list is empty in the server version of the SNL Manager. To view the server license usage in this case, the administrator must add the server name with the appropriate syntax in the server version of the SNL Manager.

Server List

Figure 8: SNL ManagerServer Listtab

TheServer Listdisplays a list of servers from which client computers can take licenses.

• The syntax for adding a server is port_number@server_host_name (or IP address). In the default installation, SNL uses port number 25734 and 25735. However, administrators can specify a different port number. For more information, see the KB solution S-053949.

• You can add as many servers to the list as you require. For more information, see the KB solution S-046588.

When the SOLIDWORKS software opens, the software connects with all servers that appear on the

Server List

tab. If the list contains a server that is currently unavailable on the network, users may experience a delay in opening SOLIDWORKS, or in using the File > Open dialog box. Therefore, ensure that the server list contains only active servers.

License Borrowing

Figure 9: User Interface of ‘License Borrowing’ tab

TheLicense Borrowingfeature allows users to run SOLIDWORKS application on a computer that does not have a continuous connection to the license server on the network.

When users request to borrow a license, they should have a connection to the server over the network. After borrowing a license, a user can disconnect the computer from the network and continue to use SOLIDWORKS application for the duration of the borrowed period. The maximum borrow period is 30 days (720 hours). During this time, the borrowed license does not appear in the pool of available licenses on the server. When the borrow period expires, the license is checked back in to the license server even if client computer does not have an active connection to the server.

It is possible to lower the maximum borrow period by using an options file. For more information, see the KB solution S-039695.

License Order

Figure 10: User Interface of ‘License Order’ tab

The

License Order

tab allows users to specify the priority in which to take a license when the functionality is available in multiple software bundles. Specifying the proper license order in the tab helps prevent client computers from taking unnecessary licenses. On this tab, the user can define the license order by moving a license up or down in the list. The license at the top of the list takes precedence over licenses that appear below it.

SNL Manager may display licenses for software bundles (such as SOLIDWORKS Premium, SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium, and others) and for individual products (such as PhotoView 360™ and Toolbox).

For example, the SOLIDWORKS Premium product includes the SOLIDWORKS Simulation software, which contains only the Static simulation study. Now imagine that a customer has licenses for SOLIDWORKS Premium and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium, and the order of the licenses appear as shown in Figure 10. In this case, when the customer starts SOLIDWORKS and activates the Simulation add-in, SOLIDWORKS takes SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium license along with a SOLIDWORKS standard license instead of taking a SOLIDWORKS Premium license because the Simulation license appears in the list before the SOLIDWORKS Premium license.

Licensing for SOLIDWORKS PDM and SOLIDWORKS Manage

SOLIDWORKS PDM 2016 and later versions, and the SOLIDWORKS Manage software both use the SNL Manager to manage licenses. In versions prior to the release of SOLIDWORKS PDM 2016, licenses were managed in the SQL database.

Adding and Modifying a SolidNetWork License Server

Logging in to a vault from a SOLIDWORKS PDM client computer requires a license that matches the current installed license type and version. The client retrieves a license from the SNL server specified in the license settings. To add or modify an SNL server, use the Set License dialog box that is available from the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration tool. To do this, you must use administrator credentials to log in to the tool.

Figure 11: Set License dialog box of the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration tool

1. Add or modify a server in SOLIDWORKS PDM

To add or modify a server in SOLIDWORKS PDM, follow these steps:

1. Open the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration tool by doing one of the following:

   • In Windows®, go to Start > All Programs > SOLIDWORKS PDM > Administration.

   • In Windows Server® 2016 or later, on the Apps screen, under

     SOLIDWORKS PDM

     , click

     Administration

     .

2. Create a file vault or expand the existing file vault.

3. Right-click the License node > click Open.

4. On theServer Listtab, clickAdd.

5. Enter the address of the SNL Manager server in the form: port@SNLServerName*

6. Click OK.

7. Click theLicense Usagetab and ensure that SOLIDWORKS PDM licenses are available.

8. Click OK.

The default port number is 25734. For SNLServerName, you can enter either the host name or the IP address of the SNL server. Ensure that all clients can connect to the server by IP address or host name.

1. Set License

The Set License dialog box has two tabs with the names

Server List

and

License Usage

. These tabs have functions that are similar to the License Usage and Server List tabs in the SNL Manager as discussed in sections 5b and 5c of this document.

SNL licenses for SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020 and later versions do not support license borrowing. This is because it is an expectation that SOLIDWORKS PDM users will have a direct connection to the vault database. Borrowing a license and then disconnecting from the network serves no purpose in data management. Instead, use the Offline option, which does not require any license. For more information, see the KB solution S-016224. The

License Borrowing

tab in the SNL Manager does not show any licenses for SOLIDWORKS PDM.

For more information about SOLIDWORKS PDM licensing, see the SOLIDWORKS PDM Installation Guide. The typical location of this guide is:

[installation location]\SOLIDWORKS PDM\Lang\GB\ Installation Guide.pdf

Add or modify a server in SOLIDWORKS Manage

After installing SOLIDWORKS ®Manage on your computer, browse to location <[installation_location_SOLIDWORKS_Manage_Server]\Server Utils>. This folder contains the program file for the Configuration File Wizard. This wizard is used to generate a .SWMC configuration file that holds the SOLIDWORKS Manage License Server. For detailed instructions to create .SWMC configuration file with SQL Server® and database settings to connect to the SOLIDWORKS® Manage environment, refer KB solution S-073765.

Figure 12: User interface of Configuration File Wizard

Global License Administration

With the purchase of global licenses, you can implement SolidNetWork Licensing (SNL) on a global basis. These licenses can be shared with clients around the globe to follow the sun and maximize license utilization.

Global licensing has several unique challenges that require review consideration to ensure proper functionality.

Server - Client Connectivity

While no specific limits are available, the latency between the SNL server and client computers should be reasonable. The FlexNet licensing technology used by SNL does not provide any specific limits or requirements for latency ping values. However, be aware that higher ping values can be detrimental to SOLIDWORKS performance.

SOLIDWORKS SNL pings the license server at regular intervals (approximately every 120 seconds) as well as during open and save operations. High latency between the server and the client computer can slow save and open performance.

When implementing global licensing, the recommendation is to use a Triad license or a similar redundant solution. For other possible workarounds, you may contact your reseller and refer to the KB solution S-045645. Using a Triad or similar solution, you can set up servers in specific countries or regions with other servers to provide backup licensing servers.

During initial license check out, clients ping all servers that appear on the

Server List

tab of their SNL Manager. However, subsequent checks ping the server from which the license was checked out. To ensure maximum performance, the recommendation is that users enter their local server first in the list. Licenses pulled from non-local servers experience slightly slower overall performance because of the longer ping times between the client and server for rechecks.

Use of a Triad requires additional considerations, which are discussed in the SNL Types section of this document.

License Compliance

Several customers have a combination of regional and global SNL serial numbers. In most of these cases, the customer creates a single administrative image for global distribution. The result is the use of a single serial number outside of their region. Installing SOLIDWORKS by using a serial number from other region (except a global license) is a violation of CLOSA. To avoid this violation, consider the following recommendations when creating administrative images for global deployment:

• Either… Create groups based on geographical regions, and assign serial numbers (specific to geographical regions) on a per group basis (you can base groups on computer names/IP addresses, or IP address range)…

• Alternatively…Create separate administrative images per regions with serial numbers from respective regions and global serial numbers…

• And…Activate region-specific SNL serial numbers on computers that are within the regions, and add the respective server names on the SNL Manager ClientServer Listtab in their specific regions.

Additional Licensing Information

The information in this section is useful when troubleshooting licensing issues.

Licensing Services

• FlexNet Licensing service: This service is required for activating both Standalone and SNL licenses.

• FlexNet Licensing service64: This service is available on the 64-bit Windows OS and performs same tasks as FlexNet Licensing service.

• SOLIDWORKS Licensing service: This generic licensing service is required to run SOLIDWORKS on a computer.

• SOLIDWORKS SolidNetWork License Manager: This service is only available on the SNL server. For SNL to function properly, this service must be running on the server at all times.

1. Licensing Information Storage

2. Registry

• SOLIDWORKS stores serial numbers for licensing in the following Windows registry locations:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SOLIDWORKS\Licenses\Serial Numbers

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SOLIDWORKS\Security

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SolidWorks\Licenses\Serial Numbers

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SolidWorks\Security

• Borrow license information (client)

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager\Borrow

• SNL server information

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\FLEXlm License Manager

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\FLEXlm License Manager

1. Storage location for activation information

[ProgramData]\FLEXnet (typically C:\ProgramData\FLEXnet)

1. Common Licensing Issues and Troubleshooting Tips

2. Activation Issues

3. Activation count exceeded

Figure 13

The activation count is the maximum number of new activations allowed for a serial number. Users’ cannot activate more licenses than the activation count allows. Activation count information appears in the activation manager under Activations Allowed.

The Activation count exceeded error generally appears when a user activates the license for the maximum number of activations allowed (typically 1), and SOLIDWORKS cannot activate this license on an additional computer.

For more information, see the KB solution S-016701.

1. Unable to reach the license activation web site

During the automatic activation or deactivation of a license, users sometimes receive the warning Unable to reach the license activation web site.

Figure 14

This error appears in the following cases:

• The computer does not have an internet connection.

• The computer has an internet connection but the activation server site is not available. This can happen if there is a problem with the firewall or proxy server settings.

• The activation server is offline for maintenance. Maintenance work typically occurs on weekends. SOLIDWORKS notifies resellers in advance of upcoming maintenance.

Troubleshooting steps:

1. Run a ping test to confirm connectivity with the activation server.

2. Paste the following link into the address bar of your web browser and press Enter.

https://activate.SOLIDWORKS.com/activation.asp?ping=1

• If the web page appears blank, it indicates that there is proper connectivity between the computer and the activation server. In such cases, the user is able to perform an automatic activation.

• If the web page displays the warning Page could not be displayed, it means that the computer cannot access the activation server. This commonly occurs because of a problem with the customer’s network setup. In these cases, it is advisable to work with the customers IT representative to resolve the issue.

1. Licenses in a “hung” state

Customers often say that their licenses are in a “hung” state when a user is unable to perform either license deactivation or license activation from their computer. The symptom for this license state is that only the Deactivate license option is available when attempting to reactivate a license.

Troubleshooting steps:

1. Initially, try to delete the license information from the computer. For information about how to do this, see the KB solutions S-071647 (for Standalone) and S-071648 (for SNL). This procedure removes activation information from local drive. Be aware that this is different from deactivate license. The license does not return to the activation server.

2. Reactivate the license on the computer. This refreshes the local activation information.

1. SNL Issues

2. Could not obtain a license for SOLIDWORKS Standard

Figure 15

This warning indicates a connectivity problem between the licensing server and the client computer.

Troubleshooting steps:

• Confirm that the correct server appears in the server list. See the KB solution S-074785.

• Ensure that the licensing server service is running. If the service is not running, use SNL Manager to start the service.

• To confirm proper connectivity between the server and the client, run a Ping test and a Telnet test. For detailed steps on how to perform these tests, see the KB solution S-041613.

• In some cases, the SNL client computer cannot connect to the server if using the hostname, but may work if using the IP address. This can occur if the client computer cannot contact the DNS server, or if the DNS server cannot resolve the hostname. For more information, see the KB solution S-036027.

  Most error messages reference error codes that appear within brackets. Each error code has a different cause and may have a different resolution. The SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base contains many details about troubleshooting most error codes. Remember to search the SOLIDWORKS KB for information about how to resolve error codes.

1. Borrow license issues

2. Cannot borrow license

Figure 16

The error Could not borrow the [license]… appears when there are no licenses available to borrow. This can happen if:

• The product license that the user is borrowing has reached its maximum usage count. For example, if a customer has two SOLIDWORKS Professional licenses and both are in use by two users. At the same time, if third user tries to borrow a SOLIDWORKS Professional license, SOLIDWORKS displays the error message shown in Figure 16.

• The administrator has set the BORROW_LOWWATER option in the options file. For more information, refer to the “licensingenduserguide.pdf” document.

1. SOLIDWORKS is missing the following pre-requisite license

Figure 17

SOLIDWORKS displays this warning message if a prerequisite license is missing when borrowing a SOLIDWORKS Professional or SOLIDWORKS Premium license. For more information about this warning message, see the KB solution S-058319.

1. Cannot return license

In general, a user can return borrowed licenses before the borrow end date. However, in some cases, the license cannot be returned. The symptoms for this issue include:

• Borrow license information is available on the server but missing on the client computer.

• Borrow license information is available on the client computer but missing on the server.

Troubleshooting steps:

Note: Contact your reseller for access to these KB solutions.

1. Try the basic tests mentioned in the KB solution S-052262.

• If the problem persists, use the SOLIDWORKS SNL HotFix V2.2 tool to try to fix this issue. For information about how to use this tool, see the KB solution S-032224.