topic Re: "License in use on your other device" in Licensing

"License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 00:07:37 GMT

After updating to the new cloud licensing system, all of our users receive a notification after joining a network outside of the company, or after rejoining the company network - "License in use on your other device"

Of course, no one has another device. This notice is purely prompted by the change in network, which is not by design. I find it hard to believe that we may be the first/only cloud license users to experience this, but GS support seems to have never heard of it.

Anyone else?

Operating system used: Mac Apple Silicon 15.3 Sequoia

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Branden Richards — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:58:52 GMT

Having this problem right now, thinking it is an issue with Graphisoft servers, did you ever get it back up?

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 18:08:13 GMT

Following the instructions in the dialog will resolve the issue temporarily, until the user changes networks again. I wouldn't think it is a server-side issue, but changing networks should not even be a problem and the license server should expect it. Of course, that's something that happens very frequently with laptop users.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Karl Ottenstein — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:03:20 GMT

Yes, this seems very wrong... the IP address does not identify a device... the MAC address does. Somebody at Graphisoft must have implemented this incorrectly. 🙄 However... that said... there is a feature on all Apple devices (all? mabe just iphone and ipad) that, for security, generates a random MAC address for each network that you connect to as a privacy protection from having your activity tracked. You might check to see if that is turned on?

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Karl Ottenstein — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:06:36 GMT

Yeah, it is on Macs too. In Sonoma, it is under the Details button for the network you're connected to. I wonder if it has to be set to "off" to work with the Graphisoft cloud license server? Mine is set to Fixed in this screenshot for privacy - not sending anyone my real MAC address.. but I still use a Codemeter key, so wouldn't know about the cloud license impact...

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 20:09:58 GMT

I also initially suspected this could be part of the problem. To test this theory I rotated the wifi MAC address deliberately and did not receive the error.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Karl Ottenstein — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:23:31 GMT

@Ebatte wrote:

I also initially suspected this could be part of the problem. To test this theory I rotated the wifi MAC address deliberately and did not receive the error.

Great! Thanks for testing that, Eric. Tech support say anything?

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:49:59 GMT

Tech support gave me their generic response “make it happen again and send us the fastlogger info”. If they have access to the documentation of how cloud licensing actually works then I could’ve gotten a real response. Someone knows, but is hidden behind the veil.

No I haven’t sent logs yet because I’m traveling for two weeks and haven’t experienced the error. Meanwhile, every. single. person. in my office keeps having the same issue.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

MinhNguyen — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:09:14 GMT

this sounds simple enough to replicate on the HQ, not sure why they ask for the log, unless they can't reproduce it in-house, meaning even their documents don't include any info that could help with the case.

It could be something that is specific to your company setup that somehow triggers a wrong license warning?

We don't have subscription license to test either, anyhow I'm interested in how it will turn out to be

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 13:36:24 GMT

I glanced at my own fastlogger logs and didn’t see anything of interest, fwiw. If we are able to pull a cloud license *in the office network environment* and can also pull a cloud license *outside the office network environment*, then I’m at a loss as to why the cloud license server would think that another device has already claimed the license.

The key to understanding this is to know how the cloud license server actually identifies a “device” when there is only one device using the license.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

mattmgut — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 17:55:06 GMT

I am also having this issue. I only have one device so I am not sure what is going on. I notice this happens when I change locations (office to home), but not all the time.

Any solution? I was hoping to work this morning!

Matthew Guthrie
RHiZO Architecture
MacBook Pro M2 Max, 32GB

macOS 15.2 Sequoia (24C101)
AC 28

Re: "License in use on your other device"

mattmgut — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 18:00:52 GMT

I was able to get into my license by "unassigning" myself and "reassigning" myself.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:00:20 GMT

That isn’t necessary. Just follow the instructions in the dialog to release and refresh the license, at least until they formally fix this.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 15:59:33 GMT

GS Support has been unresponsive even after so-called “escalation to tier 2”, which is frankly unacceptable to me.

So, to anyone else who may have this problem my latest theory is that network DNS encryption may be the cause of this issue. In our office environment I had DNS encryption enabled. I have disabled it and users are no longer reporting the license error.

I don’t quite know why this would be a problem. I’m just reporting the news. I passed this along to GS support, asking them to test and confirm, but I’ve received no response. If anyone else has the ability to test on their network please report back.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Norbert Kucsma — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:12:43 GMT

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay.

Our developers have checked this error and did not find a server-side error. Thus, we think it is something on the client side (as you also suspect):

a component ( firewall, antivirus) might be blocking the communication
temporary network error
or a network/infrastructure missetting

In case you face this issue, please get in touch with your local support and send them the Archicad FastLoggers files and GSReport files. Feel free to reference this thread and include the comment from Graphisoft HQ.

Kind regards,

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 12:01:37 GMT

GS support already have my fast logger files that I submitted previously.

We have no antivirus installed on our Macs
If you suggest a firewall issue, then please provide detailed information that will allow for troubleshooting to confirm or deny this theory (ports used by the cloud server, etc.). If this were a firewall issue, then the license would simply never be obtained rather than requiring a release and refresh.

I have suggested that DNS encryption may have been the cause of the issue, but that is apparently not the case as users continue to receive the license error.

I really need GS to be more proactive and scientific on solving this issue. I require actionable information. Even if it is a client-side issue we need to determine what it is.

What are the means by which the cloud license server determines the device that is using the license?

Please have someone at GS setup a time to call me and actually troubleshoot this instead of allowing weeks to go by with no communication or resolution, even after the ticket has been “escalated.”

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Barry Kelly — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:26:57 GMT

Sorry for the ramble, I am just trying to get it clear in my head what might be happening.

What I do not understand is the cloud license has been uploaded to those machines.

They should now be able to run Archicad whether connected to a network or not.

The Archicad program is installed on that machine and the license is on that machine.

Even without an internet connection, it is supposed to work for 7 days as I understand.

How can connecting to a network either internally or externally affect the license loaded on that machine?

The license is on that machine and it should work for Archicad on that machine.

What ever network you are connecting to, should make no difference.

At least that is the way I understand how it is supposed to work.

I don't have a cloud license, but in my experience, this is how it works with software licenses.

Cloud licenses just have the ability to be called from the cloud without having to return them from the original machine that they were uploaded to.

But it seems to me the cloud license is not actually on your machine (which is why it has a limited off-line life).

The cloud system simply allows your machine access to the license in the cloud.

All I can assume is that the identification of the machine is changing as you change locations, and that is why the cloud system is saying the license is being used by another machine.

Sorry, I might be stating the obvious here, I am just trying to understand how it all works.

So, I think, either the cloud license needs to be truly downloaded to the machine (but maybe then there will be no time limit when off line), or the machine needs to be set up in a way that it has the same identification, no matter where it is or what network it is connected to - I am not that tech savvy to know if that is possible or not.

Barry.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Lingwisyer — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 04:07:08 GMT

It should be pretty easy to include an ID file within the users documents, though everyone has been reducing their use of cookies over the past few years...

If you have a dynamic external or internal IP that you can edit / reset, see if changing one will make the cloud server think you are a different device?

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:24:45 GMT

Our company network has a fixed IP. Of course the Macs themselves get their IPs from DHCP on whatever network they connect to which includes the company LAN or their own router at home. So, by nature the IPs are changing on a regular basis. This would be assumed normal by design from the cloud license distribution server.

So, that’s just to say that we’re all changing IPs regularly, but that doesn’t seem to trigger the license issue. Per my previous post, I’ve also tried rotating the MAC address manually and that doesn’t trigger it either. Now that I’ve confirmed that DNS encryption isn’t causing a communication problem I really don’t know what else to check.

GS is going to have to explain the protocol by which the devices obtain the license in order to really diagnose this.

Re: "License in use on your other device"

Ebatte — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:30:47 GMT

Barry, my understanding is the same as you describe. So, if the license is supposed to work for 7 days while disconnected, why would changing networks even trigger anything until the 7 days pass and require a refresh of license? That’s my question.

Then, if the network change really is the trigger…why does the license refresh fail, but then succeed on the same network without any other change/action? Just simply going through the motions of clicking the buttons makes the license work again?? It makes no sense.