Single License Share Over LAN

[Emre Senoglu]

We are a small Architecture Office based in Turkey and we have 2-3 computers (2 macs and 1 pc) connected to the office network. We use ArchiCad for all our works. Recently we thought about getting a network license for ArchiCad, but turns out that it costs more than 3 single licenses. (due to a price strategy in Turkey)

What I'm wondering is if its possible to share a single Archicad license over the network, since carrying around one dongle all the time can get quite confusing. We also use a Time Capsule for the network, so maybe running the dongle over the network could help?

Any help would be really appreciated,
Thanks !

[Karl Ottenstein]

Do you have a WIBU key or a CodeMeter key?

Since you have Time Capsule, assume you are on Mac. Neither key type can plug into a router's USB port, as there would be no device driver and license server running there. Those ports are typically only for storage devices, and in some cases printers.

Karl

[Emre Senoglu]

Sorry about that, forgot to mention it, we use WIBU Key. Yep computers are mainly Mac. And I tried the USB port of time capsule, but as you said, no luck

[Karl Ottenstein]

I was able to share my single-license WIBU key with the computers in my LAN by enabling the machine with the key inserted to be a server, and entering its local IP address into the search list for the WIBU settings on the other.

But, I don't have a WIBU key any longer ... and just tried to share my single-license CodeMeter key, and cannot do it.

Here is the WIBU-over-the-internet Wiki article:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/TechNotes/Example%20of%20Using%20Wibu%20Key%20Over%20The%20Internet%20wi...

for LAN use only, you can of course ignore all of the stuff there about the router, port forwarding etc. Towards the bottom of the page, you see how on the computer that does NOT have the key, you check the box for WkLAN and enter the local IP address of the server computer.

The dialog on Mac looks quite different, but has the same boxes. Run "WkConfig" to get there (use spotlight to find WkConfig perhaps).

Hope that works for you.

Karl

PS If anyone has found a way to share a single license CodeMeter key over a LAN, please post. Thx.

[Erika Epstein]

Karl,
Why did you change from wibu to a CodeMeter?

[Emre Senoglu]

Thanks a lot Karl,

I'll try that tomorrow and reply about the results.


Emre

[Karl Ottenstein]

Erika wrote:
Karl,
Why did you change from wibu to a CodeMeter?

My WIBU had three licenses on it (AC, ED, MEP) which is the max that it can hold, apparently. I was able to run VBE until 14 because it did not store its license on the key, but was a serial number with internet activation. Now that 14's VBE uses a license stored on a key, I had to switch to CodeMeter in order to fit all four licenses onto one keyplug.

The minus is that the AC license on a CodeMeter keyplug only works with AC 10 and above. So, even though it was mostly just fun to be able to still run 6.5 (my oldest version), I cannot do that any longer.

Cheers,
Karl

[Emre Senoglu]

So,

I'm trying to configure the WibuKey manager now, and I've entered the server's local ip into my own laptop which will be a client. Though Mac's settings are quite different from the ones on Windows, so I'm a bit lost. Also, I couldn't manage to "enable the machine to be a server". I'm posting the screenshots of "wkconfig.app" with the current settings.


--------EDIT---------

Okay, after a bit of reading I managed to enable the machine as server by launching the "WkSvMacX.app". And now the "wkconfig.app" on my laptop sees the server machine, but when I try launching ArchiCAD I still get the error saying that there are no available licenses. Here's the current state of Wibukey manager:






--------EDIT 2---------

And by the way, I came across this error while looking at the server's log over the web interface:


7.29 8:34:57:049: Logon received from "ACRobur2285" at Yurdanurs-MacBook-Pro-2.local.
Error: Server Mode Access to 1861:1448709 failed with error 34
7.29 8:34:57:060: Logon rejected: No slot free for 1861:398085

[Karl Ottenstein]

Hi,

Sounds like you figured most things out. I'm going to post some screenshots here for anyone else coming across this thread. Given your "server" machine's local IP address of 192.168.2.3, you would configure your client computers as shown in this screenshot. (On Windows at least, it can search the entire LAN looking for servers, but putting the IP address eliminates the search delay.)

[Karl Ottenstein]

...and you can manually start the server as you did, although if you check the "Start Daemon on Boot" checkbox (or the server box in the Windows dialog shown in the Wiki), the server service (!) will launch automatically...