A concurrent license seats is in-use when the user is not using it
Concurrent license seats refer to the number of users who can access a software application simultaneously. Instead of being tied to a specific user or device, these seats are taken from a shared pool when a user starts the application and returned when they finish, allowing for flexible and efficient software usage.
Occasionally, a concurrent license seat may appear as occupied even when users aren't actively engaged with it. This guide delves into the underlying causes of this occurrence and provides solutions to address it, if possible.
| Table of Contents |
|
A user has checked the license out for offline usage Check to see if a license has been commuted Check a commuted seat back in (client computer) |
A user has checked the license out for offline usage
If you see that a seat is in-use, but the user is not currently using the software, it's likely that the user checked the license out (also known as commuting). Since commuting a license is intended for times when the user will not be in contact with the server, such as when they're in the field, the seat will show as in-use until the user checks it back in, or until the allotted commuting time has passed.
Please note: there is currently no way to free-up a checked out (or commuted) seat from the license server. For the checked-out seat to be returned, either the user who checked out the seat has to check it back in, or the commuter period (x days that the seat was checked out for) must be exhausted. Once the commuting period has ended, the seat will automatically be returned to the license server.
Check to see if a license has been commuted
To see if a license is commuted:
- Open the License Administrator.
- Click on the Status tab.
- Select a license in the License status table.
- If the license is commuted, it will show a 1 in the In Use column for the Commuter row.
- Additionally, the expiration date shown in the License Seat Usage table will be a date in the future instead of the current date.
Check a commuted seat back in (client computer)
If the license is commuted, the end user will need to log into their machine, open Surfer, and check the seat back in as follows:
- Click the File | License Info command.
- In the License Information dialog, click Check In License.
Once the commuted seat has been checked-in, you can click the Refresh button on the Status page of the License Administrator to view that the seat has become available once again.
The license seat may have become orphaned
While the occurrence of an orphaned seat is not common, there are a few potential scenarios that can cause this issue to happen.
An "orphaned" license seat typically refers to a commuter seat that has been checked out from the license server but, due to some issue, hasn't been returned or cannot be checked back in properly. This can make it appear as if the seat is still in use, even when it's not, thereby reducing the available seat count.
Additionally, if an issue occurs while a commuter seat is being checked out, the seat may also not make it to the client machine, resulting in an orphaned seat. Please read below to understand the most common causes for orphaned seats, and potential solutions for these occurrences.
Common causes and solutions
1. Network issues
If there's a disruption in the network connection between the client machine and the license server while a commuter seat is being checked out or checked in (including network latency issues), the seat may become orphaned.
Solution: Check the internet connection on both the client machine and the license server. Running an internet speed test in this situation may be useful. If there are any latency issues, or the internet is spotty, it will create issues when the client machine tries to communicate to the license server. Unfortunately in this situation, Golden Software support team will not be able to help. Reach out to your IT Administrator, or you internet provider for assistance with network issues.
2. System crashes
If the client machine crashes or is abruptly shut down while a license is being checked out or checked in, the seat may become orphaned.
Solution: Restart the client machine (if possible) and check to see if the commuter seat is active and accessible. If it is not, please create a support bundle from both the client machine and the license server, and send it to our support team for further assistance by following these directions:
In client machine:
- Open Surfer/Grapher
- Click the File | License Info command
- Click on the Create support file link (shown below)
- Choose a location to save the file
In License Administrator (on license server):
- Open License Administrator on the license server
- Navigate to the Settings tab
- Click the Create licensing support bundle link (shown below)
- Choose a location to save the file
- Send BOTH the client machine support file and the License Administrator support file to our Customer Success Team with a description of the issue you are experiencing, along with a screenshot of the Status tab (if possible)
3. Server issues
If the license server itself crashes or restarts while licenses are being checked out or checked in, the seats may become orphaned.
Solution: While this is a very rare situation, restarting the license server should correct the issue. If it does not, please create a support bundle from both the client machine and the license server, and send it to our support team for further assistance by following these directions:
In client machine:
- Open Surfer/Grapher
- Click the File | License Info command
- Click on the Create support file link (shown below)
- Choose a location to save the file
In License Administrator (on license server):
- Open License Administrator on the license server
- Navigate to the Settings tab
- Click the Create licensing support bundle link (shown below)
- Choose a location to save the file
- Send BOTH the client machine support file and the License Administrator support file to our Customer Success Team with a description of the issue you are experiencing, along with a screenshot of the Status tab (if possible)
4. License server was migrated while a seat was checked out
If the license server is migrated to another server (either physical server or virtual server), while there are concurrent seats actively checked out, the connection between the client computer that is hosting the commuted seat, and the license server, will be broken. This will prevent the commuted seat from being able to be checked back in, as it no longer knows the path to the license server.
Solution: To fix the path between the license server and the client computer while the client computer has a commuted seat, please follow these directions:
- Navigate to the LicenseData.xml file (in default installation, the path will be "C:\ProgramData\Golden Software\Shared")
- Open the LicenseData.xml file with a program that can edit this type of file
- In the section "<server>no-net<server>" or "<server>PreviousServerName<server>", replace the "not-net" or the previous server name with the new server name.
- Save the file
- Restart Surfer or Grapher
Additional Support
For further clarity or assistance troubleshooting why a concurrent seat is showing that it's in-use when no users are using it, please reach out to our dedicated Customer Success Team. Our legendary support team can help you get your license seats returned to the license server.
Updated September 2023
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.