Decipher Network Log

[doug48858]

Can anyone figure out what is going on here? This is a remote location, with a 5 seat net license 2006, it looks like the users get in and out of autocad frequently throughout the day. But in most cases is after just a few seconds. I am not in production, but I have no trouble with it. Any ideas?


Note: the names have been changed to protect the innocent

6:50:40 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/3/2007
9:15:47 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user1@LAPTOP1
9:17:16 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user1@LAPTOP1
10:57:25 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
11:06:26 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
12:50:40 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/3/2007
13:20:02 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:23:44 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:27:34 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:33:55 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:34:14 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:55:23 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
13:57:19 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:57:27 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
13:57:59 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
13:58:05 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
13:58:21 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user1@LAPTOP1
13:58:44 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user1@LAPTOP1
14:02:37 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER2@LAPTOP2
14:11:45 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:12:00 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:17:00 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:19:59 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:21:51 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:21:56 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:14 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:23 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:37 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:46 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:51 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:30:55 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
14:31:01 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:23:31 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user4@LAPTOP4
15:35:53 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user4@LAPTOP4
15:37:05 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:37:12 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:37:29 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:38:04 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:40:10 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:40:26 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:40:32 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
15:40:53 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user3@LAPTOP3
18:50:47 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/3/2007

[TravisNave]

What is exactly is the issue? Are people getting kicked off? Not being able to connect?

[doug48858]

eventually the license manager misses a few check-ins and then they run out of licenses. This has occurred twice in the last six months. Because it is remote, I have not heard of any complaint of getting booted, and again, I myself have not experienced that. It still puzzles me why someone would get into autocad, then get out after 1 minute, then get back in, then get out, etc. It just isnt normal. And yet some of the users are in it for 45 mins, an hour, or a few hours continiously. I have to wonder if they are getting "silently" booted, then the license manager checks out the license again right away- possibly transparent to the user. If so it might be a bad network segment, or maybe someone is using a vpn? I didnt think the license manager created that much network traffic though. Just plain odd.

[Anonymous]

wrote in message news:5440242@discussion.autodesk.com...
> If so it might be a bad network segment, or maybe someone is using a vpn?
> I didnt think the license manager created that much network traffic
> though. Just plain odd.

Actually the license server uses tcp connections so it should not kick
anyone unless you have a general network problem. the same would apply to
http, ftp and any other service though.
Regarding timeouts you should search for the TIMEOUT_ALL functionality which
you can set in your option file. Plenty of other posts in this group
describes this.

Best Regards,

Henrik Goldman
---

Track your flexlm licenses and reduce your costs -
http://www.x-formation.com/license_statistics/index.html

Our licensing and software security blog -
http://www.x-formation.com/security_blog/
Protect your software - http://www.x-formation.com/LM-X

[doug48858]

Henrik-
Yes I have read about the timeout variable. That should resolve the lost licenses. However, it does not explain or correct the frequent license check out/check in. It is possible that the users are getting in and out of AutoCAD in less than 1 minute increments as the log shows. My common sense tells me that isnt the case. What else can cause the license to get checked back in? Antivirus? Other programs? Time zone differential? Different language sets? I really dont know

[TravisNave]

Hard telling. Could be some network issues. The TIMEOUTALL option would be a good thing to implement in the mean-time.

[doug48858]

Todays log is even more curious. I dont think the timeout variable will help with this sequence of events:

15:53:46 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERA@LAPTOP1
15:56:45 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:02:45 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:12:53 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERA@LAPTOP1
16:12:57 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:21:13 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:21:32 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:21:46 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:21:58 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USERB@LAPTOP2
16:26:17 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" userC@LAPTOP3
16:32:32 (adskflex) DENIED: "48800ACD_2006_0F" userD@LAPTOP4 (Licensed number of users already reached. (-4,342))


in a period of 17 minutes 4 licenses were checked out to two computers. Yet I loaded AutoCAD this morning and I have been in it continiously for a couple of hours now. From the log it appears I am already down 2 licenses.

[doug48858]

Ok. Looks like we may have found out whats going on. I wasnt aware that this was allowed, but if you run two instances of AutoCAD, the license manager does check out two licenses, but only one gets checked back in. So I need to send a note to the users saying this is a no-no. I also added the timeout variable to the server. Hopefully this will resolve this issue.

[TravisNave]

Interesting. It should really still only use one license per machine. For example, I have one license of AutoCAD on my NLM. I can open up two instances of AutoCAD. My debug log still shows the same two OUT messages that yours does. But it still only takes that one available license. I do not get denied.

There still may be something else at large. You might want to check to see that the acad.exe is being released in Task Manager when the program is closed. Otherwise, the license may not be freed. The Server Status tab should give you an up to the minute status of where the licenses are checked out on each machine.

[Phil Smith]

What version of FlexLM is being used? The Debug log file records additional entries for each additional session and does not consume any extra licences. The licence is tied to the PC name and user name. May want to check the users / PC names are consistent.

[doug48858]

the log states:
FLEXnet Licensing (v10.1.5)

I really dont know. How else can the licenses be lost? I have tried the software myself for several hours and the log showed my connection consistently. Again this is a remote site, so I can not monitor the users (visually). The network account and computer names all conform to IT policy so there is no chance of an issue there. I can only conclude it is how they are using the software. However since I added the timeout variable (and a note to the users to not run more than one instance of AutoCAD) the log looks a little better:

11:40:46 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/11/2007
13:33:07 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
15:28:17 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
15:50:09 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1 (INACTIVE)
15:52:56 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user2@LAPTOP2
15:53:50 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user2@LAPTOP2
16:36:48 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:38:36 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:41:38 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:44:41 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:45:12 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:45:53 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:45:58 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:46:24 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:47:22 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:48:16 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
16:48:51 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER1@LAPTOP1
17:41:00 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/11/2007
23:41:00 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/11/2007
5:41:00 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/12/2007
9:39:16 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user2@LAPTOP2
9:44:36 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" user2@LAPTOP2
11:19:50 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
11:23:52 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
11:34:22 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
11:35:19 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
11:41:07 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/12/2007
11:47:05 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
11:47:56 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
15:16:51 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
15:18:44 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
15:31:17 (adskflex) OUT: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
15:31:26 (adskflex) IN: "48800ACD_2006_0F" USER3@LAPTOP3
17:41:17 (lmgrd) TIMESTAMP 1/12/2007

[Anonymous]

I think everyone here can have their own best guess of what goes on. In the
end it's only the users who know though. Rest is just our speculation and
best qualified guess.

Since you know the usernames and laptop names, why don't you just try to
phone one of them and ask them a few useful questions to make them help you
understand their usage better.
Sometimes the good ole' fashioned way can actually be helpful since you get
to know things you didn't think of. 🙂
It'll maybe take you 5 minutes which is probably less then the time you
spent to write the post.

Best Regards,

Henrik Goldman
---

Track your flexlm licenses and reduce your costs -
http://www.x-formation.com/license_statistics/index.html

Our licensing and software security blog -
http://www.x-formation.com/security_blog/
Protect your software - http://www.x-formation.com/LM-X

[TravisNave]

You could always try upgrading to 10.8 and seeing if it makes a difference:

http://www.macrovision.com/support/by_catagory/fnp_utilities_download.shtml

[doug48858]

It would seem easy enough- except the users are in Chna. With a 12 hour time difference and and since my Mandarin isnt up to par phone conversations are not possible. For now things are functional and I got notice that they want the license manager moved to another server, so I am going to end up redoing it all again anyway. Thanks for your suggestions though.

[asc]

"It still puzzles me why someone would get into autocad, then get out after 1 minute, then get back in, then get out, etc. It just isnt normal. And yet some of the users are in it for 45 mins, an hour, or a few hours continiously."

Could be because someone is plotting drawings. We have old timers here that will open and close 1 drawing at a time to plot a set instead of using SSM or batch plotting.

[TravisNave]

Agreed. I guess it could be that maybe AutoCAD is crashing and they are relaunching it?

[koontz]

Here's a theory on your observation that there are constant mini-sessions occurring. I haven't seen this with Autodesk, and I'm not sure this makes sense for it, but when I see something like this for MATLAB (also FLEXlm licensing), I know that somebody is calling MATLAB in a script to run a canned program and the script is called in a loop or on interrupt, perhaps in an experiment.

Sometimes users who are doing this will set up an inactive session in the foreground on the same system to ensure that their minisessions will get a license. In that case you see one enormous session that may last for days, depending on what they are doing.

I suppose along similar lines you would also run multiple mini-sessions if you were trying to crack a security system, e.g., trying one password after another - not plausible here - or collecting multiple sets of packets between the package and the license server to try to pick out the security exchanges. In that case you'd want to vary the server and the client system, too, of course. 🙂