Generating License files - Rant alert

[cbenner]

OMG.... don't ever buy additional seats of a product if you are not running the current release!!!  The process of generating a license file is ugly enough as it is, but trying to generate a license file, online, that allows you to use your exisitng seats AND your additional seats... on a previous release?  Physically painful!!  Currently on the phone trying to get it done.  This should be easy peasy on your account website.

[DarrenP]

i haven't tried generating license files from Autodeks Account yet it doesn't work with my log in

we usually just get get on the chat with autodesk and have them do it

[cbenner · Accepted solution]

It took close to an hour on the phone to get them to generate a license file that gave me access to all 10 of my seats; 6 existing and 4 new.  The new seats were purchased this year, so the online license file generator kept giving me a license addendum only that you are supposed to copy and paste into your exisitng license file in order to add the additional seats.... at least that's how I read the "instructions".  Problem is, the new license file I kept getting was for the 2016 release,... I'm still on 2015!  You're supposed to be able to go back two prior releases... but you can not generate alicense file that covers that, apparently, without calling.

Autodesk wants to cut costs, making this process more intuitive and easier to perform online would be a good start.  This concludes my rant on this subject, everyone back to their knitting.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@cbenner

"You're supposed to be able to go back two prior releases..."   Was this a Vault license or for other Autodesk product?\

If the former, then you have to do each Vault version separately because there's no package (get the legacy version) with it.

If the latter you would get 3 prior releases along with 2016.

If you just bought new license then yes you would only see the 2016 information..  Although you may be on a maintenance subscription you still have to request previous usages for it.  Thus the call to Autodesk.

In addition when buying new seats of the same product but they may have different serial #s, it is important to recreate the entire license file within the same day.  IF you just generate a new license file for the added seats and copy/paste to your existing license file, most likely you are not going to see the correct qty of license under LMTOOLS.

I know its confusing some time and a creating a license file is not something that someone does on a daily basis...

[cbenner]

Yes, it was Vault.  I am chalking this entire process up to a lesson learned.  Next time.... just call the number right off the bat.  Having online account management is a great idea, but thus far the execution of it, for certain things, is just not there yet.

Thanks @Mark.Lancaster and @DarrenP... sorry to be so grumpy.