Inventor hangs when opening

[sundermannc]

Hello,

I am in a large high school and I have several machines across several labs having a hard time with launching Inventor. I've updated the software and license manager in an effort to resolve.

What will happen is this:  Student logs in, and Inventor may, or may not, launch.  If it does not launch, reboot and relaunch until it does.  Sometimes it launches after a few reboots.  Sometimes it launches on the first boot.

When it doesn't launch, this is where it hangs:

Clicking the screen brings up the typical "program has stopped responding" message.

HP Z6 workstations - Windows 10 Enterprise

Inventor 2020.2.1

Licensing update 9.2.2.2501 (this is what it shows inC:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AdskLicensing). Not sure if there is another way to show that the new version is actually being used?)

Network license

This happens across multiple workstations.

Event viewer doesn't seem to yield anything useful, but I can get whatever logs might be helpful.

Thanks for any help.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@sundermannc 

For a test, disconnect from your WIFI, internet, network, outside world and launch Inventor?

Does it go through then with no issues?

[sundermannc]

@Mark.Lancaster  I'm at my office at the moment, not on site, so I can't say for sure...  But I would THINK it would not work, because it can't reach the license server if the network is disconnected.  We use the Network License Manager on a separate PC (same subnet).  I had not had previous issues before the 2020 version, and there haven't been networking changes, so I don't think it's something in the network.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@sundermannc 

Sorry I missed the school having a network version.

That tells me there's a communication issue with network license manager

Is the server (license manager) there in school or in a different location (a distance from you)?

When the issue is happening, open a command prompt and type "ping <the name of the license server>"     What is the  return time?

But when it doesn't work you never get any message?

[sundermannc]

@Mark.Lancaster 

Is the server (license manager) there in school or in a different location (a distance from you)?

Answer: Both. The problem happens in the building I'm in, and other locations across our district.  In fact, I just went and tried it on a machine that's plugged into the same switch as the license server and same issue.

When the issue is happening, open a command prompt and type "ping <the name of the license server>"     What is the  return time?

Answer: <1ms

But when it doesn't work you never get any message?

Correct.  If I end up clicking on the splash screen I just get the "Inventor 2020 is not responding" screen. (standard Windows screen.

[Mark.Lancaster]

@sundermannc 

For buildings distance from the license server, you will need the FLEXLM timeout variable https://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-create-a-FLEXLM-T... starting at 1000000.   But that leads to another question, do the closes machines have this timeout variable set?

In the end it sounds like a timeout issue or something is blocking the communication from the license server to your machine.   Also just to confirm, this license server is issuing licenses for all buildings?   Are all buildings on the same subnet/network?

[sundermannc]

@Mark.Lancaster 

I set the timeout to 10000000, and no difference. I'm doing this in the same building as my lab. Other buildings are affected, but I figure I should get it working here first. In this building, yes, everything is on the same subnet.  The license server is issuing the licenses for all buildings, but again, I'll stick within one building for testing purposes and go from there.

I see where you're going with suggesting it's something in the licensing server. I'll turn my testing to focus on the license server machine itself.  We've never had issues, and we update the version each year when we update software.

To others reading this, I'm still open for suggestions and ideas here.  Thanks everyone. I hate intermittent issues!  🙂

[sundars]

Hi @sundermannc 

There are a couple of newsgroup posts and knowledge base articles you could try.

From: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/inventor-2020-opened-once-after-install-will-not-open-...

Some other things to try:

1. Delete the file AdskLiceinsgSerivce.data at C:\ProgramData\AdskLicensingService
2. Then try starting the Desktop Licensing service again or rebooting
3. If it still fails run a Command Prompt as Administrator
4. Change directory to the folder “C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AdskLicensing\Current\AdskLicensingService”
5. Attempt to start the service manually buy running the command AdskLicensingService (note any errors)

Could also try uninstalling and reinstalling the desktop licensing service:

1. From C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Autodesk Shared\AdskLicensing double click on the Uninstall.exe
2. Reinstall licensing by running the AdskLicensing-installer.exe from <install-source>\Setup\x86\AdskLicensing
3. Then reboot

Another Workaround

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/AutoCA...

Hope it works

-shiva

[sundermannc]

Thanks everyone for the help so far.  I've had no luck with any of the suggestions so far.

The more I've looked at it, it really doesn't seem like a network licensing issue. If I launch, it works, reboot, repeat... Then it may work 9 times in a row, but on the 10th time, it will not launch and just hangs.  If I close it out (by clicking it and getting the "this program is not responding" window), and try again, it still will not launch. Repeat.  So, my thinking here is that if it was a network issue, since I just launched it 9 times in a row just fine, then by relaunching it without rebooting, it should launch.  But it won't.

Does anyone know of a log I can look at to see what's happening during the launch?  I wish I could see where in the process it's hanging.  I've looked at Windows Event Viewer and haven't really found anything useful, but maybe there's another spot to look.

Thanks for anyone's continued ideas! Very strange issue.