hello from shiprepair sector

[Anonymous]

Just hope you understand it can still be tricky if not impossible with internet on seven seas.

...

COST

Yes, larger ships mostly do have satellite connection. Smaller ones do not.

Large passenger ships have onboard network. Others do not.

When there is an amount purchased by some department - there is always priority list. Engineering for future projects is less prioritized than navigation, safety, supplies etc etc

If there is no IT manager onboard - you will not be allowed even to think about configuring anything.

...

ENVIROMENT

If even large ships have satellite connection - not all the seas have proper satellite coverage.

If even you have connection - it can be uncredibly unstable. When ship rolls on the waves - not mentioning anything you would call a storm - there is no connection.

...

HUMAN FACTOR

It takes only couple of smart guys onboard sitting in chatroom and all of the shared resource is simply gone.  

[CatsChaiTea]

Hello jyritoru,

Your situation is very interesting.  I have never thought of our software at work on the seven seas.   Very interesting to hear about this situation.  I do not think you will have a problem with the way our software will work in the future. 

1. After Jan 31, 2016, so long as you keep Maintenance Subsbcription current for your perpetual licenses, you can use those licenses indefinitely and they will always be updated.  You do not need an internet connection, as you know, to work with our software under a perpetual license, but there are Maintenane Subscription benefits available to you online that you will need a connection to access. For example, submitting a request for support or accessing Autodesk Account (your portal for manaing users, licenses, agreements, etc).

2. Our Desktop Subscription method for obtaining a license does ask you to login to use the software, but you can work offline for 30 days before must log in again.  As with the above option, there are some services available to you as part of your Desktop Subscription that are only available online. 

3. We are working on a new method for obtaining a license.  We don't have an official name yet, but we refer to it as "network subscription".  Network subscription will permit continuous offline use of the software.  As with the two options above, adjacent services we offer along with your licenses will need to be accessed while connected.

Hope this helps clarify.  We understand our software is used in undeveloped places and the most urban.  Now I know it is used on land and on the seas.  We intend for it to work where you work, and strive to improve this ability each day.

Thanks,

catwolfsf.

[dgorsman]

This is where the network version of the subscription licenses would be extremely useful - centralized control of multiple licenses not just for control but because of limited access/bandwidth.  The network periodically refreshes its count of available products, similar to how a single user would connect.  Downstream to the user the license server would be providing seamless access to the licenses (provided they have been purchased, of course!).

[Anonymous]

Well, in this case I would still block 1 licence during several weeks or
months just because of work that perhaps takes an hour or two. Please
kindly correct me if I am wrong but having activated the workplace I can
not deactivate it due to no connection to internet.

I was wondering if it is possible to buy a hardlock that will then be
counting days of work only and could be re-loaded from internet once the
user is on dry land again? Can be a good solution in our case.

[Anonymous]

Well, in this case I would still block 1 licence during several weeks or
months just because of work that perhaps takes an hour or two. Please
kindly correct me if I am wrong but having activated the workplace I can
not deactivate it due to no connection to internet.

I was wondering if it is possible to buy a hardlock that will then be
counting days of work only and could be re-loaded from internet once the
user is on dry land again? Can be a good solution in our case.

[CatsChaiTea]

I'm starting to get a little out of my technical comfort zone, but I believe I can offer an answer.

If you purchase one of our network license options; perpetual network license or forthcoming network subscription, then you do need to connect to your network license server.  If that server is on land, then you are in the same situation.  Your machine has to make a connection to that server to both check out and release the license.  (I do not know if there is something built into our licensing that releases the license while you disconnnected.  If you need that answer, I can get it for you.)  But it could be the network server is on board with you.  You only need an internet connection to get the license file when you purchase the network licenses.  If that license file is then installed on a server on board with you then you should be able to continue working, assuming you have a LAN or a direct connection to that server.  Boy, I am really skirting the boundaries of my knowledge.  

We don't have any hardlocks.

Hope this helps.  If you need more technical assurance of how you can be covered while disconnected, I'll recruit some help.

Catherine

[Revit_LT2]

"ship rolls on the waves"

LOL You don't need to go that far to make the point that you

don't like your CAD workstation connected to the internet, I

don't either. I don't even like Autodesk flashing stuff in my

face out of nowhere telling me they just downloaded something 

for me to help them control my computer and when do I want

them to install it. LOL True story.

[Anonymous]

Dear Catherine

We are definitely getting closer to the solution here.

I think there are several aspects in this very topic.

1) I like what Steve Widom said about sketching in Inventor - try to keep your sketches simple. Same here. One should not expect hard working seafarers to be as competent and well equipped as sofware developers.

First of all, you have people onboard for limited time. They often join another ship after holidays. Services and servers on another hand need consistency.

Program - yes.

Server - please see what I wrote earlier about having IT guy onboard or not.

2) When HVAC systems are installed onboard then operators are trained to operate these systems. Propulsion, engines etc etc are taken care by companies who are interested in having their equipment running i.e. interested in future sales. There is uncreadible amount of engineering hourly done onboard seagoing vessels per square foot.

When it comes to updating of documentaition then I have heard it too many times, that" since we do not have Autocad onboard" and "as you know our company is saving money all over and we do not have Autocad onboard" - could you please update this and that for me. Yes, of course, I will help you out - is my answer in these cases. Fresh water diagram - yes of course, potable water - yes of course, grey water - yes of course, black water - yes of course, ballast water - yes of course, bilge water...  :-))) As I said -  shipping is another greenhouse fo future engineers.

But, have you guys in Autodesk ever thought of amount of frustration these engineers get in connection with your software being difficult for them to access? They sail around the world for a decade or two and end up being skilled engineers each on their own field. When they now make their decisions regarding software purchases - these decisions will be very much driven by overwhelming emotions. They already look for alternatives onboard now.

3) I do appreciate your new strategy and it really helps. But when I am sending someone for a survey I need to have the person equipped with "licence". 20-30 days on travel is consisting of 3-4 days for flights, 4-5 days with printouts and lazer for example, 1-2 days for meetings etc etc - and maybe day or 2 only with Acad in between.

Maybe 10 years ago I bought 4-5 licences of Acad. 2 of these were bought from 3rd party developer called IMOS (Herford, Germany) and were equipped with hardlocks. Call them "enabler" if "hardlock" has some issues. People use top-up sim cards all over. Chief Engineer or Captain is normally the person onboard responsible for technical drawings. Onboard larger passenger ships there are Safety and Chief Officers with Fire Safety Plans and Life Saving etc.

Catherine, I am grateful for the tools provided by Autodesk and I just want to give you the feedback and opportunity

[dgorsman]

Not sure what you mean by "block one license during several weeks or months just because of (an hour or two of work)".  Network licensing keeps the licenses in a central location.  For a mobile or otherwise remote location, I'd set up an on-site server.  Doesn't take much if any IT support, and can be done with a single el-ceapo desktop computer visible on the network.  Literally, I've done this with a decade old PC in the corner of my cubicle, doing nothing but serving licenses.  A user starts the program, the license server checks out a license to them; they finish working, the license is returned.  Badaboom, badabing.  Nothing blocked for weeks at a time.

[Revit_LT2]

"A user starts the program, the license server checks out a license to them"

That's the new idea were supposed to be reviewing. 

[Anonymous]

Just to remind you that the conversation was initially about not häving any network connection at sea