Licensing trouble with tablet computers

[dBoggs]

A few months ago my office equiped me with a "tablet computer"--in this case a Dell Venue Pro, which is functionally equivalent (more or less) to the better-known Microsoft Surface Pro. I upgraded to Prime 3, and eventually got it installed and licensed. Then the trouble started--it will not work on the road, because of "invalid license."

After a lot of effort, the problem was tracked to the fact that these computers do not have a resident Ethernet adapter. That adapter is in the docking station that I use when in the office. The license is keyed to the MAC address of the Ethernet--i.e., to the docking station hardware. So I can use Mathcad on the road as long as I carry the docking station with me! Kind of defeats the purpose, no?

I have worked out some alternatives with PTC support but none of them are practical or accomplish the flexibility I expected. That is one problem. The other problem is that PTC does not state this as a requirement of Mathcad usage.

Just another example of PTC's abhorrent licensing practices.

[Werner_E]

Yes, PTCs licensing chains are ever so often a pain.

I guess PTC support was kind enough to send you a license file which is bound to the WLAN MAC of your tablet. So you are forced to switch license files via option menu depending on whether you use the docking station or not.

Mathcad 15 is a bit user friendlier in that repsect as it will accept a license file bound to ANY NIC in the system. So you could use the license file for the WLAN card in any situation. Prime insists on what it detects as "primary" NIC and that will be the ethernet when using the docking station and the WLAN when you are on the road.

If I remember correct it was Valery who once posted that in Russia people buy Mathcad but install and use a cracked version - just out of convenience. Is that really the path PTC wants us to go?

[nas0k]

I too had a similar issue. I use a Dell Ultrabook. After a few phone calls to PTC with our IT folks present, what was needed was a second license; as if I were operating a second home version of MC. With both licenses installed, that seems to do the trick.

I hope this helps.

Norm

[Werner_E]

Do you need to switch between those licenses yourself similar to what I described in my first answer or is there a way to let Prime do it automatically? As I understood you have two different license files (usually namd license.dat) now.

[nas0k]

No, which is surprising, but a different (MAC? ) id may have been given; one while I'm on ny network, one when I'm on wirelrss. It challenged my patients as may of the MC customers are going thru these days, but I got there eventually.

[Werner_E]

Norm Schutzkus wrote:

No, which is surprising,

I don't understand.

"No, not two different license file" (one for each MAC) - so what else?

OR

"No. not needed to switch manually between the two license files"

[nas0k]

My apologies, I do not need to switch manually between the two license files.

[Werner_E]

Norm Schutzkus wrote:

My apologies, I do not need to switch manually between the two license files.

So thats at least an accaptable solution. I vaguely remember that I read in the installation/licensing manual about an enviroment variable which can/should be set so that Prime asks for a number of flexlm servers. Maybe there is a similar mechanism for license files. Its sure in the docs - somewhere.

[dBoggs]

I could not find in any documentation how to set up two license files. Maybe the issue is that I am node-locked licensed, not flex licensed. The (very helpful) PTC product support tech told me it could not be done.

Moreover, keying the license to a wireless (Wi-Fi) MAC address is not a practical solution, because that would require an ACTIVE Wi-Fi connection (at least according to the support tech). Thus, Mathcad would not run when I am outside the range of a viable Wi-Fi. That is frequent when on the road. Starbucks are not everywhere, thank God.

I think I should be able to fire up Mathcad from my hotel room--if nothing else than to just SEE a file--without having to pay a $10 hotel fee for internet access. I DON'T WANT TO USE THE INTERNET, I JUST WANT TO RUN MATHCAD.

[RichardJ]

Linking to a Wi-Fi MAC address does not require an active Wi-Fi connection. It only requires that the Wi-Fi adapter is enabled.

[dBoggs]

I will have to test this. If true that would definitely help, but it's not what the support tech told me.

[RichardJ]

Then tech support doesn't know what they are talking about

[Werner_E]

DARYL BOGGS wrote:

I could not find in any documentation how to set up two license files. Maybe the issue is that I am node-locked licensed, not flex licensed. The (very helpful) PTC product support tech told me it could not be done.

The Mathcad Administrator's Guide explains how to setup the environment variable LM_LICENSE_FILE to accomodate for multiple flexlm liciencse server. But FlexLm is not only used by Mathcad and if you google LM_LICENSE_FILE you get theimpression that it would work with nodelocked license files as well. You may just gie it a try. After all some sort of FlexLm is used even with node locked licenses.

Maybe Norm can explain in more detail how he had set up his system to use two license files.

[nas0k]

Tech support basically told me the same thing...cannot be done. I called the License group and explained the situation and they sent me another license. I placed it in the same folder with the inital license. I don't know where my IT team got the off-the-network ID from; I'll have to ask. There were so many attempts to correct this that I'm concerned that I missed some crucial step. Again, I'll follow up with my IT team to get more details.

This whole event took a week or so to get sorted out. A real pain. I had issues installing 15 too. Don't use the "setup" icon in the zip file.

I'll follow up next week.