Installing Vectorworks Site Protection software

A user account with Administrator rights is necessary for installation and operation on both the client machines and the server machine. Do not use the same machine as both a server and a client. The installer lists the installation system requirements and any known installation issues. To ensure a smooth installation, confirm that system requirements are met prior to installation.

On the client machine, the Vectorworks installation program installs the entire Vectorworks series of programs and the ability to determine which products to allow access to based on the license and the server’s instructions.

On the server machine (and on the optional backup server), the Vectorworks Site Protection Server installation program installs the necessary components of the Vectorworks server software, and the software needed for the dongle protection key, if a dongle is used. If no dongle is used, an activation code is required.

At installation, the Vectorworks Site Protection Server Setup dialog box specifies server preferences; using the default settings is recommended.

Parameter	Description
RLM port number	Normally, leave the recommended assigned port number, 5053
ISV port number	Normally, leave blank to assign the next randomly open port number
ISV startup delay	Delays the startup time of the ISV server by the specified number of seconds. This allows time for the IP address to be acquired for license verification, and also for any dongle drivers to be located.
Run Vectorworks Site Protection Server after installation (Mac only)	Launches the server software when installation is complete
Add the application to Windows Firewall exception list (Windows only)	Avoids communication errors by allowing the application to transmit information through the ports without generating firewall warnings
Start automatically with Windows (as a service)/ daemon (Mac)	Allows the server software to start up automatically and run as a background process
Enable serial number broadcast	Uses network broadcasting for the Vectorworks client installer to obtain the serial number automatically from the server, avoiding the need to enter the serial number multiple times for each installation of Vectorworks. If there is a problem with automatic server detection (which may occur in VPN or segmented networks), deselect this option and manually enter the serial number at installation.

Enter licensing information or specify the location of the license file to complete the installation. The server can also be installed first, and the license information specified later through the Site protection System Menu. When a dongle is used for activation, the required license file is provided along with the dongle; for activation by code, the license file is automatically generated.

After installation, the Site protection System Menu icon is available from the Notification area of the task bar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) on the server machine.

More information on the dongle driver software is available from SafeNet Inc. at safenet.gemalto.com.

System requirements

For the client machine, the software must be installed on a computer conforming to the Vectorworks product requirements.

The system requirements for a server machine are less demanding. Any machine that can run Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 or later, or macOS 10.13 or later, and that is connected to a network, is sufficient for running the Vectorworks Site Protection server software.

Network protocol

The Vectorworks Site Protection Server and Vectorworks design products require different operating environments. In general, use fixed IP addresses for the server machines. However, if they are located in the same subnet, the IP addresses of the server machines do not have to be fixed; connections can be made using automatically assigned IP addresses as well. Use fixed IP addresses for the server machines when allowing licenses to be borrowed; if server IP addresses are automatically assigned, clients may not be able to return borrowed licenses.

Setting up firewall access

To use internet activation, the URL is site-activation.vectorworks.net and the connection port 80 (http).

High security environment (proxy settings)

Proxy settings are controlled with the environment variables HTTP_PROXY and HTTP_PROXY_CREDENTIALS.

On Windows, the RLM automatically detects the proxy settings from the operating system.

Uninstalling the Vectorworks Site Protection Server software

Select Vectorworks Site Protection > Uninstall from the site protection System Menu.

Choose whether to revoke internet activated licenses, which can then be installed on a different computer, or to delete the license files, logs, and configuration settings altogether.