Client/server issues

Problem: The Vectorworks server software does not launch.

If a dongle is used, verify that the dongle is plugged in and that the light is on. If it is not on, try plugging it into a different USB port and/or restart the server machine.

To verify the correct license file is being used, select Vectorworks Site Protection > License. The license file name is listed in this format: LPF_XXXXXX.lic. The XXXXXX should match the last six characters of your serial number. If this is not the case, re-download the license file, and then select Vectorworks Site Protection > License > Add License from File to add the correct license file.

Make sure that the license file is in the correct folder:

Windows: C:\ProgramData\Vectorworks Site Protection

Mac: /Library/Application Support/Vectorworks Site Protection/

The Debug log can provide some clues about the server’s operation. Verify the server status and check for error messages in the log. See The Debug log.

Problem: The client software does not launch.

Verify that the user is not restricted by an unintentional ISV option on the server.

Verify the port number in the Login Settings dialog box. Normally, Automatically find servers is selected, and the default port number, 5053, is specified. Make sure that the port numbers match between the server and the client.

Make sure the firewall is not blocking server or client communication.

Network issues can cause authentication problems. Verify the connection between the server and the client by pinging. If there is a problem, check the network status.

If the IP address of the server machine is set to a dynamic (DHCP), this can cause connection issues between the server and the client. Use a fixed IP address.

Problem: The client Vectorworks program shuts down, but the license count does not change.

Network connection problems or an outage can result in erroneous license counts. Verify the connection between the server and the client by pinging. If there is a problem, check the network status. Test by bypassing the network; set up a temporary simple network consisting of only the client machine and the server.

If the client software was forced to shut down after the network connection was lost, or for some other reason the shutdown message did not reach the server, the license count would be temporarily incorrect. Restart the Vectorworks product on the client machine, and then shut it down properly. If there is still a problem, restart the server.

Problem: A product module was installed, but it isn’t working properly.

When the Vectorworks program launches, select the module from the Modules list in the Login Settings dialog box to verify the selected module.

If you have several different versions of the program, be sure that on the client machine, the software was installed with the correct Vectorworks Site Protection Server installer.

Verify that the user is not restricted by an unintentional ISV option on the server.

If any modules were installed later, verify that the license file was updated. If a port number other than 5053 is used, verify that the correct port number is listed in the updated license file.

Problem: New client licenses are not available, or are not included in the license count.

Was the license file updated?

If a port number other than 5053 is used, verify that the correct port number is listed in the updated license file.

Problem: I want to serve licenses across a firewall.

If you want to serve licenses across a firewall, both license servers, the RLM and the ISV server, need known port numbers for your firewall to pass requests through the ports.

The RLM server is always at a known port number, which is specified in the license file on the SERVER or HOST line.

Typically, RLM starts up all the ISV servers with dynamic port numbers which are not known before startup time, but it is possible for the RLM to assign fixed port numbers to the ISV servers. To do this, specify the port number for the ISV server on the ISV line. The port number is the fifth parameter in the isv line:

ISV isvname isv-binary options-file port-number

To specify the port number, you must also specify an options file for this ISV server.

Once you have specified the port number, instruct your firewall to allow connections to both the port number on the SERVER line (for RLM) and the port numbers on any ISV lines.

You must restart RLM in order for any port changes to take effect. (Restarting the ISV server via the web interface or rlmreread does not restart RLM.)

You can specify the ISV server port number with the optional "port=xxx" parameter on the ISV line:

ISV isvname binary=isv-binary port=port-number

or

ISV isvname isv-binary port=port-number

Using this method, you do not have to specify an ISV options file.

Site Protection Server error messages

 

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