Network Deployment Suggestions

Here are a few suggestions:

Every time you upgrade/redeploy you should:

Stop licence service

Uninstall LMTools and the Deployment Wizard

Install the latest LMTools and Deployment Wizard from the new discs. (you should check with tech support to see if the version on the discs are in fact the latest. You may have to download a newer version)

Call Autodesk authcodes dept. (get the number from your reseller) and have your lic file emailed. It works much better than the 'automatic' function.

Force Server Shutdown

No, this will not shut down your server. It will force a shutdown of your LMTools license service when you press 'Stop Server'. Just check it.

LMTools
Start/Stop/Reread
Force Server Shutdown (checkbox)

LMTools Restarts if Server Reboots

LMTools can be set to automatically restart the license service when the server is rebooted.

Here's how:

Open LMTools
Go to Config Services tab
Check 'Start Server at Power Up'.

AutoCAD won't get a license from network

One morning you fire up your AutoCAD and it tells you it can't obtain a license from the network. What happened?

Usually this occurs when the server machine has been restarted. Automatic updates from Windows, power outages or someone just plain turning off the machine could be the culprit.
Here's what to do:

1. On the server go to Start-All Programs-Autodesk-Network License Manager-LMTools

2. Go to the Server Status tab and press the 'Perform Status Enquiry' button. This will give you a readout telling you whether there are errors. If there are errors...

3. Go to the Start/Stop/Reread tab and press the buttons in the following order; Stop Server then Start Server.

4. Go Back to the Server status tab and press the 'Perform Status Enquiry' button. This will give you a readout telling you whether licenses are available and how many.

Cascading Licensing in 2007 and Revit Series 9

This applies to network versions only.

When the AutoCAD license pool is exhausted the Revit Series (which includes AutoCAD) licenses will be used. This is automatically written into the .lic file as the 'plist increment'. You will need to download the latest build of Revit for this to work. In a distributed model each servers licenses will be exhausted completely before going to the next server.

Distributed Licensing

When installing you can choose a single server, distributed servers or redundant. For a business with multiple server locations 'distributed' is the way to go. This will allow users across the business to access the entire license pool.

Note that each server must be individually authorized.

Here's what you do at each machine after installing to add or remove server locations. (If it's already there then it did it automatically when installing.)

1. In Control Panel, double-click Performance and Maintenance.
2. Click System.
3. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
4. Under System Variables, click New.
5. Enter the new environment variable name, ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE.
6. In the Variable Value field, enter an at sign (@) followed by the host name of each license server to which you want to point the client. Use a semicolon (;) to separate each server name or IP address. (This line has to be less than 256 characters.) For example:
   
   @server1;@server2;@server3
   
   
7. Click OK in each dialog box to close all open dialog boxes.

What's New in AutoCAD 2007

I like this version. It's quite obvious that Sketchup scared Autodesk. Fear is a good thing when it produces the 3D modelling tools that are now in AutoCAD. 'Who'd a thunk' that AutoCAD would become a leading 3D modelling tool useful for sketch-like abilities?
Besides some minor interface changes there's not much more, but that's fine with me.

Greatest Tools Never Used

When teaching AutoCAD I realize that there are many tools in AutoCAD which are underutilized. Here's my ongoing list:

Otrack (around since 2000i)
A button to the right of the OSNAP button. This tool uses your current osnaps to create alignment lines. Master the art of the "acquire" meaning to hover over the osnap point without clicking. Then return to you initial point to discover an alignment line!

MText (around since 2000)
Okay, with AutoCAD 2006 there is very little reason not to use MText. They have listened to our cries!

Fields (around since 2005)
Finally we can make a plotstamp that works! These are also useful when linked to a polyline and the area is displayed.

Tables (around since 2005)
Make a style. Make a table. That's the process. Remember that the size of the table is determined by the text size. Right clicking will give you many excel-like functions

Dynamic Blocks (around since 2006)
Don't think 'all or nothing' when it comes to this new tool. Just use the alignment and flip parameters and you'll be flying. Plus, the block editor is great for editing any blocks.

Welcome

Has everything been said about AutoCAD? Mostly yes, but not always in plain English! The goal of this site is to provide some basic time saving information about AutoCAD but minus the technobabble.