Bentley Structural products, which include RAM, STAAD, and AutoPIPE products, require a license to operate. This document explains how to configure your products to obtain licenses using Bentley’s SELECT Server licensing system. This involves configuring the licensing software that accompanies the products with your unique license account information. RAM and STAAD products also contain a licensing system setting that should be checked since they still provide support for legacy licensing systems predating SELECT Server. Fortunately, the most common setting is selected by default.
The first step is to configure the licensing software with your license account information. This information is shared by all Bentley Structural products. If you don’t have at least one such product installed, do so now. Launch this tool directly by clicking on the following link: Launch License Management Tool
If the link does not work, select "Run" from the Windows Start menu and type "licensetool" in the text box and click the "OK" button.
If your license account information has never been entered, the Product Activation Wizard will automatically launch in the foreground. If it doesn’t and the License Management Tool contains no licenses in the top pane, select “Product Activation Wizard” from the Tools menu (see Figure 1).
This wizard will assist you in entering your license account information. Locate the fulfillment documents that were sent to you upon purchasing your Bentley Structural products. Locate the server name for your account. If it is selectserver.bentley.com then your license account resides on Bentley’s “hosted” SELECT Server. This option, which is the most common, is already selected on the opening screen of the Product Activation Wizard. If a different server name or a message to contact your system administrator is listed there, then your license account resides on a “deployed” SELECT Server managed by your company. Choose the second option. Click the Next button to continue.
Locate the site activation key in your fulfillment documents and enter it in the Site Activation Key field. If you had chosen the hosted option on the previous screen, the server name will automatically be entered for you (see Figure 2).
If you had chosen the deployed option, enter the server name given in your fulfillment documents or consult with your system administrator to obtain it. Once your license account information has been entered, verify it by clicking the Test Connection button. You should receive a message that the server and key have been verified. If verification fails, check that your site activation key was entered properly. Click the Next button to continue.
Figure 3: License checkout |
The next screen, which appears for hosted customers only, provides a way for locking or “checking out” licenses to one machine (see Figure 3).
This feature is generally not utilized by RAM and STAAD customers because checked out licenses cannot be shared among machines. If you intend to lock some or all of your licenses to one machine, please contact Bentley Technical Support for instructions on how to do this. Click the Next button to continue.
The following screen will give a summary of your license account information. Click the Finish button to continue. Then click the Close button on the next screen to finish the Product Activation Wizard.
The License Management Tool should now display your licenses in the top pane (see Figure 4).
This tool provides a quick and easy way to determine what licenses you have on your account and how many of each are presently available. Before closing the License Management Tool, check the license list for a Universal Structural License. This will affect what licensing system setting is chosen in your RAM or STAAD products.
As mentioned before, Bentley Structural products provide a licensing system setting that should be checked since they provide support for legacy licensing systems predating SELECT Server. Additionally, for RAM and STAAD products two SELECT Server licensing options exist: one for customers with Universal Structural Licenses (also known as Structural Passport) and one for customers with product licenses only. This latter option is chosen by default when RAM and STAAD products are installed. The following subsections provide specific instructions for each RAM and STAAD product. AutoPIPE XM does not support any licensing system other than SELECT Server and consequently does not require additional configuration.
Open RAM Structural System, and select “License configuration…” from the Tools menu. A License Configuration dialog box will appear. If you have Universal Structural Licenses, choose the SELECT Server USL License option. Otherwise, choose the SELECT Server Product License option. Click the OK button to save changes.
Open RAM Concept. If you receive a licensing error, dismiss the error to display the License Configuration dialog box. Otherwise, select “License configuration…” from the Help menu to open the License Configuration dialog box. If you have Universal Structural Licenses, choose the SELECT Server USL License option. Otherwise, choose the SELECT Server Product License option. Click the OK button to save changes.
Select from the Start menu: All Programs -> RAM Advanse -> Licenses Configuration. Locate the Configure Hardware Lock section at the bottom of the utility, and click the Configure… button to open the License Configuration dialog box. If you have Universal Structural Licenses, choose the SELECT Server USL License option. Otherwise, choose the SELECT Server Product License option. Click the OK button to save changes. Click the Close button to quit the Licenses Configuration utility.
Select from the Start menu: All Programs -> RAM Connection -> License Configuration. Locate the Configure Hardware Lock section at the bottom of the utility, and click the Configure… button to open the License Configuration dialog box. If you have Universal Structural Licenses, choose the SELECT Server USL License option. Otherwise, choose the SELECT Server Product License option. Click the OK button to save changes. Click the Close button to quit the License Configuration utility.
Open AutoCAD, and select from the RAM CADstudio menu: Help -> License Configuration to open the License Configuration dialog box. This program cannot be opened with Universal Structural Licenses. Choose the SELECT Server Product License option, and click the OK button to save changes.
Open STAAD.Pro. On the opening screen, locate the License Configuration section in the lower right corner. Mark any checkboxes next to any design codes or other optional components you have licenses for. A green light will appear next to any checked item for which you have licenses. If you have Universal Structural Licenses, ensure that the Structural Passport checkbox is checked. You may be asked to restart STAAD.Pro after modifying this checkbox.