Software FAQ

When attempting to obtain a license from a license server, StressCheck^® does not appear to be able to communicate with the license server even though the client machine is on the network.  Checking LMTools server status returns error message “lmgrd is not running: Cannot connect to license server system. The license server manager (lmgrd) has not been started yet, the wrong port@host or license file is being used, or the port or hostname in the license file has been changed.”

The firewall on the server machine is blocking incoming requests or the license server has been stopped.  Disable the firewall, make sure the license server is running and try again.

To diagnose on the server machine, ensure that lmgrd.exe can run from a command line on the server machine.

Are you connecting to a computer via remote desktop? ESRD products will not run on a physical or virtual machine using a node-locked license when accessed via remote desktop. This is due to the design security of our license manager, FLEXnet. If you would like to run ESRD products on a computer remotely, please contact ESRD Support to upgrade to a floating license.

StressCheck^® Professional and StressCheck^®-Powered Apps are designed and certified by ESRD to install and run on Windows 7 and Windows 8 64-bit.

StressCheck^® Professional v10.3 and v10.4 have been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be Windows 10 compatible.

Minimum hardware and software configuration requirements can be found here.

ESRD has created a Student Version of StressCheck^® v9.2 that you are free to download and use, with no expiration date. It is a great way to learn the basics of StressCheck^®. The Student Version StressCheck^® has the following features and limitations:

• StressCheck^® Student Edition supports 2D analyses for planar, plate bending, and axisymmetric models.
• Elasticity and Heat Transfer theories are supported.
• Linear & Modal analysis types are supported.
• Fracture Mechanics extractions are supported.
• The maximum model size is limited to 15,000 degrees of freedom.
• Advanced meshing tools, StressCheck^® Composites module, and CAD translators are not available.
• Full HTML and PDF documentation is included.

Threading and Processing

Much of the current StressCheck^® Professional code base is single-threaded, though over time ESRD is working to improve as much of the code as possible to be multi-threaded. Therefore, the current release of StressCheck^® is more multi-threaded than previous releases, and less multi-threaded than it will be in future releases.

Additionally, the current release of StressCheck^® does not yet support parallel/multi-core processing.

CPU Core Allocation

Regarding the number of cores, the Windows OS handles all the core allocation for StressCheck^® processes. It is possible to set processor affinity for specific applications such as StressCheck^®: https://www.tekrevue.com/tip/restrict-apps-cpu-cores-processor-affinity/

StressCheck^® Core License

The StressCheck^® Core license remains checked out while StressCheck^® is open.  Once StressCheck^® is closed, the license will be released back to the server after a few minutes.

StressCheck^® Solver Licenses

Typically, a solver license is released “in session”, meaning users should not have to close down StressCheck^® to release this license once the solver completes or fails.

Once the solver completes or fails, the solver license will be released back to the server after a few minutes.

If running StressCheck^® Professional or another ESRD software product for the first time (or after having removed all ESRD software product licensing references), you will be prompted with the ‘Specify StressCheck^® License Path’ dialogue. Here you can specify a local license file or point to a license server. Read Tip #4 on our Installation and Licensing page for more information.

StressCheck^® uses the FLEXnet license manager from Acresso. If you are already using FLEXnet to manage licenses for other applications, you may simply append the license keys provided by ESRD, into your standard FLEXnet license file (usually license.dat). Alternatively, you may maintain separate license files for each application.

For additional details concerning FLEXnet license serving options, consult Tip #3 on our Installation and Licensing page.

In order to replace an ESRD software license file currently in use on a FLEXnet license server, for example if expired or upgraded, the following steps are recommended:

1. Rename the new license file to the SAME name as the current license file in use on the FLEXnet license server
2. Replace the current license file with the new license file
3. Ensure the license server name on the SERVER line of the new license file matches the name of the FLEXnet license server machine
4. Start LMTools, navigate to the “Start/Stop/Reread” tab, and click “ReRead License File”

The new license file FEATURES should now be seen by the FLEXnet license manager.

To change the references to ESRD software product license points, you must change the registry. The registry keys which control where the license points are as follows:

1. “LicenseFile” from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ESRD\StressCheck^®\01000
2. “ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE” from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\FLEXlm License Manager

It is best to delete these registry values, and then start StressCheck^®.  When the license finder appears, simply point to the server.

One can always define the Environment Variable “ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE” and provide the path to the appropriate license file.

Note: An option for floating licenses is to unplug your Ethernet cable, and start StressCheck^®.  This will also cause the license finder to appear.

The quickest way to find the path to the StressCheck^® license file or license server is to open a command prompt (cmd.exe) and copy/paste the following text:

REG QUERY "HKCU\Software\FLEXlm License Manager" /v ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE

Note: to paste, right click in the command prompt window, and then click “Paste”

Hit “Enter”, and the path to the license file and/or license server will be returned.

More information:

• How Do I Point to a New License File or Server?
• How Do I Specify My ESRD Software Product License File Or License Server

You will need to create the environment variable “ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE” and set the value of this to be the new license path or PORT@SERVER.  See the below:

In System properties, go to Advanced system settings, then “Environment Variables…”  Then, click “New…” and set the variable name to “ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE” and the variable value to the license path or PORT@SERVER.  Then click OK.

For example, if the new license file is located in “C:\My Documents\license.dat”, you will need to set the value to this.  If the license server is “29731@server” (as in the above capture), you will need to set the value to this.

When you start an ESRD product, it should use the “ESRD2_LICENSE_FILE” value.

Windows does support a silent installation option for all .msi files.  Msiexec is the program that “interprets packages and installs products” (see links below) and can be run from the command line.  Please note that any command line installation must occur from a command line being run as an administrator.

To run command line as administrator:  Click on the start menu.  In the search box, type cmd.  Wait while Windows searches.  In the list of found programs, right click on cmd (or cmd.exe) and choose “Run as administrator.”

Some condensed notes about installation options:

• To specify the .msi package to be installed, use: /i [path to the .msi file]
• To specify the silent installation option, use: /q
  • Note that using a completely silent option will not provide any feedback about the success, failure, or completion of the installer.  To determine that the process has completed, it is possible to look in the Windows Task Manager Processes tab and watch “msiexec.exe” in the process list.  When msiexec disappears from the list, the installer has finished; however, success or failure of a silent installation will not be reported.  Alternatively, several other “quiet” options are available.  For example, to specify no feedback should occur until the installation ends, at which time a modal dialog box should appear to report the status, use:  /qn+

• To specify a property value, use the syntax:  PROPERTY=VALUE
  • For StressCheck^® 10.1 and higher, the property INSTALLLEVEL can be set to 5 to indicate all features should be installed (a “Complete” installation).  If INSTALLLEVEL is not specified, StressCheck^® will default to a “Typical” installation.

The following example, when executed from an administrative command line, will perform a silent installation of all features (“Complete” option in the GUI) in the StressCheck^® 10.1 installation package located on user Kristen’s desktop:

msiexec /i “C:\Users\Kristen\Desktop\StressCheck^®PE_10.1_x64.msi” /q INSTALLLEVEL=5

More information about msiexec command-line options:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa367988(v=vs.85).aspx
• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc759262(v=ws.10).aspx

Installing ESRD software products is as simple as double-clicking the MSI and following the instructions. Read Tip #1 on our Installation and Licensing page for more information.

Note: you must have Administrative privileges in order to properly install FLEXnet.

1) Download the FLEXnet 11 License Manager package from the ESRD Resource Library.

2) Unzip the package, and navigate to the \FLEXnet_11\FLEXnet folder.  Right-click on setup.exe, and click “Run as administrator”.

3) Follow the instructions to install FLEXnet 11 on your server machine.

Note: if you have already sent your FLEXnet server’s HOST ID to ESRD Support, you may skip steps 4-5.

4) After installation, run the FLEX LMtools utility (lmtools.exe).

5) Follow Tip #2 in our Installation and Licensing page to obtain the FLEXnet server’s HOST ID and send to ESRD Support.

6) Save a backup copy of your current FLEXnet license file that is serving other applications.

7) Append the content of the new license file sent to you from your ESRD Support representative to the end of your current license file. Remove the “SERVER” lines from the newly copied information so that you do not have these duplicated within the license file, leaving the original “SERVER” lines at the top of the resulting license file.

8) Run the FLEX LMtools utility (lmtools.exe), and go to the “Start/Stop/Reread” tab.

9) DO NOT stop the license server.  Click “ReRead License File”.

10) Verify that the ESRD software licenses are available by selecting the Server Status tab and selecting the “Perform Status Enquiry” button. The status report should display the same license keys that are contained in the license file including those for the ESRD software that you just appended.

Note: you must have Administrative privileges in order to properly install FLEXnet.

1) Download the FLEXnet 11 License Manager package from the ESRD Resource Library.

2) Unzip the package, and navigate to the \FLEXnet_11\FLEXnet folder.  Right-click on setup.exe, and click “Run as administrator”.

3) Follow the instructions to install FLEXnet 11 on your server machine.

Note: if you have already sent your FLEXnet server’s HOST ID to ESRD Support, you may skip steps 4-5.

4) After installation, run the FLEX LMtools utility (lmtools.exe).

5) Follow Tip #2 in our Installation and Licensing page to obtain the FLEXnet server’s HOST ID and send to ESRD Support.

6) When you receive your license file, copy it to your FLEXnet folder (usually \Program Files (x86)\FLEXnet\ on Windows 7 64-bit) and rename it “license.dat”. Make certain that the true file extension is not hidden from view by Windows Explorer.

7) If the ESRD software is the only application on your network being served license from FLEXnet, and you have purchased a floating license(s), you may need to review the settings in the FLEXnet LMtools utility. Select Start>Programs>FLEXnet 11.5>LMTools to start the LMTools utility (lmtools.exe).

8) Select the Configuration using Services bubble in the Service/License File tab.

9) Select the Start/Stop/Reread tab and click Stop Server.

10) Select the Config Services tab. If the paths shown for “lmgrd.exe”, “License File”, and “Debug Log File” are not correct, use the corresponding “Browse” buttons to correct each path as necessary.

11) Activate the switches for “Use NT Services” and “Start Server at Power-Up”. Click Save Service.

12) Select the Start/Stop/Reread tab and select Start Server.

13) The FLEXnet license server is configured and running. You should be able to access this license server and run the ESRD software on any computer within your company local area network. Exit lmtools.exe.

14) Place a copy of the license file named “license.dat” (unedited and including the “SERVER” line(s)) into the top-level ESRD software installation directory on each desktop computer that you have installed the ESRD software.

If the system administrator prefers to have the client provide a port number and server name, instead of using a copy of the license.dat, this is also supported.

There are several ways to obtain this information, described in Tip #2 on our Installation and Licensing page.

However, if requesting a Trial Evaluation of ESRD software products for a desktop machine, it is best to open a command line, type “vol” and hit Enter. Copy the 8-digit alphanumeric Disk Volume Serial Number into the “Message” field of Request ESRD Support, fill out the rest of the form and Submit.

The FLEXnet administrator can control access and permissions of specific FLEXnet licensing features based on user, node or group. This is performed by creating a FLEXnet Options file (.opt) and placing this file in the root directory of your FLEXnet installation.

From Chapter 11, “Managing the Options File” in the FLEXnet v11.5 License Administration Guide:

For concurrent (floating) licenses, the license administrator can:

• Allow the use of features
• Deny the use of features
• Reserve licenses

The concurrent licenses can be held either in license files or in fulfillment records within trusted storage.

For activatable licenses, the license administrator can:

• Allow activation of licenses in a specific fulfillment record
• Deny activation of licenses in a specific fulfillment record

For all licenses, the license administrator can:

• Restrict the number of licenses available
• Control the amount of information logged about license usage
• Enable a report log file

Options files allow you, as the license administrator, to be as secure or open with licenses as you like. Lines in the options file are limited to 2048 characters. The \ character is a continuation character in options file lines.

Creating an Options File

1. Use the appropriate options listed in Options File Syntax to create the options file for a vendor daemon using any text editor.
2. Locate the options file anywhere; however, it is recommended that the options file be placed in the same directory as the license file.
3. Add the path to the options file in the license file as the fourth field on the VENDOR line for the application’s vendor daemon.
   1. For example: VENDOR sampled /etc/sampled \[options=]/sample_app/sampled/licenses/sampled.opt enables the sampled vendor daemon to look at the specified options file.

If the path is omitted, the vendor daemon automatically looks for a file according to the following criteria:

• the name of the file is vendor.opt, where vendor is the vendor daemon name
• the directory that contains the license file used by lmgrd

The above means that if the name of the vendor daemon (i.e. esrd2.exe) is the same as the options file (esrd2.opt), there is no need to add the path to the options file in the license file. It will be found automatically.

Options File Syntax Examples

1. EXCLUDE – Deny a user access to a feature.
   1. Usage: EXCLUDE feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
   2. Excludes a user or predefined group of users from the list of who is allowed to use the feature.
   3. EXCLUDE supersedes INCLUDE; conflicts between the EXCLUDE list and the INCLUDE list are resolved by the EXCLUDE taking precedence.
   4. To exclude the user hank from the list of users able to use feature f1:
      1. EXCLUDE f1 USER hank
2. GROUP – Define a group of users for use with any options.
   1. Usage: GROUP group_name user_list
   2. Defines a group of users for use in INCLUDE, INCLUDEALL, INCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, EXCLUDE, EXCLUDEALL, EXCLUDE_ENTITLEMENT, and RESERVE option lines.
   3. Multiple GROUP lines for the same group name add all the specified users into the group. To define the group Hackers consisting of bob, howard, and james:
      1. GROUP Hackers bob howard james
   4. To specify a list of users or hosts, first define the list using the GROUP or HOST_GROUP option lines,
      then use the GROUP or HOST_GROUP type to specify the group name. For example:
      1. GROUP stars joe barbara susan
      2. EXCLUDE coolsoft GROUP stars
3. INCLUDE – Allow a user to use a feature.
   1. Usage: INCLUDE feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
   2. Includes a user or predefined group of users in the list of who is allowed to use licenses for this feature.
   3. Anyone not in an INCLUDE statement is not allowed to use that feature. EXCLUDE supersedes INCLUDE; conflicts between the EXCLUDE list and the INCLUDE list are resolved by the EXCLUDE taking precedence.
   4. To include user bob in the list of users able to use feature f1:
      1. INCLUDE f1 USER bob
4. RESERVE – Reserves licenses for a user or group of users/hosts.
   1. Usage: RESERVE num_lic feature[:keyword=value] type {name | group_name}
   2. To reserve one license of feature f1 for user mel:
      1. RESERVE 1 f1 USER mel
   3. If you want to reserve a license for each of several users or groups, you must use a separate RESERVE
      line for each user or group. If a package name is specified, all components that comprise the package are
      reserved.

Simple Options File Example (Sampled.opt)

GROUP ESRDEngs matt eric andrew
GROUP ESRDDevs kristen dave meng
RESERVE 2 SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D GROUP ESRDEngs
RESERVE 1 SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D GROUP ESRDDevs
EXCLUDE SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D USER lori
NOLOG QUEUED

This options file restricts the use of concurrent licenses as follows:

• Defines a group called ESRDEngs and lists users matt, eric and andrew.
• Defines a group called ESRDDevs and lists users kristen, dave and meng.
• Reserves two licenses for the feature SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D for the group ESRDEngs.
• Reserves one license for the feature SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D for the group ESRDDevs.
• Prevents the user lori from using the SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D feature on any system on the network.
• Causes QUEUED messages to be omitted from the debug log file.

The sum total of the licenses reserved must be less than or equal to the number of licenses specified in the FEATURE line. In the example above, there must be a minimum of three licenses on the SC10_WIN_SC_Ref3D FEATURE line. If fewer licenses are available, only the first set of reservations (up to the license limit) is used.

For more details go to: FLEXnet v11.5 License Administration Guide

There is nothing preventing you from installing and running both ESRD software products and FLEXnet License Manager on the same computer. You should, however, run the FLEXnet License Manager on a computer that is not shutdown or rebooted often so that the floating license keys are accessible to all users when the user requests them. The FLEXnet License Manager requires very little computer resources but the Service needs to be on a computer that remains running when users expect to use ESRD software products.

Yes, all ESRD software products are compatible with Windows 7 and 8, including StressCheck^® Professional and StressCheck^®-Powered Apps. StressCheck^® Professional has been tested to meet all of the technical requirements to be Windows 10 compatible.