How to Monitor AutoCAD Licenses with FlexLM

Monitoring AutoCAD software licenses is essential for optimizing the use of IT resources, avoiding overuse, and effectively planning software investments.

For this purpose, FlexLM (or FlexNet Publisher) is one of the most widely used tools for managing AutoCAD floating licenses. Below, we’ll walk through the steps needed to monitor usage and manage expiration dates using the FlexLM Manager, as well as provide some sample output to help you interpret the results.

How does AutoCAD license monitoring work with FlexLM?

FlexLM allows you to assign floating licenses that can be used by various users within an organization, but with a limited number of simultaneous logins. To check the status and usage of AutoCAD licenses, FlexLM relies on specific commands that can be run via the command line (Windows or Linux) to obtain information about available licenses, current usage, and details of any denied licenses.

Prerequisites for Monitoring with FlexLM

To monitor properly, be sure to:

1. Install lmutil – Download the lmutil utility provided by Flexera, which is essential for running monitoring commands. Make sure the version is compatible with or newer than the one installed on the server.
2. Identify the server and port – Determine the communication port and the name of the server where the FlexLM license manager daemon for AutoCAD is running.
3. Configure the server name correctly – Enter the full server name without any domain suffixes, or update the client’s hosts file to ensure that the name resolves correctly.

Monitor Available AutoCAD Licenses

To view the available licenses, use the lmstat command in lmutil. On Windows, the command is:

lmutil.exe lmstat -a -c porta@nomeserver

On Linux, omit the .exe extension and replace the semicolon with a comma to specify a server triad, if necessary. This command will provide general licensing information, including the following key details:

• Feature name (e.g., AutoCAD)
• License Version
• Total number of available licenses
• License expiration date

Sample output for available licenses:

Feature                       Version    #licenses  Expires      Vendor
_______                       _______    _________  _________    ______
autocad                       2023.0      20        15-dec-2024  ACAD
acad_mechanical               2023.0      5         15-dec-2024  ACAD
acad_inventor                 2023.0      10        15-dec-2024  ACAD

In this example, there are 20 AutoCAD licenses available that expire on December 15, 2024.

Monitor AutoCAD License Usage

To check how many licenses are currently in use and by whom, run the following command:

lmutil.exe lmstat -S -c porta@nomeserver

The output of this command will display detailed information about active users, including the number of licenses in use for each feature and the name of the client who checked out the feature.

Sample output for license usage:

Users of autocad: (Total of 20 licenses issued; Total of 5 licenses in use)
  "autocad" v2023.0 vendor: ACAD
  floating license
    USER001@CLIENT01 (v2023.0) start Wed 12/11 09:15
    USER002@CLIENT02 (v2023.0) start Wed 12/11 09:18
    USER003@CLIENT03 (v2023.0) start Wed 12/11 09:25

In this case, 5 out of 20 licenses are in use, with details on the users and connected computers.

Benefits of Regular Monitoring with Observer

The Observer solution simplifies and automates the monitoring of AutoCAD licenses using FlexLM. Unlike manual monitoring, Observer automatically sends commands and continuously collects output, presenting the data in easy-to-interpret charts and reports. In addition, Observer offers expiration notification features, allowing the IT department to receive advance alerts and plan renewals in a timely manner.

To find out how Observer can improve AutoCAD license management at your company, contact us and request a free demo.