With the release of Solid Edge 2020, several early adopters have contacted us requesting help in upgrading. Normally this is relatively a simple process, but this release has introduced a new common licensing platform. This introduction has caused some confusion, so I will try to clarify it, in this blog article.

Welcome to the Common License Platform!

The common license platform is the license platform used by NX, Teamcenter, NX CAM, Tecnomatix, etc. So, I can only assume that Siemens is moving Solid Edge to this platform in a move to align all products to the same licensing platform. If you already use other Siemens products, you are probably already familiar with the common licensing platform.If not, then the following information will explain the common licensing platform and how to use it.

First, let me explain some of the main differences or changes from the previous licensing:

1.     The old Solid Edge CID is now referred to as COMPOSITE2 or COMP2.

2.     All Solid Edge 2020 Floating/Server Managed products will now use the UGSLMD license daemon.

3.     Solid Edge seats can now be on the same Sold-to & in the same license file with other common licensed products.

4.     Client License file location will now be based on the SE_LICENSE_SERVER environment variable.

5.     Solid Edge 2020 licenses will NOT validate previous versions of Solid Edge.

Note:Customers may continue using their pre-v220 license in parallel during the migration to v220

For some of you, this may make perfect sense,but most of you are still wondering how this will affect your installation of Solid Edge 2020. I think the best way to clarify this is to go through the steps of a standard upgrade process.

Transition Plan to v220 – Existing Floating Customers

The biggest change that you will notice here is that all current Solid Edge Server Dongles (SE_HWKEY_ID=36243) are being retired, and all Unique Host ID (MAC Address) are being retired. Instead you will have to register your license servers composite with Siemens to get your permanent license file. Instructions should have been sent to your company with a temporary 30 Day v220 license file. A quick summarization of these instructions are as follows:

1.    Customers will be required to runGetCID.exe to obtain their COMPOSITE ID

https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/ugs_licensing/CID/

2.    Customers can register their CID for the first time on the License Management page.

https://www2.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/LicenseManagement/Application

3.    Once the COMPOSITEID, is registered the permanent license will be generated & delivered.

A few points to note about the new v220 license file are as follows:

·       Solid Edge will use an Environment Variable to define the license file location (Not hardcoded)

·       The environment variable for Solid Edge is: SE_LICENSE_SERVER

·       Solid Edge license files sent form Siemens via e-mail to the customer are named License_Ugslmd.txt

·      Solid Edge license files downloaded from License Management are named license.dat

Once you have obtained your license file, you can download the new license manager software from the download page on the GTAC website.

https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/

Remember, you will need a webkey account to access this page, just like in previous releases.

Once you’ve accessed this page, locate the SPLMLicense Server folder and download the executable file inside the folder.  

Install this new license manager on your license server computer. You will be prompted for your v220 license file during the installation process.

You are now ready to install Solid Edge 2020 on your clients. The only change here is that the installation will set up an Environment Variable to define the license file location. The environment variable for Solid Edge is:SE_LICENSE_SERVER. You no longer have to copy the license file to your clients.

Transition Plan to v220 – Existing Node-Locked Customers

For existing Node-locked customers, Siemens has all current COMPOSITE2 values stored with the customers Sold-to ID. At release time, Siemens willdeliver the new v220 COMPOSITE2 licenses to current maintenance customers (e.g.HOSTID = COMPOSITE2 = CFC84692D647).

The main differences you may notice are:

1.    Your license file can be stored in any folder, as long as the SE_LICENSE_SERVER environment variable is defined to that location.

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2.    Solid Edge 2020 licenses will NOT validate previous versions of Solid Edge.

Note: Customers may continue using their pre-v220 license in parallel during the migration to v220

New information on the license utility

The License Utility now shows the defined path for the SE_LICENSE_SERVER environment variable, along with the value for the COMPOSITE2.

FAQs

Q: Will a v220 license file validate earlier releases of Solid Edge?

A: No. Solid Edge 2020,v220, moved to the SPLMS Common License platform to be consistent with otherS PLMS products. Moving to the Common License platform utilizes a new license daemon and encryption, therefore will not validate pre v220 releases.

To clarify, Solid Edge 2020 will open files created in older versions of Solid Edge, but the v220 license will not run older versions of Solid Edge.

Q: Given that v220 licenses are not backward compatible (i.e. will not validate a v219 or earlier release) are customers allowed to continue using their current version of Solid Edge along with v220?

A: Yes. During the transition to v220 customers will be allowed to use their current version v219, ST10, and so on in parallel with v220 during the transition. Once v221 releases, the overuse piracy detection will be reinstated.

Q: Are Solid Edge Server Dongles still supported in v220 for floating licenses?

A: No. Along with the move to the CLT platform, the Solid Edge Server Dongles will be retired. All Solid Edge floating software will now be validated against a Composite ID, just like the other SPLMS products on the CLT platform, NX, Teamcenter, and so on.

Q: Can a customer register their Composite ID on the License Management web site?

A: Yes. If a customer has not registered a Composite ID for their floating licenses on their Sold-to before. To register a Composite ID, connect to the License Management

site, login with WebKey, Click on the Composite Host ID, enter the Composite ID and Host Name of the computer, and click Submit.

Q: How long does a customer have to register or provide their Composite ID for their floating licenses?

A:Customers who have not registered a Composite ID will receive a 30-day temporary license to allow time to get it registered.

Q: How do you find the Composite ID?

A: Download the GetCID.exefrom Support or run the GetCID.exe delivered in the Program folder with the installation of v220.

Q. What happens if a customer does not register their Composite ID within the 30-daytime period?

A: The customer will need to register their Composite ID on the License Management site, login with WebKey, Click on the Composite Host ID, enter the Composite ID and Host Name of the computer, click Submit.

Q: With the move to Common License platform, can Node-Locked and Floating products be on the same Sold-to ID?

A: No. In order to retain the use of Product Activation (customer self-administered node-locked licensing) to assign and re-assign Node-Locked seats, Floating and Node-Locked products need to be on separate Sold-to IDs.

Q: Will customers have to return their Solid Edge Server Dongles once they have migrated to v220?

A: No. Customers may keep their Solid Edge Server Dongle and/or dispose of it themselves if they so desire.

Q: If a customer has Solid Edge floating licenses on the same Sold-to configuration with NX & Teamcenter will they receive a permanent license?

A: Yes. The same composite registered for NX & Teamcenter will be used to create a single license file for all three products.

Conclusion

Any change can initially be confusing, hopefully this article has helped clarify the new common license platform in Solid Edge 2020. As mentioned previously, customers with other Siemens software should find this familiar and will streamline their license management. They will no longer have to manage Solid Edge separately from the other Siemens products. For other customers, if you still don’t feel confident enough to install this yourself, contact your reseller for assistance. If you are a Designfusion customer, contact our tech line at 1-877-215-1883.

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