To Obtain and Install a Network License File

Collect information about your network license server, generate a license file, and save it on your server.

Decide if You Need a New License File

Generate a new license file for your network server in these situations:

Collect License Server Information

To generate a license file, you need the following information:

For Windows servers, you can run the LMTOOLS utility that comes with NLM to find the host name. For Mac OS X or Linux servers, use Terminal commands to find the host name.

Generate a License File

When you purchase new seats of Autodesk software using a multi-user subscription, Autodesk sends you a serial number and product key, which you use to generate a license file. If you need a consolidated license file that incorporates licenses for different products, Autodesk Account allows you to generate a combined license file for each server. The resulting license file contains seats for every network licensed product, regardless of its associated subscription plan. Go to Generate Network License File on Autodesk Account.

Alternatively, you can use the legacy process for consolidating a license file. This process involves downloading individual product license files from the Autodesk registeronce website and manually combining them into a single license file. To use this method, perform the following steps:

  1. Go to https://registeronce.autodesk.com.
  2. Log in with your Autodesk ID and password. (Register to create an Autodesk ID if needed.)
  3. Select the account where your product is registered.
  4. Select the operating system and enter your product serial number.
  5. Select your network server type and provide the server information you have collected.

Autodesk emails your license file to the address associated with your Autodesk ID.

Save the License File

When you have your license file, save it in a subfolder under the folder where you installed NLM. You can choose any license filename, but use the extension .lic. Here are examples of license file locations for different operating systems:

Windows: C:\Autodesk\Network License Manager\Licenses

Mac: /Users/<user>/adsknlm/Licenses

Linux: /home/<user>/adsknlm/Licenses

Confirm License File Accuracy

After saving your license file, confirm that it contains the correct information. Your license file works only on a computer that has the physical address you provided when you obtained the license.

  1. Open the license file. For Windows, use Notepad. For Mac OS X, use TextEdit. For Linux, use a comparable text editor. Do not use Microsoft Word or another word-processing program. These programs can introduce formatting errors or modify the file.
  2. Verify that the physical address matches the address of your server. The first line of the license file, beginning with SERVER, shows your host name and physical address. If they do not match, request a new license file with the correct information.