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Mathcad Licensing FAQ

This document answers the questions asked most frequently about licensing for Mathcad 14. This information is useful for users and administrators not familiar with Mathcad licensing, or those upgrading from previous versions of Mathcad, which were licensed differently.

For questions about PTC license management policies, see the PTC Order and Licensing Support FAQ at http://www.ptc.com/olm/faq.htm.

Licensing Basics

What types of licenses are available?

There are three types of Mathcad 14.0 Enterprise licenses available for purchase: floating, node-locked, and registered-user.

Unlike previous versions of Mathcad, node-locked licenses for Mathcad 14 are created for each workstation, instead of the server. Users who previously used a node-locked server license file should request a registered-user license for Mathcad 14 instead.

Mathcad 14 Single-user edition uses a workstation-specific license to verify that you have purchased a valid copy of Mathcad.

Why am I prompted to obtain a license file when I install Mathcad? (Single-user only)

Licensing has replaced Product Activation as the method for ensuring that you have obtained a valid copy of Mathcad. The license file you receive allows Mathcad to start up.

Do I need to install any software to manage my license file?

Floating and registered-user license files require a server to administer them. Node-locked, home-use, and Single-user license files are tied to an individual workstation, and require no additional software.

Can I upgrade an existing node-locked server license to a Mathcad 14 license?

Currently, PTC does not support a counted (server) node-locked license for Mathcad, and does not allow generation such a license file at the license management web site (http://www.ptc.com/olm/index.htm). Alternate solutions are to either request individual (workstation) node-locked license files or purchase a registered-user license.

Upgrading an Existing Installation

Do I need to update my installation of FLEXlm?

Mathcad 14.0 requires FLEXnet 10.8 or later to administer floating and registered-user licenses. Users of versions prior to FLEXnet 10.8 must update their license server software. FLEXnet 10.8 for Windows is available on the Mathcad 14.0 CD. You can also use the version of FLEXnet 10.8 or later for UNIX platforms that is provided with other PTC software.

For information on installing FLEXnet 10.8, see the Administrator's Guide, available on the Mathcad CD.

If I'm upgrading, do I need a new license file?

Yes. You must request a new license file (server or workstation) to use with Mathcad 14.

I purchased a license for an Extension Pack (Image Processing, Signal Processing, Wavelets, and/or Data Analysis) for use with my prior Mathcad installation. How do I upgrade my license for this extension pack?

For Enterprise installations, all licenses enable use of all four extension packs, which are installed automatically with Mathcad.

For Single-user installations, extension packs that were purchased for a previous version of Mathcad are licensed when obtaining a Mathcad 14 license file with the Mathcad License wizard.

How do I license-manage both Mathcad 14 and a previous version of Mathcad? Can I do so with the same FLEXnet installation?

You can install FLEXnet10.8 alongside an existing FLEXlm installation, or you can use FLEXnet 10.8 to administer licenses for prior (pre-14) versions of Mathcad as well as Mathcad 14.

Note: Mathcad 14 licenses cannot be used to supplement Mathcad 13 licenses.

To manage Mathcad 13 or earlier licenses of Mathcad with FLEXnet 10.8:

Request a license for your existing (FLEXlm) license server using the PTC Web site (www.ptc.com).
Install FLEXnet 10.8 to the same server as your FLEXlm installation. Do not overwrite your FLEXlm installation.
Launch LMTools from your FLEXnet installation.
On the Config Services tab, confirm that the service you previously created to serve licenses for your pre-14 version of Mathcad is available.
Close LMTools.

Use the version of LMTools provided with FLEXnet 10.8 to administer both your Mathcad 14 and pre-Mathcad licenses. Take care to select the proper service on the Config Services tab before modifying any service information. To perform a status enquiry, first select the correct service on the Service/License File tab.

Obtaining a License

How do I obtain an Enterprise license file?

You need the Sales Order Number (SON) from your Mathcad purchase and the CPU ID for each computer for which you are requesting a license file (the server for floating or registered-user licenses, or the workstation for node-locked and home-use licenses).

Access the PTC Customer Service Web site at http://www.ptc.com/olm/index.htm. Click Configure New Software to request your license file(s).

For a floating or registered-user license, supply the CPU ID of the server.
For a node-locked or home-use license, provide the CPU ID of the workstation.
Specify only one CPU ID per request; you must make a separate request for each CPU ID.
If you plan to use the Extension Pack bundle, select both Mathcad and the Extension Pack when you request your floating, node-locked, or registered-user license file.

When you request a floating or registered-user license, specify the quantity of licenses you want to order. (Node-locked and home-use licenses can only be requested individually.)

How do I obtain a Single-user license file?

The Mathcad License Setup wizard obtains a license file for you. The wizard requires that you have a user account for the PTC Web site (http://www.ptc.com).

How do I determine a computer's CPU ID?

To determine the CPU ID for a computer:

Open a command-prompt window.
At the command prompt, type ipconfig/all and press [Enter].
Record the Physical Address, expressed as a series of 6 two-digit hexadecimal numbers, separated by dashes (such as 00-00-00-00-00-00). Provide this number when prompted for a CPU ID.

When validating your Mathcad license, the CPU ID in the license file is checked against all available CPU IDs on the host computer. As long as one of the CPU IDs on the host computer matches the CPU ID in the license file, the license validates and can be used. Other PTC products may not do this; consult the licensing documentation to help you determine the correct ID to use.

How do I create an account on PTC.com?

The Mathcad License Setup wizard guides Single-user edition users through the process of creating an account on PTC.com. You can also go to the PTC Web site (http://www.ptc.com), click the My Account link, and then click the New Account link to create your account.

I don't have Internet access on the workstation where I installed Mathcad. How do I request a Single-user license file?

You can request a license by either email or telephone:

Email: mathcad-activation@ptc.com
Phone: for your local licensing contact, see the list available at http://www.ptc.com/olm/contacts.htm.

How do I receive my license files?

The Mathcad License Setup wizard handles Single-user license file requests automatically. Single-user license files are transmitted to the workstation at the conclusion of the request and saved to the licenses folder of your Mathcad installation.

For all manual license file requests, including all Enterprise license file requests, you will receive your license file as an email attachment after you submit your request.

Can I request multiple server license files?

You can divide your licenses between multiple license servers by requesting a license file for each server, so long as the total number of licenses you request does not exceed the terms of your purchase.

Configuring Mathcad to Use Your License File

How do I point Mathcad to the appropriate license server or license file?

During installation, the Mathcad installer presents the Mathcad License Setup wizard, which allows you to specify the name of the license server or file that Mathcad should use. Enter mathcad /license at a command prompt to update this information.

Why can't the Mathcad License Setup wizard or the FLEXnet installer find my license file?

Mathcad requires that your license file name end with a .DAT extension. However, license files are attached to email as a text file with a .TXT extension. When prompted, to browse for your license file:

Enter *.txt in the file name field to display the license file.
Select the license file from the file list that results.

Both the Mathcad License Setup wizard and the FLEXnet installer create a file named license.dat when run. This license.dat file is then used to license manage Mathcad.

Reinstalling or Updating Mathcad

I uninstalled and reinstalled Mathcad, or applied a software update. Do I need a new license file?

Floating and registered-user licenses are unaffected when you uninstall and reinstall Mathcad, or apply a software update. If you have customized your options file (ptc.opt) to include or exclude a specific workstation, update the file accordingly. For more information on modifying the options file, see the Administrator's Guide.

For all other license types - node-locked, home-use, and Single-user - you must request a new license file if you have installed Mathcad to a new workstation or manually deleted your license file.

I installed a trial version of Mathcad. How do I update my installation once I buy Mathcad?

When you purchase Mathcad, you receive a product code. Run the Mathcad License Setup wizard by entering mathcad /license at a command prompt, and specify the new product code when prompted. The wizard will then obtain a new license for your installation.

Transferring a License to a New Server or Workstation

Can I move my Enterprise license to another server/workstation?

To move a license file from one server or workstation to another, use the Reconfigure Software Licenses option on the PTC Customer Service Web site (http://www.ptc.com/olm/index.htm) to de-allocate the license for the old CPU ID. Then use the Configure New Software option on the site to request a license file for the new CPU ID.

Can I transfer my Single-user installation of Mathcad to a new workstation?

Each Single-user product code can be used one time to obtain a license. Once you reach this limit, you must contact PTC Licensing Support to obtain an additional license.

Licensing and Remote Usage of Mathcad

Can I still run Mathcad if the workstation is not connected to a network?

Mathcad installations that use node-locked, home-use, or Single-user licenses can run remotely, or witFor the exact maximum borrowing period, consult your license file for the text "Borrow=xxx", where "xxx" is the maximum allowed borrowing period, in hours.

For more information on borrowing, consult the FLEXnet Licensing End User Guide.

Obtaining your Sales Order Number

For Customers with Active Maintenance or Expired Maintenance After November 2005 to present

If you do not currently have your Sales Order Number, you can access your Sales Order Number through the Business Asset Summary Web Tool online at http://www.ptc.com/support under the Licensing Tools section. You will need an Upgraded Web Support account to access the tool. You can Upgrade an existing basic ptc.com account here or you may need to create a new basic ptc.com account and Upgrade it through the new account process. You will need your Service Contract Number (SCN) and Customer Number to create your Upgraded Web Support account

.

Obtaining your Sales Order Number

For Customers with Active Maintenance or Expired Maintenance After November 2005 to present

If you do not currently have your Sales Order Number, you can access your Sales Order Number through the Business Asset Summary Web Tool online at http://www.ptc.com/support under the Licensing Tools section. You will need an Upgraded Web Support account to access the tool. You can Upgrade an existing basic ptc.com account here or you may need to create a new basic ptc.com account and Upgrade it through the new account process. You will need your Service Contract Number (SCN) and Customer Number to create your Upgraded Web Support account

For Customers with Expired Maintenance before November 2005

Please contact Customer Care to help you identify the information you will need. By re-activating Maintenance a new Sales Order Number will be generated.

Customer Care Telephone Numbers:

North America: 877-275-4782
Europe: 00800-78-24-43-57
Japan: +81 (0) 3-3346-8280
Asia & Pacific Rim: +852 2802-8982

For Customers who do not know their Customer Number or Service Contract Number

If you do not know your Customer Number or Service Contract Number, please contact the License Management department and a license management representative will be more than happy to assist you. For your local licensing contact, see the list available at http://www.ptc.com/olm/contacts.htm.