Why is RAM Concept opening in trial mode even though my licensing is current?

Ram Concept is sold with one optional add-on called the Ram Concept Post Tension Module. Without it you can still use the program to analyze and design Concrete slabs and mat foundations that are mild-reinforced, but if the slab is to have post-tensioning in it, the Ram Concept Post Tension license is required.

With V8i editions of Ram Concept, when it is first installed on a computer, it contains a built-in 15-day trial period. This trial period is activated only when it fails to retrieve licenses for both RAM Concept and RAM Concept Post Tension. If your contract does not have a license for post tension (or if the post tension license is currently unavailable), the trial period will be activated to provide temporary access to the post tension features. Once the trial period has expired, the program will open without a trial period message and disable the post tension features.

The CONNECT Edition of Ram Concept makes the election to use or not use Post Tensioning features more explicit. The following dialog appears when starting the program. Check the box for Post Tensioning when working on models where Post Tensioning is required:

The same dialog can be accessed any time using Help - Mange License Restrictions. 

When opening STAAD.Pro, why do I receive a "Valid Trial License was not found or trial license expired, entering limited mode..." message even though I have licenses?

Visit FAQ ON STAAD LICENSE - USL versus STANDARD to resolve this issue.

Why do I receive Copy Protection errors in STAAD.Pro?

STAAD.Pro must have a license for the design code(s) used in a model. The error message indicates that a license for the needed design code was not retrieved. To configure what licenses STAAD.Pro retrieves when starting, open the program, locate the License Configuration section on the opening screen, and ensure that the needed design codes have check marks next to them. A green light next to a checked design code indicates that a license was found.

Why does the Activation Status window in the License Management Tool indicate that my product will expire in x days even though I have a license?

The Activation Status window of the License Management Tool is useful for quickly determining the license status of Bentley products that utilize "trust licensing." Trust licensing products periodically report to the license server as they are used. Because such products must report to the server at least every 30 days, the Activation Status quickly shows how much time remains. Any product that uses the Bentley IEG License Service, however, utilizes licenses differently. Licenses are temporarily locked to a workstation each time such a product is used. Consequently, the activation status for these products will appear as a trial period when not in use. As a general rule, the activation status for RAM, STAAD, and AutoPIPE products released prior to October 2013 can be safely ignored. Please visit the following article for a list of affected products. The products will display licensing errors when opened if a license-related problem exists.

Why Can't I activate my product?

If you have tried to activate a product but the Status still indicates "Trial Expires in X day(s)", or "Disabled", this could be a sign that your account is on Restricted Access. Once an account is on Restricted Access, products can only be used if a valid license for that product is checked out manually before opening the product. When checking out a license be sure to select the correct version number (at least the first 4 digits). Also be sure to check the license back in when finished so that another user can use the same product in the next hour. 

If I lose my network connection, am I denied access to my programs?

Structural products must retrieve licenses from a license server each time they are opened. However, in the event that the license server cannot be reached (i.e. network outage), the licensing software installed on client machines provides a fallback mechanism for accessing products. This fallback mechanism, called the “grace period,” provides access to licensed products for up to four days. The licensing software keeps a list of which products have been accessed within the last 30 days. If a product attempts to retrieve a license but is unable to reach the server, the grace period is activated for this license if found in the list. The license can be used in the grace period for up to four days from the first unsuccessful attempt. Once a license is retrieved successfully from the server again, the timer is reset.

For example, suppose I have licenses for RAM Modeler and RAM Steel, modules for RAM Structural System. As long as I have used both of these licenses within the last 30 days, the grace period will be activated for either of these licenses in the event that I cannot reach the license server. I can use these licenses for up to four days without access to the server. Once access to the server is restored, the grace period will be reset. That way, should I lose connection to the server again in the future, I will have up to four days to use my licenses apart from a connection.

Why does my program fail to return licenses when closing?

This issue may indicate an installation-related problem with the Bentley IEG License Service, a licensing component that retrieves and returns licenses on behalf of RAM, STAAD, AutoPIPE, SACS, and FormSys products. For troubleshooting purposes, please perform the following steps:

1. Visit the Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista/7/8) control panel, and remove any listings for Bentley IEG License Service.
2. Reinstall the Bentley IEG License Service. A standalone alone installer for the component (named iegls02002001en.msi) is listed as a dependency for most of the products. Re-run this installer to reinstall the Bentley IEG License Service. SACS users on 64-bit operating systems will have two licensing dependencies: Bentley IEG License Service and Bentley IEG License Service x64. Run both installers in this case.
   For RAM Structural System and STAAD products, the installer is included in the product installer itself. In these cases, re-run the product installer to reinstall the component.

The issue may also be caused by a communication problem with the license server. Computers can be configured to communicate with the license server using an alternate protocol as a troubleshooting step. To do this:

1. Open the License Management Tool.
2. Select Options from the Tools menu.
3. Toggle the "Use HTTPS (SSL)" checkbox.
4. Click the Test Connection button.
5. If the server name and site activation key verify, click OK to save changes. Otherwise, click the Cancel button.

Invalid product and feature string entries displaying 

Invalid product and feature string entries displaying in the Activation Status tab of the License Management Tool as shown in the attached screenshot. While the cause of the registry corruption is still unknown, a batch script has been created that should make cleanup efforts much easier:

See Also

Structural Product TechNotes and FAQs

[[How products that use the Bentley IEG License Service are licensed]]