Failure to find the Network License

What if Alphacam fails to find the network license?

Possible Solutions

It may be required to set the name or IP address of the server running the Sentinel License Manager. This can be done one of three ways...

1.   Add an environment variable named LSHOST to the PC which is running Alphacam, not the PC running the Sentinel License Manager
2.   Create a LSHOST file
3.   Edit system HOSTS file

If Alphacam fails to find the Sentinel License Manager (SLM), it may be required to set the license server name. This can be done by adding an environment variable named LSHOST to the PC which is running Alphacam (not the Sentinel License Manager). The value of this variable should be set to the server name or IP address of the Sentinel License Manager server.

Option 1 – Add a LSHOST Environment Variable

Please follow the steps below to add this environment variable.

Windows XP
1.   Right-click the My Computer icon (either from the Desktop or from Windows Explorer)
2.   Choose Properties from the context menu
3.   Click the Advanced tab
4.   Click the Environment Variables button
5.   Under the User variables section, click the New button
6.   Enter "LSHOST" (without the quotes) in the Variable name field
7.   Enter the server name or IP address of the Sentinel License Manager server in the Variable value field
8.   Click the OK button
9.   This option may require a reboot of the workstation

Windows Vista and Window 7
1.   Right-click the Computer icon (either from the Desktop or from Windows Explorer)
2.   Choose Properties from the context menu
3.   Click the Advanced system settings link
4.   Click the Advanced tab
5.   Click the Environment Variables button
6.   Under the User variables section, click the New button
7.   Enter "LSHOST" (without the quotes) in the Variable name field
8.   Enter the server name or IP address of the Sentinel License Manager server in the Variable value field
9.   Click OK button
10.   This option may require a reboot of the workstation

Option 2 – Create a LSHOST File

Please follow the steps below to add a LSHOST file.

1.   Create a new text file and name it LSHOST, with no extension
2.   Edit the LSHOST file (e.g. open in Notepad) and enter the name or IP address of the License Manager server in the first line of the file (e.g. SERVER_NAME or 192.168.0.100)
3.   Save and close the LSHOST file
4.   Copy or move the LSHOST file to the main Alphacam folder (e.g. C:\Program Files\Planit\Alphacam 2011 R1\)

Option 3 – Edit System HOSTS file

Please follow the steps below to edit the system HOSTS file.

1.   Locate the system HOSTS file C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc
2.   Edit the HOSTS file (e.g. open in Notepad) and enter the IP address then <tab> then the name of the Sentinel License Manager server in the last line of the file (e.g. 192.168.0.100 SERVER_NAME)