What is Ensoft License Manager? #
Ensoft License Manager is the system Ensoft, Inc. uses to control who can run its geotechnical and structural engineering software. Ensoft doesn’t sell it as a separate product. Its manuals describe a role instead: the computer that holds the network key acts as “a License Server (or License Manager) for the Software.”
Three parts make up that role:
- The Net USB Key is a hardware dongle connected to the license server. The Ensoft Key Inquirer displays information about the key, including its serial number, key type, licensed seats, and expiration date.
- The NetUniKeyServer service, which runs on the license server. It listens on port 5680 by default and lends seats to client computers on the allowed subnets.
- Ensoft Utilities, the admin tools. The Key Inquirer shows which programs the key covers and when maintenance expires. The License Server Console shows who’s connected right now. The Log Viewer charts seats in use over time.
Every connect, logon and logoff lands in one file: NetUniKeyServer.log, in the Ensoft Utilities folder. Each line holds the date, time, client IP address, computer name, key serial number, seats in use and total seats. User names aren’t in it.
Which license types does Ensoft License Manager support? #
Ensoft software runs under three license types. Only the Local Network License uses the customer-managed Ensoft license server.
| License type | How it works | What your license server sees |
|---|---|---|
| Single-user license | A USB key plugged into one computer. It works on any computer you plug it into but can’t be shared over a network. | Nothing. No server is involved. |
| Local network license | One Net USB Key on a license server. Client computers need no key. The basic tier lets two people work at once. More seats cost extra. | Every connect and logoff, in NetUniKeyServer.log. |
| Cloud Subscription | No USB key. Users download the software and sign on, and Ensoft checks the license online. Tiers: Personal, Office and Enterprise (for very large customers). | Nothing. Ensoft checks the license over the internet. |
The smallest local network license lets you whitelist up to four /24 subnets. One license server can manage network licenses for several office sites.
Which Ensoft applications use Ensoft License Manager? #
Ensoft’s own programs, grouped by the job they do:
- Piles: LPILE for laterally loaded piles, APILE and APILE Offshore for the axial capacity of driven piles, and TZPILE for load settlement with downdrag.
- Shafts and pile groups: SHAFT for drilled shafts and auger-cast piles, GROUP for pile groups, and PileGPw.
- Walls, slopes and settlement: PYWall for flexible retaining walls, EnSlope for slope stability, SETOFF for foundation settlement.
- Dynamics and mats: DynaN for the dynamic response of foundations, plus DynaPile, DynaMat and GeoMat.
- Finite elements and site data: EnFEM for 2D finite element analysis, and EnCPT, which turns raw CPT data into soil layers for LPILE.
Ensoft also resells programs from other developers: GRLWEAP, UTEXAS4, BorinGS, ATENA and AMPS. Ensoft’s documentation doesn’t say whether these use the same key, so ask Ensoft before you include them in a license count.
If your engineers run LPILE software or APILE software on a network license, their seats come from this server.
How Open iT supports your work with Ensoft License Manager #
Two numbers frame every Ensoft seat decision. One is the number of seats on your Net USB Key. You already know it. The other is the most seats your engineers have used at the same time. Ensoft’s Log Viewer can chart it, but only for Ensoft and only on that server.
Open iT makes software that measures how engineers use licensed applications and shows you ways to optimize usage. LicenseAnalyzer™ collects the Ensoft license server’s own usage-history log and converts it into historical license-usage data. What you get is a report that gives you visibility and control over your engineering software estate.
What you see #
- Peak seats in use against seats available, for each feature. Take that to your maintenance renewal.
- License use by computer and by computer group, so you can see which offices draw on the key.
- How long each feature stays checked out.
- A real-time view of licenses in use and licenses free, feature by feature.
Frequently asked questions #
What is Ensoft License Manager?
It’s the licensing system Ensoft, Inc. uses for its geotechnical engineering software. A Net USB Key sits on a license server running the NetUniKeyServer service, and client computers on allowed subnets borrow seats from it over port 5680 by default.
Where is the Ensoft license server log file?
NetUniKeyServer.log sits in the Ensoft Utilities folder, normally C:\Program Files (x86)\Ensoft\Utilities7. Each line records a client connect, logon or logoff, with the computer name and the seats in use.
Does Ensoft offer network licenses?
Yes. A local network license puts one Net USB Key on a license server, so client computers need no key. The basic tier lets two people use the software at once, and Ensoft sells more seats for an extra fee.
Can Open iT track Ensoft license usage?
Yes, for local network licenses. Open iT collects NetUniKeyServer.log from the license server each night and reports peak seats in use against seats available. Denials and user names aren’t in Ensoft’s log, so Open iT can’t report them.
See how many Ensoft seats you actually use #
You know how many seats are on your Net USB Key. The highest number your engineers have used at once is harder to find. Open iT reads your Ensoft license server’s log and puts the two numbers side by side, feature by feature. Book a demo, and we’ll walk you through sample Ensoft reports for LPILE, APILE and the rest of your Ensoft programs.
