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Error: No Interactive License Available

Table of contents

1 Short version 2 Long Version 2.1 To check if the license server is running 2.2 To check if your license keys are installed 2.3 To check the dongle 2.4 Check the SPM_HOST environment variable 2.5 Check the port used by XSI to communicate with the license server 3 Videos

Short version

Start the License Manager (click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > License Manager).

1) Is the license server running?

If you can click Start Server, the license server is not running. Click Start Server.

2) If the license server will not start, then check that your license is still installed.

1. Click Manage License.
2. Click List Keys.
3. If you get an error, then try reinstalling your license:
   1. Click Rename Key Database
   2. Click Install Keys, click your .keys file, and click Open
   3. Then close the Manage License Keys dialog box and try to start the license server

3) If your license is installed and the license server is running, then try this:

• Click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > SOFTIMAGE XSI 7.01 > Command Prompt.
• In the command prompt, run these commands:

  set SPM_HOST=localhost

  xsi

• If XSI does not start, then in the command prompt, run this command:

  telnet localhost 7050

  You should see "SPM_ACK". Press Ctrl+]. Then type quit and press ENTER.

  If you get a connection error, it is something like a firewall that is blocking XSI.

Long Version

There are many possible causes for a "no interactive license" error, including:

• The SPM license server is not running.
• There are no licenses installed.
• There are no licenses available.
• The license server cannot communicate with the dongle.
• The SPM_HOST environment variable is not set correctly.
• Security software (such as Zone Alarm) is blocking XSI from communicating with the License Server

To check if the license server is running

1. Start the License Manager (click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > License Manager).
2. If you can click the Start Server button, then the license server is not running.

   If the license server will not start, check that your license keys are installed.

To check if your license keys are installed

1. Start the License Manager (click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > License Manager).
2. Click Manage Key Database and then List Keys.
3. If there are no licenses installed:
   1. Click Manage Key Database
   2. Click Install Keys.
   3. Click the .keys file and then click Open.

      The .keys file are located either in C:\spm (6.01) or C:\windows\system32\spm (6.0).

   4. Close the Manage License Keys dialog box (click the X in the right hand corner of the window title bar).
   5. Click Start Server.
   6. Start XSI.

To check the dongle

This section applies only to Essentials/Advanced customers who have a dongle.

• First, make sure it is plugged in.
• Check that the dongle appears in the Device Manager.
  • Open the Device Manager (click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Manage). The dongle should be listed as SPM Devices.
  • Expand SPM Devices. If you see a yellow circle with an exclamation mark, reinstall the dongle driver:
    • Right-click the dongle and then click Update Driver.
    • Click No, not this time.
    • Click Install from a list or specific location (Advanced).
    • Click Don't search. I will choose the driver to install.
    • Click USB iButton holder for SPM.
    • Click Next.
    • Click Finish.
• Try to generate a request:

Click Manage Key Database and then click Generate Request Code

If you get " cannot open port IBU on dongle SI0", then the dongle is the problem.

Check the SPM_HOST environment variable

The SPM_HOST environment variable is set by setenv.bat.

1. Open a Softimage command prompt (click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > SOFTIMAGE XSI 6.5> Command Prompt).

2. Type this command and press ENTER

   echo %SPM_HOST%

This prints the value of the environment variable SPM_HOST. What value is printed?

XSI uses SPM_HOST to find the license server.

Possible values of SPM_HOST are:

• The name of the license server computer (the computer where the license server and dongle are installed). You can use the hostname command to get the name of a computer.
• The IP address of the license server computer. Use the ipconfig command to get the IP address.
• Nothing. If SPM_HOST is not set, XSI assumes that the license server is the local computer. If SPM_HOST is not set, then the echo command will print "%SPM_HOST%".

To set SPM_HOST

1. Start the User Tool (click Start > All Programs > Softimage Products > SOFTIMAGE XSI 6.5 > UserTools).
2. In the list of Configuration Files, click "Setenv.bat (Environment Script)".
3. Click Edit File.

4. Scroll down until you see the lines that look like this:

   rem License servers specified from the setup
   rem set _SPM_HOST=
   

   Change the line that sets "_SPM_HOST" to this:

   set _SPM_HOST=license_server_computer_name

   where license_server_computer_name is the name of the computer where the license server is installed.

Check the port used by XSI to communicate with the license server

1. In the Softimage command prompt, run the following command:

   telnet <hostname> 7050

   -or-

   telnet <ipaddress> 7050

   -or-

   telnet localhost 7050

   where

   • <hostname> = the name of your computer (without the <> brackets)
   • <ipaddress> = the IP address displayed when you run the ipconfig command (without the <> brackets)

2. You should see something like this

   SPMD_ACK☺☺
   

3. To exit the telnet session, do this: press Ctrl+], type quit, and press Enter.

If telnet cannot connect:

Check that your firewall (for example, Zone Alarm) is not blocking the port used by the SPM license server. By default, SPM uses the port 7050. To check which port SPM uses, look in %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\services.

If you still cannot get a license, then check that SPM is using a free port. In a text editor, open %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\services. Find the line that looks like this:

mi-spm           7050/tcp                 #

Now check if another program (http://www.petri.co.il/quickly_find_local_open_ports.htm) is using the same port as mi-spm.

If so, edit the services file so that mi-spm uses a free port. Then restart the SPM License Server service.

Videos

These videos were recorded for XSI 6.5, but the basic ideas apply also to 7.0.

No Interactive License Available

These two short videos show you how to troubleshoot the "No Interactive License Available" error.

• Part 1 - The License Manager (http://screencast.com/t/JtC0OcjXXN)
• Part 2 - SPM_HOST and telnet (http://screencast.com/t/FthT8s5C8)

Dongles

If you need to install the dongle driver, or if you need to switch from SLP licensing to SI0, these two (short) videos will help.

• Installing the dongle driver (http://screencast.com/t/ZdOYD75YM5)
• Generating a request code (http://screencast.com/t/MNKOxHhcLtd)