Moving Abaqus FLEXNet License Server To New Windows Machine

Problem

Abaqus license files are machine-specific, so a new license file will need to be generated.  This article goes through the steps for moving an Abaqus FLEXNet license server to a new Windows machine.

Solution Step 1: Generate a new license file

Please contact our Technical Support team so that we can generate a new license file for the new machine (support@hawkridgesys.com, or 877-266-4469 (US) or 866-587-6803 (Canada).)

To generate the new license file, we will need the MAC ID of the new machine that will be hosting the license server.  This can be found by typing "ipconfig /all" into the Windows command prompt and sending us the physical address for one of the components (such as the wifi adapter).

After we receive the new MAC ID, we can generate a new license file to send to you, and you can proceed to install the FLEXNet License Server.

Solution Step 2: Install FLEXNet License Server

The installation files can be obtained at https://software.3ds.com/, but if you previously downloaded the file set, you could use that as well.  Running the setup.exe will start the installation, and you can select to install only the FLEXNet License Server.
 
You may also want to add the firewall exceptions to the server mentioned in the following article as well:
 
https://support.hawkridgesys.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038377691-Abaqus-Firewall-Exceptions

Solution Step 3: Point clients to the new server

After the FLEXNet License Server has been installed, the client machines will need to point to this license server.  This can be done by editing the "custom_v6.env" file on the client machine.  This file is located in the folder path <solver_install_directory>\<OS>\SMA\site.  By default, it will be in the following location: