Reducing timeout for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional licenses

Starting in 2015, the licensing server went from using the SQL Server to using the regular SolidNetwork License Manager for PDM Licenses. With this change, the familiar option to "Log off users automatically after 30 minutes of inactivity" is no longer found within the License options in the Administration tool.

With the use of the SNL, the default inactive log off time is set at 2 hours, which many users find to be far too long for reliable use. To update this behavior, we must use an options file to lower the default time. We are now able to choose a timeout (specified in seconds) as low as 15 minutes.

A sample options file for PDM Professional licenses could look like this:

TIMEOUT swepdm_cadeditorandweb 1800

TIMEOUT swepdm_contributorandweb 900

TIMEOUT swepdm_viewer 900

While a sample options file for PDM Standard licenses could look like 

TIMEOUT swpdmstd_cadeditor 1800

TIMEOUT swpdmstd_contributor 900

TIMEOUT swpdmstd_viewer 900

This would set the timeout for CAD Editor licenses to 30 minutes, while offering a lower timeout of 15 minutes for Contributor and Viewer licenses.

Additional options files settings can be applied to the PDM licenses as well. For more information on Options Files, please see the full guide on the SNL Options file here. 

A full example scenario can be found here Managing licenses for PDM and Web2 using an Options File

For further assistance, please contact our HawkSupport team at 877-266-4469 (US) or 866-587-6803 (Canada) and support@hawkridgesys.com