SolidNetwork License Manager – License Order

The ‘License Order’ tab in the SolidNetwork License Manager can be used to set which licenses will be pulled first upon request from the client machine. To access this tab:

1. Click the Start Button in Windows
2. Navigate to the ‘SOLIDWORKS Tools 20xx’ folder
3. Open ‘SolidNetwork License Manager Client’

It should be noted that every feature in Solidworks Professional is already included in Solidworks Premium. By extension, every feature in Solidworks Standard is also already included in both Solidworks Professional and Solidworks Premium.

For example, let’s say that you have purchased the following Solidworks network licenses:

• 6 x Solidworks Professional
• 3 x Solidworks Premium
• 5 x Solidworks Standard

Based on the quantities listed above, at any given time, you may have:

• 14 users using Solidworks Standard features (6 + 3 + 5), or
• 9 users using Solidworks Professional features (6 + 3), or
• 3 users using Solidworks Premium features, or
• any other valid mix of licenses (e.g., 9 standard, 4 professional, 1 premium)

The image above illustrates the prerequisite nature of higher Solidworks licenses (i.e., “Solidworks Premium includes Solidworks Standard”) You will pull a more advanced license only when you use features that are found solely in those higher licenses. Otherwise, your license will remain at the lowest possible level to preserve the higher licenses for those that need it.

Therefore, it is considered a best practice to move your Solidworks Professional licenses above your Solidworks Premium licenses to ensure that you are pulling the appropriate license for the feature you wish to use. This will ensure that you are not obtaining a more advanced license than what you need.

Solidworks Simulation licenses work in a similar fashion. The following license levels are available:

• Solidworks Premium (Static and Time-Based Motion Analysis)
• Simulation Standard
• Simulation Professional
• Simulation Premium

It is useful to set up your license order to ensure that you are pulling the appropriate license for your task. For example, you wouldn’t want to be hogging a Simulation Premium license if you are only conducting a static simulation.

Depending on the user, you may want a different license pull order on each client machine. One user may be fine with only doing static simulations, so it is preferable for them to set “Solidworks Premium” highest up on their license order.

If the user requires features only found in Simulation Premium, they may choose to set “Solidworks Premium with Simulation Premium” above the other licenses so that when the simulation add-in is activated, they receive access to Simulation Premium features.