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Switch from Hasp to NetHasp


TheePres
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You may also need to edit the nethasp.ini file to specify the server address. Launch NhaspX.exe and click the nethasp radio button and then the Read button. This will force it to search the server for a nethasp. Like I mentioned you may want to edit the .INI file to specify the address of the server. Information on the nethasp.ini settings can be found in the MCAMX6_Administrator_guide.pdf found in your documentation folder.

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Correct G, but also here at our company where we have multiple servers and people accessing from different points even on our intranet the IP helps immensely for finding and maintaining a connection. Or maybe it helps minimize the disconnections ;-).

 

I should note that depending on your network setup the pc the nethasp is on may require a static IP if it doesn't have one. Your IT / IS department should be able to help you with this if your not familiar with it. On our network the pc's generally are dynamic thus we have to request the static IP for our nethasp.

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our nethasp is rock solid... 5 machines .. never any disconnects or problems and no edits to the ini file required.

I was very nervous when I first recommended switching to a nethasp because nethasp trouble can wreck the productiviy

of an engineering department, but its been rock solid since day 1.

VPN'ing into our license server from home is solid too, once I edited my home ini file to include the work server's ip adress.

My only complaint is that when I launch the VPN connection, my internet speed is reduced to the speed of our lame T1 line here

at work ( 1meg tops) instead on my 35 meg cable broadband.

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I don't know how to do the network stuff

My IT guys set up a VPN tunnel for me and gave me the IP adress.

At home I created a new network connection using the IP adress and password he gave me.

I edited the nethasp.ini file on my home computer with the same IP adress.

 

Then you launch the new network connection and Mastecam can see your employeers nethasp

and you can run Mastercam at home.

 

 

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TheePres - VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. In laymen terms, it means that you create a "private network" between you and your work server using a real network (in this case, the internet). This allows you to access your work network from home securely. This gives you all of the benefits you get when you're connected at work (access to printers, file servers, backup servers, CNC machines, etc).

 

Because this becomes your one network connection on your home computer while you're connected, your internet browsing and such will go through your work computer, which is what GCode was complaining about, his home internet speed is faster, but he's limited by his works' speed when he's connecting through them.

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  • 2 years later...

One of my employees needed access to use Mastercam from home. I couldn't figure it out. I contacted http://www.N2NetworkSolutions.com in Tempe and they were able to configure a VPN so that he could install it at home but still use our license server in the office. We thought we were going to have to buy another instance of the software but this ended up working out great!

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  • 7 months later...

The switchover is mostly painless. You have to have someone with Administrator privileges to have access to your server so they can install some small software and assign IP addresses. On the client (user) end it's a matter of clicking a few things and entering a new hasp code. All in all it should take you no more than 15 minutes to switch over.

 

The hasp does not have to be installed in the server, but you want to make sure whatever computer it is plugged into has a static (not dynamic) IP address. I found that one out the hard way.

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We have recently transferred to the nethasp within our large corporation.  It was relatively painless and works well.  Our network utilizes DHCP  - dynamic IP addresses -  and we haven't experienced any problems.  We use the server's name in the client's .ini file and Mastercam is able to make the connection without any problems.  I've never tried using it without the server name in the client's files.  We have a large network and our IT dept prefers not having services using up bandwidth broadcasting or searching.  It also works well over our corporate VPN.

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The reason I had problems dealing with dynamic IP is because of WiFi. I program on a laptop in my office, using a hard line. Sometimes I have to go on the floor and I take my laptop with me by switching on the WiFi. This assigns a new IP address while leaving the hard line as an open Mastercam user. So, I just went from one user to two. When I was done on the floor and switched off the WiFi, that IP was gobbled up by another device, and left open. Plugging in my hard line assigned me a new IP again, so then I was up to three users. This quickly used up our available seats and I was blocked out of Mastercam.

 

Man, it was a mudderforker figuring that one out.

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LOL - Been there done that. I had forgotten about it until reading your post.  We had a couple of individual plants experience the same thing before our "big" conversion.  Couldn't figure out what was happening to all of the licenses.  It was really confusing when we would look on the license monitor and see that the accounting and HR dept were using a bunch of Mill-3 and muti-axis modules.  

 

The nethasp system works great but I do agree it is limited in user control and license management in a DHCP environment.  Once someone checks out a license and it becomes locked up on the server - I think it is around 36 hrs before it released, unless you do it manually.   

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As opposed to one where everything has a fixed IP address.  I might be confused as I'm not a network specialist but from my understanding originally every piece of hardware in a network had a fixed IP address. It seems like the controls written into the license manager were designed for networks with static IPs. We have some hardware with static IPs but all of our PCs use dynamic - I think this is pretty standard.

 

I think the strange behavior originally mentioned by Cathedral is a byproduct of the license manger being built for a static IP network - but I really don't know.  

 

The nethasp license manager is pretty basic.  It doesn't have quite as many radio buttons as Mastercam :).  Unlike some of the license managing applications; you can't limit access, you can't set timeouts and you can't revoke licenses, but in an environment with 10 or so users where you want to share access -  I think it will work great.  Like everyone else - we turned it on and it worked.  

 

 I only know enough about networks to get by - I try not to ask IT too many questions because by the time they get back to me I forget what I wanted to know. 

Sorry if I caused any confusion,

Dan

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The reason I had problems dealing with dynamic IP is because of WiFi. I program on a laptop in my office, using a hard line. Sometimes I have to go on the floor and I take my laptop with me by switching on the WiFi. This assigns a new IP address while leaving the hard line as an open Mastercam user. So, I just went from one user to two. When I was done on the floor and switched off the WiFi, that IP was gobbled up by another device, and left open. Plugging in my hard line assigned me a new IP again, so then I was up to three users. This quickly used up our available seats and I was blocked out of Mastercam.

 

 

Well you can lock the IP address in WIFI environment as well really comes down to someone taking the time to account for and register all devices. Once that is done then everything can be locked to specific IP address and then it never becomes a problem again. Problem I have seen is most IT people (not all) only do what is needed to get by.

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How are the licenses distributed? Say you have 3 lathe seats, 3 mill level 3 seats, 4 mill level 1 seats, 1 wire seat, 1 mill entry seat (thats 12) but only say 8 seats that have solids? Is a lathe guy that needs a mill seat free to grab a level 3 seat when he really only needs a level 1? Then the guy that needs the level 3 is SOL?

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You can set which license is grabbed by editing the start-up icon properties or use the launcher to assist. I typically let the Solids float unless I have a heavy hitter design guy that always needs one.

something like mastercam.exe /M1 /noL /S

would start Mastercam with Mill Level 1, no Lathe, and a locked Solis license. If you have Wire, you might need to add a /noW to the string. On a NetHASP, Mastercam will grab one of everything unless you tell it not to. I always use a modified ini file with extended timeout.

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