HydroCAD Sessions

HydroCAD^® Stormwater Modeling - Since 1986

Managing HydroCAD Sessions

Background

Starting with version 10.2, HydroCAD uses a cloud-based license manager to control access to the software. Each time HydroCAD is started, your license details are read from the server, a unique user ID is established, and the number of current sessions is determined. If at least one user count is available, HydroCAD will run immediately. But if the maximum number of users are already active, you will receive warning 214, and you will have to wait until one of the current sessions is released before you can run HydroCAD.

How sessions work

Each time you start HydroCAD a new session is started, using one of the available user counts. When you close HydroCAD, that session is released, allowing another user to run the program.

Sessions are released only when you close HydroCAD in the normal manner. If you shutdown your computer (or terminate a virtual environment) without closing HydroCAD, the session will not be released and the user count will not be available to another user. As far as the license manager knows, you are still using HydroCAD, even if the computer is off or the virtual session has been terminated.

Fortunately, an abandoned session is automatically cleared the next time that same user starts HydroCAD using the same license code. This means that most abandoned sessions will be automatically cleared during normal HydroCAD usage. When an abandoned session is cleared in this manner, you will receive warning 213 to remind you to do a proper shutdown in the future. After you acknowledge the warning HydroCAD will run normally.

What about old sessions?

To clear an old session, simply login to Windows with the original user name and start HydroCAD. This should automatically locate and clear the abandoned session. HydroCAD will issue a warning message 213 to let you know the session has been cleared. After you acknowledge the warning HydroCAD will run normally. Now you can exit from HydroCAD and the user count will be available for use by others.

Note: You can clear a session using a temporary user account on any PC. You do not need access the user's original computer, network access, or any other aspects of the user account. Just create a Windows user with the exact same user name, then launch HydroCAD using the same license code.

If you continue to see old sessions, make sure those users (as identified in the user count message) are aware of the need to properly close HydroCAD at the completion of their work. In many cases they may just be turning off their computer (or virtual session) without closing HydroCAD.

As a backup measure, sessions more than 30-days old will be automatically deleted whenever anyone starts HydroCAD using your license code. Since newer sessions may be in active use, it is still your responsibility to clear these sessions as described above.

Usage reports

To get a better understanding of your HydroCAD usage, be sure to explore the license dashboard which is available from within HydroCAD. Since there is no separate "license manager", administrators may want to keep HydroCAD installed on their PC so they can easily access the dashboard. As always, remember to close HydroCAD when you're done, otherwise the user count will not be released!

For further information

Also see the license manager FAQ's