Without A Net

Customer Error Reporting - Help us help you

Greetings all. I would like to take a few moments and blog about the importance of submitting detailed customer error reports (referred to as CER going forward) and also speak a bit about the difference between these and a Service Request (SR). 

In my prior role as a Support Manager here at Autodesk, I would occasionally speak with a customer who was experiencing issues with their program, submitting CER's and wondering why no one was replying to their requests.  It seems they were not clear on the difference between an SR and a CER, which is understandable.  Each CER is captured in a back-end database, but not everyone who submits a CER will receive a follow up. In fact, you may only be contacted if a developer needs more information. More on this later.  A Service Request is an actual support ticket submitted through the Subscription Center and you will receive a reply directly from Autodesk when logging a new SR (if you do not, please let me know).  The details and service levels of this program are outlined in the Subscription Terms & Conditions. 

On the AutoCAD Services & Support page we have a detailed write-up on the Customer Error Reporting process. To summarize, when your software crashes and you submit a CER, these reports are captured in a database and categorized so that software developers can review them.  While the report will give the engineer an idea of where the crash occurred in the code, providing the steps you used leading up to the crash is very helpful and will assist the developer in identifying the issue. I can assure you these reports are reviewed on a regular basis and prioritized based on severity and the number of customer reports. Another important reason to submit these reports is the CER round-trip process which will give you feedback if available. If a workaround (or fix) exists for the problem you reported, you will be sent that information via email instantly.  You will also be notified of fixes as they become available for issues that you submitted through the CER system.

I hope this clears up the process and helps you understand why these reports are important. So the next time your AutoCAD session ends prematurely, please submit a detailed CER (with steps to reproduce if available) and resist the urge to just curse at us. 

2010 Cascading and the PLIST increment

Cascade Licensing allows a product to obtain a license from a network license manager pool when that license manager is servicing more than one product. Cascading was implemented primarily to address mixed-product environments where both suite and base products co-exist. For Autodesk products that are included in a product suite and are also sold as an individual product, licenses are allocated based on a sequence of priorities defined in a PLIST (priority list). This PLIST increment was included and readable (sort of) in the license file.

For the 2010 products, the PLIST increment is no longer include in the license file but is now stored in a new external file named ProductInformation.pit. License files will still include PLIST increments for legacy products, however 2010 products will reference the ProductInformation.pit file for the required PLIST information.

The ProductInformation.pit file is automatically created on the local machine when a product gets installed and there will only be one ProductInformation.pit file, shared by all installed products. The file is created when the first 2010 product is installed and is appended to with each subsequent product installation. Likewise, when a product is uninstalled it unregisters itself from the ProductInformation.pit file. When the last product has been unregistered from the file, ProductInformation.pit is automatically removed from the machine.

The ProductInformation.pit file is created on the workstation in the following locations:

XP: C:\Documents and settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\ADLM\ProductInformation.PIT

Vista: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ADLM\ProductInformation.PIT

Just as with other licensing components, the ProductInformation.pit file should not be moved from its default location. In addition to the PLIST increment, the ProductInformation.pit file contains other licensing information for the installed products and a 2010 product will not run correctly without this file. We continue to deliver license files as these are still required for network licensing. With the exception of the PLIST, the ProductInformation.pit file does not contain PACKAGE information or any other information that is normally included in the license file.

Since the ProductInformation.pit file is encrypted and unreadable, you can no longer inspect the PLIST to determine the cascade order for 2010 products. You can obtain that information from the following technical solution:

Cascading sequence for 2010 products

VBA in AutoCAD 2010

You may have heard about this topic from other sources but I thought it was worth discussing here in a bit more detail.

Autodesk has begun the transition from VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) to VB .NET technology. VBA has not seen significant improvements from Microsoft in years and they still offer no 64-bit version of VBA. In July of 2007, Microsoft stopped offering VBA distribution licenses to new customers. They are investing their resources in Visual Studio® Tools for Applications (VSTA) and are recommending that people move away from VBA for new application development.

For now, VBA is still supported in Autodesk products however, starting with the 2010 product releases, VBA is no longer part of the default installation. This applies to all products except Inventor 2010 and Civil 3D 2010; these products relied too heavily on VBA for core functionality to remove it from the installer. For all other products, VBA must be downloaded and installed separately. If you use VBA macros in your work environment, they will no longer work unless the VBA modules have been installed on your system.

Installation

When you run a command that requires VBA, a message dialog box will direct you to this location on our web site where you can download the VBA Enabler. The installer is English-only however the VBA components posted at this link will be available for all languages that AutoCAD and industry-specific versions of AutoCAD support. After the VBA Enabler has been downloaded and extracted, it should automatically launch the installer. If not, you can launch it manually by running the setup.exe command from the extraction folder.

If you plan to install multiple 2010 products on your computer, the VBA Enabler should be installed last so that it gets installed on all supported products. For example: if AutoCAD and AutoCAD Map 3D were installed prior to installing the VBA Enabler, then VBA will install into both products and both will have VBA enabled. On the other hand, if you installed the VBA Enabler prior to installing AutoCAD Map 3D, you would need to uninstall the VBA Enabler, install AutoCAD Map 3D, and then install VBA enabler again to ensure it is available in both AutoCAD and AutoCAD Map 3D.

Deployment

To deploy the VBA download in an enterprise environment, you must download and extract the VBA Enabler and then run the following script (after substituting your source path to the VBA Enabler folder):

' ----------------------------------------------------------------
' Scripted installation for VBA Enabler
option explicit

' define variables
dim shell
dim productType
dim strInstallLevel
dim strSourcePath

' Script initialization
Set shell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

productType = "BonusPack"
strInstallLevel=5 ' 5 installs everything, 3 installs typical
'
' Source to install from (e.g. Z:\install\Autodesk\ AcVbaInstallerInstall \CDROM1)
strSourcePath = "C:\Autodesk\AutoCAD_2010_VBA_Enabler_Install_Image\CDROM1"
'
RunStandaloneInstall()
Wscript.quit()

'
Function RunStandaloneInstall
shell.run DefaultCommand(),2,1
end function
'
Function DefaultCommand
dim retString
' /q for silent install ' /c [key] override parameters for the key
retString = """" & strSourcePath & "\setup.exe " & """" & " /t /q /c " & productType & ": "
retString = retString & "InstallLevel=" & strInstallLevel
DefaultCommand = retString
end function
'

' ----------------------------------------------------------------

Looking Ahead

Autodesk is currently evaluating how long VBA will be supported in Autodesk products in the future. Though supported in the AutoCAD 2010-based products, it may or may not be supported in future releases.

Despite the fact that Microsoft does not provide or support 64-bit VBA, Autodesk included a way to run VBA in AutoCAD x64. This was done purely as a convenience to customers who needed it but was an imperfect solution because it must run out-of-proc and those interprocess communications cause it to run slower than it would in AutoCAD x86. This was an interim measure to provide some VBA functionality in AutoCAD x64 but Autodesk has no plans for further development or fixes in this area.

We are strongly recommending that VB developers migrate to using VB .NET. Kean Walmsley posted a very nice presentation called DevTV: AutoCAD VBA to .NET Migration Basics. For more information on this topic, you can also refer to our Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications Module FAQ.

Cannot Export to PDF

 

When attempting to export a drawing to PDF using the Ribbon no PDF file is created.

If you then look at the Plot and Publish Details dialog you see the message "ERROR: Internal Error: Null Pointer".

 

This issue occurs when an older version of the DWG to PDF.pc3file has replaced the AutoCAD 2010 version of the file. This situation typically occurs if the pc3 files have been migrated from the previous version of the installed product.

To solve the problem you need to update your version of the DWG to PDF.pc3 file with the version from the product media.

This can be done with the following steps:

1. In AutoCAD 2010 enter the PLOTTERMANAGER command to open the "Plotters" folder which is where the pc3 files are located.
2. Insert the AutoCAD 2010 DVD into the DVD drive and browse to the following location:
   :\x86\acad\Program Files\Root\UserDataCache\Plotters
3. Drag the DWG to PDF.pc3 file from the "Plotters" folder on the DVD into the "Plotters" folder on the machine and overwrite the existing one.

You should now be able to Export your drawings to PDF without error.

And Now For Something Completely Different

You might have to be in IT or product support to really appreciate this.

Autodesk Product Manager Updates

The Autodesk Product Manager has recently received a few updates to bring it current with the 2010 product releases.

The Autodesk Product Manager is included in the Autodesk CAD Manager Tools that you can install from the AutoCAD installation wizard and it enables you to search a network to find installed Autodesk products and identify their locations.

You can install the Autodesk CAD Manager Tools by picking the "Install Tools and Utilities" option on the main screen of the Installation Wizard and then checking the "Autodesk CAD Manager Tools" option on the next screen.

Here are some of the updated solutions and downloads from the Autodesk Services & Support Web site:

Updated BIN file for Autodesk Product Manager Utility

Applications searched for by the Autodesk Product Manager

Autodesk Product Manager v4.1 (32-bit)

The last link is mostly if you don't have the AutoCAD installation media (which already includes the Autodesk Product Manager) however it also includes a step-by-step guide on conducting a software audit.

One thing to note about the APM is that it requires remote registry access to be enabled on machines before they can be scanned for installed products and you must have Administrator permissions to access the registry of a computer other than your own. Assuming you have adequate access rights, other permissions errors are usually caused by remote registry access being disabled on a machine. Remote registry access is often also turned off by security software; an Internet search on the subject should reveal more information about this. Here is a link to a Microsoft article on How to Manage Remote Access to the Registry.

Make sure you read the APM help before using it.

Online License Transfer FAQ

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Autodesk 2010 standalone licensed products now include a new Online License Transfer Utility (LTU). This is the new method for transferring your standalone license activation to another system and replaces the Portable License Utility (PLU). Here is a list of the most commonly asked questions regarding Online License Transfer (OLT):

Q: How often may I use the License Transfer Utility?
A: There is no limit on how many times you can export and import your license.

Q: When you export the license to someone, can you put a time limit like you can in network versions when borrowing.
A: No, it is not possible to set a time limit for an exported license. Once an exported license has been imported to another machine, it remains there until exported again.

Q: My company has a multi-seat standalone license, can we use the License Transfer Utility?
A: Yes.  You may have up to your license seat count in exported state at any time.

Q: I have a single seat of a product installed and activated on two machines (home and work).  Can I export a license from each of those machines?
A: No.  You cannot have more licenses exported than you actually own. 

Q: What is a Private Export and why would I choose it?
A: A privately exported license may only be imported using the same login name and password as was used to export the license.  Additionally, the product serial number must match between the source and target computers.  Private exports assure that your license will not be transferred to another person. A privately exported license automatically becomes public if not imported within 14 days.

Q: What is a Public Export and why would I choose it?
A: A publicly exported license may be imported to any computer with the same program and serial number as yours by any person who has an Autodesk Login name and password.  Use this option when you want to send your license to another person in your company.

Q: Can I use License Transfer Utility to export licenses from a network product?
A: No.  The LTU is only for export and import of standalone licenses.  Network licenses continue to use the license borrowing feature.

Q: What would happen if the person who exported a license privately leaves the company prior to importing the license?
A: Privately exported licenses will automatically convert to public export status if they are not imported within 14 days of export.  This is a fixed time period and cannot be adjusted.

Q: I don’t want my users to export licenses, can I prevent this?
A: You may choose not to install the License Transfer Utility.  You may also omit the License Transfer Utility from deployments.  If you are running Windows you can also remove the License Transfer Utility by choosing to modify your installation in Control Panel

Q: Is there an off line method of transferring my license?
A: No.  An internet connection is required to export or import a license. There is no alternative for transferring standalone licenses.

Q: What port used by the OLT for transfer communication
A: Port 443 (SSL).  It’s the same port as Register Today.

AutoCAD stops running after installing Norton 360 Version 3.0

After you installed Norton 360 3.0, you encountered problems with AutoCAD. For example, when trying to open a file through the "Open" dialog, or try to save a file with the SAVEAS command, AutoCAD will hang.

Symantec have released an AutoCAD specific fix for this issue which can be downloaded here:

Download Norton 360 Fix Tool

Updated ScriptPro now available

An updated version of ScriptPro has been released and is available for download from AutoCAD Services & Support.

The only change was an update to the installer so that it will work for AutoCAD 2007 through AutoCAD 2010. ScriptPro is a VB application and is only supported on 32-bit AutoCAD.

Removing the License Transfer Utility from Deployments

Autodesk 2010 standalone licensed products now include a new Online License Transfer Utility (LTU). The LTU is the new method for transferring your standalone license activation to another system and replaces the Portable License Utility (PLU) that was included with legacy Autodesk products.

The License Transfer Utility is product-specific and a separate shortcut will reside in the Start menu for each product.

Since it may be that CAD managers won't want to provide the option to allow users to transfer their standalone AutoCAD licenses, this option can be removed when creating deployments. Pick the Configure button on the "Review - Configure - Create Deployments" screen of the deployment wizard. Once you reach the "Select the Installation Type" screen, choose the Custom radio button and you'll find the License Transfer Utility option in the list. Uncheck this option and it won't be included in the deployment.

This is also available when doing a standard installation of AutoCAD 2010.