FME Desktop

Administrator's Guide
FME Desktop 2021.2
TOC
Notices 8
Intended Audience 10
Support and Resources 11
Training 11
Downloads & Documentation 11
FME Community 12
Support 12
Live Chat/Leave a Message 12
Safe Software Partner Program 12
Accessing Product Help Files 14
To change the default help location 14
Getting Started and System Requirements 15
Before You Begin 15
Prerequisites 15
Other Requirements 16
Check for Active Subscription (Red Hat Only) 16
EPEL Package Repository 16
NumPy and Matplotlib 16
Determining the FME License Type to Install 17
Single-Fixed License 17
Floating License 17
Glossary of Terms 18
Installing FME Desktop 20

Table of Contents 2
 Installing FME Desktop on Microsoft Windows 20
Installing FME Desktop from the Windows Command Prompt 22
About the Installer 22
Performing an Installation 23
Example Syntax 23
Executable Parameters 23
Installing from the MSI 24
MSI-Specific Parameters 24
Post-Install Tasks 30
Licensing FME Desktop from the Windows Command Prompt 30
MSSQL Formats Only 31
Updating to a Newer FME Version 31
Installing FME Desktop on Linux 32
Updating to a Newer FME Version 32
Uninstalling 33
What's Next? 33
Updating Linux 33
Debian, Ubuntu 34
RedHat, CentOS 34
What's Next? 34
Installing 34
Downloading the Installer 35
Running the Installer Using the Package Manager 35
Running the Installer Using the Command Line 35
Debian package: 35

Table of Contents 3
 RedHat, CentOS package: 35
What's Next? 36
Multiple Installations of FME Desktop in Parallel 36
Installing FME Desktop on Mac 37
Licensing 38
Installing a Single-Fixed License 38
Before You Begin 38
Activating a Single-Fixed License 38
Troubleshooting 39
Other Licensing Options 39
Installing a License File Provided by Safe Software 40
Troubleshooting Single-Fixed Licenses 41
About the Registration Key 41
Changing Computers 42
Virtual Machines 42
The Licensing Wizard fails with "Unable to create local license files" error mes-
sage 43
I installed my license but I still cannot run FME Workbench 43
FME is licensed but I am still having licensing trouble 44
About Floating Licenses 45
Three-Server Redundant Floating Licenses 47
Installing a Floating License on Windows 48
Before You Begin 48
Download and Run the Installer 49
Request and Install the License 50

Table of Contents 4
 Install FME on Client Computers 52
Start FME Registration 52
Installing a Floating License on Linux 52
Before You Begin 53
Locate the Flexera License Manager Files 54
Create a Directory for the Flexera License Manager 54
Provide the Information to Generate a Floating License 54
Obtaining the Hostname 55
Determining the Host ID 55
Determining the FME Serial Number 55
Install the Floating License 56
Configuring FME Desktop to Use the Floating License 56
Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Windows 57
Before You Begin 57
Download and Run the Installer (Three-Server Redundant Floating License
Server) 58
Start the License Servers 60
Install FME on Client Computers 61
Start FME Registration 61
Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Linux 62
Before You Begin 62
Download and Run the Installer 63
Start the License Servers 63
Configuring FME Desktop to Use the Floating License 64
Monitoring Floating License Use 65

Table of Contents 5
 Interpreting the output of the lmstat query 67
Specifying Floating License Server Ports 68
To specify Floating License Server Ports 68
Borrowing a Floating License 69
Connect to the Floating License Server 70
Specify the Terms of the License 71
Return the License 71
Restricting Licenses to Users or Groups 72
Troubleshooting Floating Licenses 72
Specifying the FME Edition to Use 72
To specify the FME Edition to Use 73
System error 1067 has occurred 73
Symptoms 73
Cause 74
Resolution 74
The License Server will not Start on Linux 74
Symptoms 74
Cause 74
Resolution 75
Access to Floating License Times Out Over VPN 75
Licensing from the Linux Command Line 75
Getting Your Current Licensing Status 77
Other Common Tasks 78
Installing the Software Development Kit for FME Desktop 78
Installing Grid Shift Files 78

Table of Contents 6
 Installing Grid Shift Files on Windows 78
Installing Grid Shift Files on Linux 79
Using FME Desktop with Third-Party Applications 79
About the FME Integration Console 80
Installation Notes 80
Using the Integration Console 80
Integration Console Menus and Windows 81
Log Pane 81
Properties Pane 81
Extending Applications 83
Reverting Applications 85
Troubleshooting 85

Table of Contents 7
Notices
Safe Software Inc. makes no warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not lim-
ited to, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
regarding these materials, and makes such materials available solely on an “as-is” basis.
In no event shall Safe Software Inc. be liable to anyone for special, collateral, incidental,
or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of purchase or use of these
materials. The sole and exclusive liability of Safe Software Inc., regardless of the form or
action, shall not exceed the purchase price of the materials described herein.
This manual describes the functionality and use of the software at the time of pub-
lication. The software described herein, and the descriptions themselves, are subject to
change without notice.

Copyright
© 1994 – 2021 Safe Software Inc. All rights are reserved.

Revisions
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this document. Safe Software Inc.
regrets any errors and omissions that may occur and would appreciate being informed
of any errors found. Safe Software Inc. will correct any such errors and omissions in a
subsequent version, as feasible. Please contact us at:
Safe Software Inc.
Suite 1200 – 9639 137A Street
Surrey, BC, Canada V3T 0M1
www.safe.com

8
Safe Software Inc. assumes no responsibility for any errors in this document or their con-
sequences, and reserves the right to make improvements and changes to this document
without notice.

Trademarks
FME is a registered trademark of Safe Software Inc.
All brands and their product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such.

Document Information

Document FME Desktop Administrator's

Name: Guide

Version: FME Desktop 2021.2

Updated: September 2021

9
Intended Audience
The FME Desktop Administrator's Guide is intended for system administrators and any-
one who is responsible for installing and licensing FME Desktop.
For FME Server installation and licensing procedures, see the FME Server Administrator’s
Guide, located at http://docs.safe.com/fme/html/FME_Server_Docu-
mentation/Default.htm.

10
Support and Resources
Get the support you need from Safe Software.

Training
Training courses on FME Desktop are offered by Safe Software and our reseller network.
Access training at https://www.safe.com/training/live-online/.

l Recorded: Take our full-length FME training courses for free at your own pace. Each
course includes hours of instructional video from one of our trainers, hands-on exer-
cises with sample data, and a copy of the course manual.
l Live Online: Get live hands-on training from FME-certified trainers in our virtual
classroom. All of Safe Software's online courses include a virtual machine complete
with FME license, sample data, workspaces, and a copy of the course manual.
l In-Person: Browse a list of FME training courses held in cities throughout the world.

Or, contact your Safe Software account manager or your FME reseller to arrange a
private training course for your organization.

Downloads & Documentation

Access the latest FME betas, service packs, documentation and other helpful technical
resources.
Access FME Downloads
Access FME Documentation

Support and Resources 11

FME Community
The FME Community (https://community.safe.com/s/) is the online source for all inform-
ation on Safe Software products, including:

l Knowledge Base: Our library of authoritative how-to's, FAQs, demos, and more.
l Community Answers: Ask questions and get answers from our community of cus-
tomers and partners.
l Ideas Exchange: Help improve FME. Suggest, vote, and comment on new features.

Support
We are happy to help. Visit https://community.safe.com/s/support for more information.

Live Chat/Leave a Message

Not able to find what you want? We are online or only a message away. On almost every
page at www.safe.com, you will see a dialog that allows you to ask us a question.

Safe Software Partner Program

At Safe Software, we are enthusiastic about equipping people with tools and training.
We have several partner programs designed to promote the development of FME skills
and extend FME's capabilities to suit your specific needs:

l Value-Added Resellers (VAR) Program: Represent an established brand in your

region.
l Consultant Partner Program: Receive FME tools and training that you can use to help
your clients.

Support and Resources 12

 l Developer Partner Program: Obtain an FME development license to extend the tech-
nology to work within your own applications.

Support and Resources 13

Accessing Product Help Files
In-depth technical reference documentation is available on the safe.com website at
https://community.safe.com/s/documentation, and is also included with your
FME installation.
By default, when Help is invoked from any FME Desktop tool (FME Workbench, FME Data
Inspector, and others), it is opened from the safe.com website. This means that you will
always see the latest help topics for updates and for new features.
You can change this default behavior and access product documentation from the help
files that are installed locally (for example, if Internet access is unreliable or is not avail-
able).

To change the default help location

1. Start FME Workbench.
2. On the menu bar, click Tools and select FME Options.
3. On the sidebar of the FME Options page, click Default Paths.
4. Under "Documentation Help Locations," click the checkbox beside Use Offline
Help.
5. Click OK.
6. Restart FME Workbench.

Accessing Product Help Files 14

Getting Started and System
Requirements
Before You Begin
Before installing FME Desktop, Safe Software recommends that you exit all programs,
and ensure that the installation directory has access permission for all FME users who
may log onto that computer.

In this Section

Prerequisites
l You have system administrator privileges in the installation environment.
l The installation environment must meet the minimum requirements listed on the
FME Desktop Technical Specifications.
l If you have purchased FME Desktop, you will need:
l The FME Desktop installer. If you do not already have the installer, download it
from here.
l The Serial number or license file that was provided by Safe Software. To get your
serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing FME
Desktop.

l If you are evaluating FME Desktop, obtain the FME Desktop Trial Installer. If you
require assistance after installing, contact fmetrial@safe.com.

Getting Started and System Requirements 15

Other Requirements

Windows
l
Note: To install FME on a server for use with a thin-end client (for example, a
Citrix® installation), you must use an FME floating license. To install floating
licenses, you must be running a TCP/IP network.

Linux: Red Hat and CentOS

Check for Active Subscription (Red Hat Only)

FME may not be installed on a Red Hat instance unless it has an active subscription.
For more information:
l https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_subscription_man-
agement/1/html/quick_registration_for_rhel/

EPEL Package Repository

On Red Hat or CentOS, you must first download and install the Extra Package for
Enterprise Linux (EPEL) Community Project repository.
For more information:
l https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL#How_can_I_use_these_extra_packages.3F

See also:
l http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/article/install-epel-and-addi-
tional-repositories-on-centos-and-red-hat

NumPy and Matplotlib

NumPy and Matplotlib must be installed, via pip and pip3. This may be done before
or after installing FME.

Getting Started and System Requirements 16

Determining the FME License Type to Install
Safe Software offers flexible licensing options for FME.
The type of license that you receive (fixed or floating) is determined at the time of your
request for evaluation or purchase.

Single-Fixed License
A single-fixed FME license (also known as node-locked or CRC license) enables FME to
work on a single specified computer. The FME Licensing Assistant generates a unique
registration key for that computer, which is used to create the license. If FME is installed
on more than one computer, each computer requires its own license.
By default, all evaluation licenses are single-fixed, unless you specify otherwise.
We recommend using a floating license when installing FME on a virtual machine. Safe
Software may not provide updated license files if the registration key of the physical
machine is no longer valid due to frequent hardware changes. For more information, see
About Floating Licenses.

l Installing Single-Fixed Licenses

Floating License
A floating license means that a single computer is provided with a number of licenses
and acts as a server by issuing these licenses to any other computer that requests one. A
floating license is a common way for a company to share a limited number of licenses
among its FME users.
A FlexNet software license manager provides the floating license capability to FME. The
FlexNet software is installed on a computer that acts as a license server. Every time FME
is started on a computer, the server issues a license, provided there is one still available.
When a computer closes FME, that license is returned. For example, consider a five-seat

Getting Started and System Requirements 17

floating license and 30 workstation computers. Each workstation has FME installed. Any
workstation can run FME, but only a maximum of five at any one time.
To install FME on a server for use with a thin-end client (for example a Citrix/Winframe
installation), it is highly recommended that you use a floating license. Fixed licenses can
be used, but keep in mind that you will need a fixed license for each user who will be
making use of the software.
For failover purposes, there is an additional option to install an array of three licenses
on three separate servers.
For more information, see About Floating Licenses.

Glossary of Terms
Activation

Associating a registration key with a single-fixed license, using the FME Licensing Assist-
ant.

Borrowing (a floating license)

If your FME Desktop product uses a floating license, and your organization supports this
option, a computer that will not be connected to the license server can borrow a license
for offline use and run FME for a maximum of 30 days.

The computer must be connected to the license server at the time of borrowing.

Floating License

A floating license means that a single computer is provided with a number of licenses
and acts as a server by issuing these licenses to any other computer that requests one. A
floating license is a common way for a company to share a limited number of licenses
among its FME users.

Getting Started and System Requirements 18

Floating License Manager

A FlexNet software license manager provides the floating license capability to FME. The
FlexNet software is installed on a computer that acts as a license server. Every time FME
is started on a computer, the server issues a license, provided there is one still available.
When a computer closes FME, that license is returned. For example, consider a five-seat
floating license and 30 workstation computers. Each workstation has FME installed. Any
workstation can run FME, but only a maximum of five at any one time.

Grid Shift File

Grid shift files are used when reprojecting between coordinate systems that have dif-
ferent datums. FME supports conversions between coordinate systems using different
datums. Many datum transformations are not mathematically definable and require the
use of grid of shifts. If you attempt to make a datum transformation of this kind without
the appropriate grid shift file in place FME will abort the translation.

Single-Fixed License

A single-fixed FME license (also known as node-locked or CRC license) enables FME to
work on a single specified computer. The FME Licensing Assistant generates a unique
registration key for that computer, which is used to create the license. If FME is installed
on more than one computer, each computer requires its own license.

Getting Started and System Requirements 19

Installing FME Desktop

Installing FME Desktop on Microsoft Windows

1. If you downloaded FME from www.safe.com, double-click the downloaded file.
2. On the FME Desktop Installation Extractor dialog, specify a Destination folder in
which to extract installation files. Note that this folder only specifies where install-
ation files are extracted—it does not specify where FME Desktop program files are
installed. That location is specified later in the installer.

Tip: Take note of the specified Destination folder location. Following install-
ation, you may wish to:
Review the installation .log file
Remove these files to save disk space.

3. Click Install.
4. When extraction is complete, the installer opens. On the Welcome to FME Desktop
screen, click Next.
5. Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.

Express or Custom Install?

The FME Desktop installer gives you the option of an Express or Custom install-
ation. If you choose Express, the following installation settings are configured auto-
matically. If you choose Custom, the installer gives you the option of configuring
each setting separately.

Note: If you choose Custom, FME saves the specified settings as new default
values for subsequent Express installations on the same machine.

Installing FME Desktop 20

 Setting Description Default
Value in
an Ini-
tial
Express
Install
Associate FME Whether to associate FME Desktop with its supported file Yes
with the sup- formats, which enables Windows Explorer right-click
ported file functionality to open, view, translate, and transform files
formats using FME Desktop.
Install Python Whether to include an optional Python 2.7 interpreter No
2.7 with the installation. (A Python 3.7 interpreter is
installed by default.)

WARNING: The Python 2.7 interpreter relies on the

Visual Studio 2008 runtime, which has security vul-
nerabilities. If you have existing FME Desktop work-
spaces that reference Python 2.7, we strongly
recommend upgrading them to reference Python 3.x
in lieu of installing the Python 2.7 interpreter.

Install Soft- Whether to install the SDK, which provides access to No

ware Devel- FME Objects and FME Plug-in Builder APIs. You can use
opment Kit the APIs to create your own applications and plug-ins
that make use of FME functionality.
Implicit Whether implicit NAD27 to NAD83 datum shifts use Cana- None
NAD27 <-> dian or U.S. grid shift files. If None, FME prompts for a

Installing FME Desktop 21

 Setting Description Default
Value in
an Ini-
tial
Express
Install
NAD83 Datum selection at workspace runtime.
Shift
Note: You can change this setting after installation
in the FME Options menu. For more information, see
Coordinate Systems.

6. When FME is finished installing, the Licensing Assistant starts.

Installing FME Desktop from the Windows Command Prompt

We recommend installing FME Desktop using the installation wizard. However, installing
from the command prompt may be useful when you want to perform a silent or remote
installation.

About the Installer

The FME Desktop installer is a self-extracting executable from which you can directly call
an installer package (MSI) in a single command. Alternatively, you can manually extract
installation files, then call the MSI file to silently install.

Note: A command prompt installation does not prompt you to uninstall any pre-
vious versions of FME that are in the same folder. We strongly recommend that you
uninstall any previous FME before silently installing another into the same folder.

Installing FME Desktop 22

Performing an Installation
Example Syntax

Extract the installer to C:\FME\installer and install with all

default options
This examples assumes you are running a command line from a directory that contains
an installer named fme-desktop-win-x64.exe.
fme-desktop-win-x64.exe -d"C:\FME\installer" -s -sp"/qb /nore-
start INSTALLLEVEL=3 ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_TASKS=no"

Extract the installer to C:\FME\installer and install to C:\Pro-

gram Files\FME12345
This examples assumes you are running PowerShell from a directory that contains an
installer named fme-desktop-win-x64.exe.
./fme-desktop-win-x64.exe -d"C:\FME\installer" -s -sp"/qb /nore-
start INSTALLLEVEL=3 ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_TASKS=no INSTALLDIR-
R=""""""""C:\Program Files\FME12345"""""""""

Executable Parameters
-d<path>

Sets the destination folder for unpacked files.

-s, -s1, -s2

Silent mode. Switch -s is a brief form of -s1. Both -s and -s1 hide the main dialog and
extraction progress. -s2 hides the start dialog, but extraction progress is displayed.
-sp<par>

Silent parameters to pass to the extracted MSI installer when it is run. For more inform-
ation, see MSI-Specific Parameters, below.

Note: Quotations must be escaped with eight quotations (see example, above).

Installing FME Desktop 23

Installing from the MSI

Use the following syntax to perform a silent installtion from an MSI that was already
extracted manually from the installer executable.

Note: You may need to unblock the downloaded .msi file in order to run it. To
unblock a file, use the Unblock-File command in the Windows PowerShell utility.
For more information, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/-
powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/unblock-file?view=powershell-6.
msiexec /i <path_to_installer> /qb INSTALLLEVEL=3
INSTALLDIR="<installdir>" ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_TASKS=no

Example:
msiexec /i fme_beta.msi /qb INSTALLLEVEL=3 INSTALLDIR="C:\Program
Files\FME" ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_TASKS=no

Note: INSTALLLEVEL=3 must always be specified when installing silently from the
command line.

MSI-Specific Parameters

Flags

Note: To view all flags, type msiexec and hit Enter.

/i <installFile.msi>

Installs the package specified by <installFile.msi> on your computer.

/q[n|b]

Quiet mode. If /qb is specified, a dialog with a progress bar displays, but there is no user
interaction. If /qn is specified, no GUI displays.
When /qn is specified, the installer appears to return immediately; however, the install-
ation process continues to run in the background. When installing silently, we recom-
mend enabling logging (see below) so you can check for errors.

Installing FME Desktop 24

/x <installFile.msi>

Uninstalls <installFile.msi> if it is installed on your system.

/l*v <logfile>

Enables verbose logging of the installation to <logfile>.

Directives

Directives are specified after flags, in the following format:

<directive name>=<directive value>

General Directives
INSTALLLEVEL

If installing with the /q flag, the directive INSTALLLEVEL=3 must be specified for the
installation to proceed correctly.
INSTALLDIR

Specifies the full path location of the main installation directory. If the directory does
not exist, it is created. Spaces may be used with quotes.
The default path is C:\Program Files\FME on Windows XP, and C:\apps\FME on Windows
Vista and later.

Installer Behavior Directives

The following directives affect the installer's runtime behavior.

EXTRACTONLY

Extracts the .msi installation file, but does not run the installer. A C++ runtime package
and MSSQL driver only are installed.
ENABLE_SOUNDEVENTS

Sets up sound events. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
CHECK_ADMIN_RIGHTS

Installing FME Desktop 25

Checks to ensure that the user installing FME has admin privileges. Allowed values are
yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_SHORTCUTS

Creates shortcuts in the Windows Start menu. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sens-
itive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_FILETYPE_REGISTRATION

Enables FME applications to view, open, and work with FME files and GIS data files.
Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_PATH_UPDATE

Allows the installer to update the PATH environment variable. Allowed values are yes
and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_STANDARD_EXE_INSTALLATION

Installs all of the standard FME executables (Data Inspector, Workbench, etc). Allowed
values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_LICENSE_COPY

Allows the installer to search for old license files, and copy them into the current install-
ation folder if present. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_TASKS

Controls whether the license wizard is run after the installer has completed. See also
FMEREG_CMDLINE (below). Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
FMEREG_CMDLINE

Passes values into the license wizard (fmelicensingassistant_cmd.exe) at install time to

automate licensing, using syntax similar to Licensing FME Desktop from the Windows
Command Prompt. For example, to license FME with a Smallworld license on floating

Installing FME Desktop 26

license server named "license_server", specify FMEREG_CMDLINE="--floating license_
server smallworld". For license type (FME edition) values, see Specifying the
FME Edition to Use.
ENABLE_ZERO_SIDE_EFFECT

Sets the following options to "no":

ENABLE_SOUNDEVENTS, CHECK_ADMIN_RIGHTS,INSTALL_SYSTEM_DLLS, ENABLE_
SHORTCUTS,ENABLE_FILETYPE_REGISTRATION, ENABLE_POST_INSTALL_
TASKS,ENABLE_PATH_UPDATE,ENABLE_LICENSE_COPY
Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is no.
ENABLE_NAD83_NAD27_DATUMSHIFTS

Controls whether implicit NAD27 to NAD83 Datum Transformation is set to USA or

CANADA. Allowed values are yes, no and none. Default is no, which sets this directive to
USA. A yes setting specifies CANADA only. Specifying none disable the transformation,
which causes workspaces to error when trying to use that shift.
REPORTSTATISTICS

Controls whether statistics about format and transformer use are sent to Safe Software.
Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.

File Installation Directives

Some files that are installed by the installer can be omitted by these directives.
INSTALL_USER_DOCUMENTS

Installs directories to the user's 'Documents' folder, including a 'My FME Workspaces'
folder. Default is yes.
INSTALL_SYSTEM_DLLS

Updates older system DLLs as needed, and run the Microsoft Visual Studio C++ Runtime
Installer. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.

Installing FME Desktop 27

If set to no, the user is responsible for manually running the C++ Runtime installer, and
ensuring that atl.dll and atl71.dll are installed on the target system. This option is not
recommended, and may lead to non-functional FME installations.
INSTALL_THIRDPARTY

Installs application extenders. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
Enabling application extenders is controlled by the FME Administrator.
INSTALL_FMEOBJECTS

Installs FME Objects DLLs and other components. Allowed values are yes and no (case-
sensitive). Default is yes. For more information, see Installing the Software Development
Kit for FME Desktop.
INSTALL_GALLERY

Installs the gallery directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
INSTALL_HELP

Installs the help directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_HELP_DLL

Installs the help DLLs. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_METAFILE

Installs the metafile directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
INSTALL_PLUGINBUILDER

Installs the pluginbuilder directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive).
Default is yes.

Installing FME Desktop 28

INSTALL_REPROJECT

Installs the Reproject directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
INSTALL_TCL

Installs the tcl directory. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_WORKBENCH_EXE

Installs the the FME Workbench application. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sens-
itive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_FME_EXE

Installs the fmeapplication. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
INSTALL_FMEADMIN_EXE

Installs the FME Administrator application. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sens-
itive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_FMEVIEW_EXE

Installs the FME Universal Viewer application. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sens-
itive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_FMEGUI_EXE

Installs the FME Universal Translator application. Allowed values are yes and no (case-
sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_FMEREG_EXE

Installs the FME Licensing Assistant application. Allowed values are yes and no (case-
sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_WHATSNEW

Installing FME Desktop 29

Installs the what's new/great text files. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive).
Default is yes.
INSTALL_FMECOMUTIL_DLL

Installs the fmecomutil DLL. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is
yes.
INSTALL_FME_SHELLEXT_DLL

Installs the fme shell extension DLL. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive).
Default is yes.
INSTALL_SPATIAL_ASSISTANT_EXE

Installs spatialassistant.exe. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is

yes.
INSTALL_FMEGEOS_DLL

Installs geos_fme.dll. Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is yes.
INSTALL_PYTHON27

Installs a Python 2.7 interpreter. (A Python 3.7 interpreter is installed by default.)

Allowed values are yes and no (case-sensitive). Default is no.

WARNING: The Python 2.7 interpreter relies on the Visual Studio 2008 runtime, which
has security vulnerabilities. If you have existing FME Desktop workspaces that ref-
erence Python 2.7, we strongly recommend upgrading them to reference Python 3.x
in lieu of installing the Python 2.7 interpreter.

Post-Install Tasks
Licensing FME Desktop from the Windows Command Prompt

Expand for Details

You can activate an FME installation for a floating license using the following syntax:

Installing FME Desktop 30

fmelicensingassistant --floating <server>[:<port>] <license type>

For example:
fmelicensingassistant --floating testserver oracle

To get the proper values for <license type>, run:

fmelicensingassistant_cmd.exe --query <server>[:<port>]

For example:
fmelicensingassistant_cmd.exe --query testserver

MSSQL Formats Only

Expand for Details

If you plan to run workspaces that reference Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Data-
base (MSSQL_*) readers and writers, you must manually install the OLE DB Driver for
SQL Server and Microsoft System CLR Types for SQL Server. To install, navigate to the
[INSTALLDIR] and run:
msiexec /i msoledbsql.msi /qb IACCEPTMSOLEDBSQLLICENSETERMS=YES
msiexec /i SQLSysClrTypes.msi /qb

Updating to a Newer FME Version

If you are updating to a newer version of FME, follow these steps.

Make sure you back up or relocate any custom files that you have saved in your FME
installation directory.

1. Download and run the new installation file.

2. On the FME Desktop Installation Extractor dialog, specify a Destination folder in
which to extract installation files. Note that this folder only specifies where install-
ation files are extracted—it does not specify where FME Desktop program files are
installed.

Installing FME Desktop 31

 Tip: Take note of the specified Destination folder location. Following install-
ation, you may wish to:
Review the installation .log file
Remove these files to save disk space.

3. Click Install.
4. When extraction is complete, the installer opens. On the Welcome to FME Desktop
screen, click Next.
5. On the Destination Folder dialog, specify a destination folder and click Next.
6. If the installation wizard finds a previously installed version of FME in the specified
destination folder, the installation wizard asks if you would like to uninstall it. If
you answer Yes, click Next. If you answer No, click Back and enter a new des-
tination folder. You can install multiple versions of FME Desktop.
7. follow the remaining instructions in the installation wizard.

Installing FME Desktop on Linux

Updating to a Newer FME Version 32

Updating Linux 33

Installing 34

Multiple Installations of FME Desktop in Parallel 36

Updating to a Newer FME Version

If you are updating to a newer version of FME Desktop, you must first manually uninstall
the earlier version. Alternatively, you can install to a different directory and have mul-
tiple versions of FME Desktop (see Updating to a Newer FME Version, below).

Installing FME Desktop 32

Make sure you back up or relocate any custom files that you have saved in your FME
installation directory.

Uninstalling
Run the following command, "as root", depending on your Linux distribution:

l Debian, Ubuntu:
apt remove fme-desktop-<release>

For example:
apt remove fme-desktop-2018
l RedHat, CentOS:
yum remove fme-desktop-<release>

For example:
yum remove fme-desktop-2018

What's Next?
Proceed to Updating Linux.

Updating Linux
To avoid dependency errors, we recommend updating Linux before installing.

Offline Updating and Installation

FME on Linux requires many third party packages. These dependencies must be satisfied
when FME is installed. The easiest way to satisfy these dependencies is to install FME on
a computer that is connected to the internet, allowing packages to be downloaded as
needed.
It is possible, however, to manually prepare an offline computer for FME installation.
For more information:

Installing FME Desktop 33

 l Ubuntu/Debian: Installing packages without an Internet connection
l Red Hat/CentOS: https://access.redhat.com/solutions/29269

Dependencies can be determined on-demand by using one of the following commands

l Ubuntu/Debian: dpkg -I <package_name>

l Red Hat/CentOS: yum deplist <package_name>

WARNING: If you are accessing local mirrors of public repositories, ensure they
match the version of your Linux.

Debian, Ubuntu
apt update && apt upgrade

RedHat, CentOS
yum update

What's Next?
Proceed to Installing.

Installing
Before installing, be sure to:

1. Review the installation Prerequisites.

2. Update Linux.

All installation steps must be performed "as root" (via the sudo command on some dis-
tributions). FME Desktop is installed for ALL users.
The install location is /opt/fme-desktop-<release>. (For example, /opt/fme-desktop-
2017.) When complete, the installer generates a configuration (.cfg) file to the install dir-
ectory.

Installing FME Desktop 34

The following installers are available:

Platform Installer Name Example

Debian, fme-desktop-<release>_ fme-desktop-2017_
Ubuntu <version>.<build>_amd64.deb 2017.0.0.0.17228~ubuntu.18.04_
amd64.deb
RedHat, fme-desktop-<release>-<version>- fme-desktop-2017-2017.0.0.0-17228.el7.-
CentOS <build>.x86_64.rpm centos.x86_64.rpm

Downloading the Installer

Download the FME Desktop Installer to your local machine. To obtain the installer, visit
http://www.safe.com/support/downloads.php.
Running the Installer Using the Package Manager

To use the package manager to install FME Desktop and all dependencies, double-click
on the package.

Note: The Debian installation package does not support the Ubuntu Unity package
manager previous to version 16.04.2. Instead, use the command line to install.

Running the Installer Using the Command Line

Run the following commands, depending on your Linux platform, substituting

<release>, <version>, and <build> with the corresponding values from your installer
name.
Debian package:
If gdebi is not already installed: apt install gdebi-core
gdebi fme-desktop-<release>_<version>~ubuntu.<build>_amd64.deb
RedHat, CentOS package:
yum install fme-desktop-<release>-<version>.e17.centos.x86_
64.rpm

Installing FME Desktop 35

Alternatively, to install to a non-default location, you must first manually install
FME dependencies:
yum deplist fme-desktop-<release>-<version>.el7.centos.x86_
64.rpm | grep provider | awk '{print $2}' | sort | uniq | sed
':a;N;$!ba;s/\n/ /g' | xargs yum install -y

Next, run:
rpm -Uvh --relocate /opt=/usr/etc/fme --relocate /us-
r=/usr/fmeicons fme-desktop-<release>-<version>.el7.centos.x86_
64.rpm

Each --relocate argument relocates a prefix to a new location. In the preceding

example, fme installs to /usr/etc/fme/fme-desktop-<release> and the icons, shortcuts,
and others will install to /usr/fmeicons. Note that these arguments are optional, you can
relocate both prefixes, one, or none.

What's Next?
To license FME Desktop, see Licensing.

Multiple Installations of FME Desktop in Parallel

If you want to have multiple of installations of FME Desktop on the same system, we
recommend the following procedure:

1. Install the first copy of FME Desktop as described in Installing FME Desktop on
Linux.
2. Copy the contents of the install directory (/opt/fme-desktop-<release>) to another
location (for example, /home/user/fme-desktop-b18228).
3. Install the second copy of FME Desktop as described in Installing FME Desktop on
Linux.

Installing FME Desktop 36

 4. Run the first copy of FME Desktop directly from the location to which it was copied
(for example, /home/user/fme-desktop-b18228) - not from a desktop shortcut.
You can run the second copy of FME Desktop from a desktop shortcut, which
points to the original install location (/opt/fme-desktop-<release>).

Installing FME Desktop on Mac

1. Double-click the FME Desktop.dmg file.
2. On the FME Desktop Installer dialog, double-click the FME icon.
3. Follow the instructions in the installation wizard.
4. When FME finishes installing, the Licensing Assistant starts.

Installing FME Desktop 37

Licensing
Installing a Single-Fixed License 38

About Floating Licenses 45

Licensing from the Linux Command Line 75

Getting Your Current Licensing Status 77

Installing a Single-Fixed License

A single-fixed FME license (also known as node-locked or CRC license) enables FME to
work on a single specified computer. The FME Licensing Assistant generates a unique
registration key for that computer, which is used to create the license. If FME is installed
on more than one computer, each computer requires its own license.

Before You Begin

To get your serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing
FME Desktop. If you do not know or cannot find your serial number, please send an e-
mail to codes@safe.com to request a license file.
To activate your license you will need an Internet connection.

Activating a Single-Fixed License

If you have a serial number and an Internet connection, follow these steps to activate a
fixed license from Safe Software.
If you already have a licensed installation, you will be prompted to update it.

1. Open the FME Licensing Assistant

l On Windows, the Licensing Assistant is in the Start menu under FME Desktop,
or fmelicensingassistant.exe in the root folder of the FME Desktop install

Licensing 38
 directory.
l On Linux, the Licensing Assistant is in the Applications menu, or in the root
folder of the FME Desktop install directory.
l On Mac, /Library/FME/<version>/Apps/FME Licensing Assistant.

2. The FME Licensing Assistant opens.

3. On the Activate FME Desktop License dialog, select Fixed license (under "Have a
license?"). Enter the Serial Number in the corresponding field, and click Activate.
To get your serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after pur-
chasing FME Desktop.
4. On the License Summary dialog, click Finish.

You will see a confirmation message when FME Desktop is successfully licensed.

Troubleshooting
If you change your system's hardware configuration after installation, or move your
installation to a new system, your license may not work and you will need to enter your
serial number into the licensing assistant as described above.
If you are unable to use the FME Licensing Assistant to activate a license, see Installing a
License File Provided by Safe Software.

Other Licensing Options

l To connect to a floating license server, see Installing a Floating License Server on

Microsoft Windows.
l To activate a trial version of FME, visit: https://www.safe.com/fme/fme-desktop/trial-
download/

Licensing 39
Installing a License File Provided by Safe Software
Follow the steps below if you have a problem with the automated license generator. If
this happens, you will need to install a license file (*.fmelic) provided by Safe Soft-
ware.
For Linux users, you must log in as the same user who installed FME Desktop.

1. Go to the FME Desktop License Activation web page (http://www.safe.-

com/activation/).
2. Provide the following:
l Serial number – To get your serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you
received after purchasing FME Desktop.
l Registration key – This is the 10-digit number located at the bottom left
corner of the install pane of the FME Desktop Licensing Assistant. Click the num-
ber to copy it.
3. Click Retrieve License File and download the file.

If the previous steps are unsuccessful, you can also send an e-mail message to
codes@safe.com with your serial number and registration key. You will receive an
e-mail message from Safe Software with an attached .fmelic license file.
4. Open the FME Desktop Licensing Assistant (fmelicensingassistant.exe)
l On Windows, the Licensing Assistant is in the Start menu under FME Desktop,
or fmelicensingassistant.exe in the root folder of the FME Desktop install dir-
ectory.
l On Linux, the Licensing Assistant is in the Applications menu, or in the root
folder of the FME Desktop install directory.
l On Mac, the Licensing Assistant is in /Library/FME/<version>/Apps/FME Licens-
ing Assistant.

Licensing 40
 5. On the Activate FME Desktop License dialog, expand Manual licensing.
6. Provide the license file, either as a path, or by copying and pasting the contents of
the file directly in the field provided.
7. Click Activate.
8. On the License Summary page, click Finish.

FME Desktop is successfully licensed.

Licenses are tied to physical properties of systems. If you change your system's hard-
ware configuration, your FME license may not work and you will need to request a new
one.

Troubleshooting Single-Fixed Licenses

About the Registration Key

A registration key is a unique ID generated from system information by the FME Licens-
ing Assistant. It is Safe's method of limiting a single-fixed license to a single computer.
Safe needs the registration key from your installation to create a license for FME.
In most cases, such as when you are requesting an evaluation license or a new license
for an updated FME version, the Licensing Assistant is able to pass the key on to Safe
automatically, allowing us to create a matching license immediately.

However, in some cases, you will need to quote the number to us directly. Some
examples of when this may happen are:

l The connection to the Safe server is not working.

l We need to see the code to help debug a license problem.

The registration key is shown in the bottom left of the FME Licensing Assistant. (You can
hover over and copy it.)

Licensing 41
It can also be found in FME Workbench or Data Inspector under Help > About... > More
Info.

Changing Computers

When you move FME to another computer, you will need a new license, since the new
computer's registration key will not match the one encoded within your existing license.
Ask for a new license by entering your serial number into the FME Licensing Assistant of
the new computer/FME installation that you wish to license. To get your serial number,
see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing FME Desktop.
The new license created on our Safe license server will be for your new registration key.
If you have any issues, contact codes@safe.com.
Virtual Machines

We recommend using a floating license when installing FME on a virtual machine. Safe
Software may not provide updated license files if the registration key of the physical
machine is no longer valid due to frequent hardware changes. For more information, see
About Floating Licenses.

Licensing 42
The Licensing Wizard fails with "Unable to create local license files" error mes-
sage
This error indicates the Licensing Assistant was not run as Administrator.

To run the Licensing Assistant as Administrator

The Licensing Assistant is in the Start menu under FME Desktop, or fmeli-
censingassistant.exe in the root folder of the FME Desktop install directory. Right-click
and select Run as administrator.
It may also help to delete any existing licenses from these locations:

l The FME installation directory, under \licenses.

l C:\ProgramData\Safe Software\FME\Licenses.

I installed my license but I still cannot run FME Workbench

l Ensure that your machine key matches the key in your license file. Open your license
file at C:\ProgramData\Safe Software\FME\Licenses\fme_license.fmelic in a text
editor. You will see a line labeled MACHINE CODE. The code shown here must match
exactly your registration key shown on the bottom left of the Licensing Assistant1. If
they do not match, you will need to request another license. You cannot edit a
license file directly.
l Does it appear that your license has expired? Ensure you have installed your per-
manent license. If you have not received your permanent license you may need to
request it. A temporary license may also stop working if you have changed the time
and date settings on your computer, and you will need to contact your account man-
ager to request a new license.
l Do you see a message, "Duplicate license file.”? This is not an error, and FME should
still run correctly. At times, an unlicensed FME will try to contact our licensing server
to see if there is a license available for that serial number. If so, it automatically

Licensing 43
 licenses itself. This message is caused when you try to manually license FME using
the same license it has already automatically obtained for itself.
l Do you see a message, "FME Licensing Notice Your current license is AutoDesk Map.
This application cannot be used with current license..."? You may be using a Training
or Generic license. Using your file explorer, navigate to C:\ProgramData\Safe Soft-
ware\FME\Licenses. Delete every file in this directory except the file fme_
license.fmelic. Restart FME Workbench or the FME application you were attempting
to use.
l Do you see a message, "Administrator permissions are required to license FME..."?
The licensing assistant may need to be run with elevated privileges. Right-click on
FME Licensing Assistant, and select Run as administrator.
l If you have confirmed the machine key matches your license file and still cannot
license FME, or you see error code -500 or -501, in rare cases a registry entry may be
blocking your license. Run regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Safe Software Inc.\LICENSE. Delete the key called LICENSE.
l Do you see a message, "License quota exceeded..."? Please contact the Technical
Support Team.
l Do you see another message? Please go to https://-
community.safe.com/s/article/troubleshooting.

1To Run the FME Licensing Assistant, open FME Desktop under the Start menu. In pre-

vious versions of FME this is also known as the FME Licensing Wizard and may be found
in a slightly different location.

FME is licensed but I am still having licensing trouble

l Are you having trouble with a specific format that you cannot see in the format list
or FME cannot read or write to it? Some formats in FME require a higher level of
licensing, and some formats are provided by 3rd party vendors. Also, some formats

Licensing 44
 require another application to be installed. In particular, reading/writing ESRI
Geodatabase requires a licensed ArcGIS installation and GeoMedia Access Ware-
house writing requires a licensed GeoMedia installation. For a complete list of
formats and required helper applications, see http://www.safe.com/fme/format-
search/. If you would like to upgrade your FME to use a specific format, contact your
account manager or sales@safe.com.
l Are you experiencing another problem? Contact the Technical Support Team. It may
help to ensure that you are, in fact, running a fixed license. Please include the
FMEReport.html file by running the FMETroubleshoot.bat file from the General
Troubleshooting page.

About Floating Licenses

A floating license means that a single computer is provided with a number of licenses
and acts as a server by issuing these licenses to any other computer that requests one. A
floating license is a common way for a company to share a limited number of licenses
among its FME users.
A FlexNet software license manager provides the floating license capability to FME. The
FlexNet software is installed on a computer that acts as a license server. Every time FME
is started on a computer, the server issues a license, provided there is one still available.
When a computer closes FME, that license is returned. For example, consider a five-seat
floating license and 30 workstation computers. Each workstation has FME installed. Any
workstation can run FME, but only a maximum of five at any one time.
For a full description, visit the Flexera Software website: http://www.flexera.com.
A floating license serves multiple instances of FME Desktop that are installed locally on
each computer (recommended); or to a single installation on a networked application
server that is accessed remotely by individual users.

Licensing 45
A floating license can serve different FME editions. For example, a floating license can
serve both FME Professional Edition and FME Smallworld Edition.
If the expiry dates associated with multiple FME installation serial numbers vary, the
floating license applies the shortest expiry date to all serial numbers.
If you need to transfer an existing floating license to a new license server, you must per-
form a new installation since you still need to request a new license file from Safe Soft-
ware.

To Install a Floating License

l Installing a Floating License on Windows
l Installing a Floating License on Linux

Licensing 46
Three-Server Redundant Floating Licenses
The Flexera License Manager allows for redundancy by using a set of three license serv-
ers. With three-server redundancy, the floating license server stays functional, handing
out its total complement of licenses when any two of the three license servers are up
and running.
A master server that performs all licensing operations is elected when the redundant
servers are started. The other two servers provide a secure licensing mechanism in the
event of hardware failure or if the master node needs to be rebooted.

It is not a requirement for each of the server nodes to have the same architecture or
operating system, although they should have reliable network communications with
each other and should be on the same subnet. Often, this means that the three servers
are located physically close to each other.

To Install a Three-Server Redundant Floating License

Licensing 47
 l Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Windows
l Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Linux

Installing a Floating License on Windows

To install a floating license on Windows, follow these steps:

1. Before You Begin

2. Download and Run the Installer
3. Request and Install the License
4. Install FME on Client Computers
5. Start FME Registration

Before You Begin

Ensure that the following requirements are met before beginning the installation:

l You must be running a TCP/IP network.

l One computer on the network is designated as the license server. The license server
may be any computer on the network that is visible to all computers that are
dependent on it for their licenses. You should choose a computer that is always run-
ning and always connected to the network because the client computers must be
able to communicate with the license server to use the FME. The processing burden
on the licensing server is negligible.
l You must have Administrator privileges to install the FME Floating License server.
l If the computer you want to use as your floating license server has a firewall, you
must open a port through which the FlexServer can communicate. By default, the
range of ports used is 27000-27009, although you can also configure other ports. For
more information, see Specifying Floating License Server Ports.

Licensing 48
 l If FlexNet is already installed on your license server, you still need to perform a new
installation. FME requires the version of FlexNet that is included in the installer. In
addition, if your organization is configuring license borrowing (see Borrowing a Float-
ing License), you will require LMTOOLS version 11.8 or newer.

The FME license server cannot be installed on a virtual machine that is built and moved
around among many physical machines. It must be locked to a single fixed MAC address.

Download and Run the Installer

The FME installer contains the utility program required to get the license server up and
running:

l fme-flexnet-win-x86.msi (Windows 32-bit)

Or
l fme-flexnet-win-x64.msi (Windows 64-bit)

To download and run

1. On the FME Downloads page, specify the desired version under "Select an
FME Version."
2. Under "Floating License Installer for FME Desktop," specify the applicable Windows
bit version, and click Download.
3. On the computer that acts as the license server, run (double-click) the installer to
create a FlexServer directory.

The following table lists the shortcuts that are created in the Safe Software program
group.

Expand for details

Licensing 49
Shortcut Description
Generate hostid.txt Creates a text file that contains the
hostname and Host ID information
required when requesting a floating
license from www.safe.-
com/activation/floating/.
Launch LMTOOLS Launches LMTOOLS. Used for
debugging or changing con-
figuration.
License Administration Opens Flexera Software’s License
Guide Administration Guide.
Start - Restart FME Starts the license manager process.
License Server
View FME License Server Opens the license manager log file.
Log Used for debugging.
View hostid.txt Reopens text file, if required by Safe
Software.
View Readme Opens the installation and con-
figuration instructions.

Request and Install the License

Perform the following steps on the computer that acts as the license server:

1. From the Windows Start menu, select FlexNet for Safe Software > View hostid.txt to
open the hostid.txt file.

If you are installing FlexNet on Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 and User
Account Control (UAC) is enabled, right-click Start-Restart FME License Server and

Licensing 50
 run this function using administrator privileges. If UAC is not enabled, you do not
have to perform this step.
2. Complete the online license request form:

http://www.safe.com/activation/floating/
You will need a product serial number (for example, BEGP-F7MG-21YL). To get your
serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing FME
Desktop.:
If you do not have a product serial number, e-mail your hostid.txt file to
codes@safe.com.
If you are requesting a combined license and are entering multiple serial numbers,
separate them with commas.
If you do not have hostid.txt and are entering host information manually:
l Hostname is the name of the computer hosting the floating license.
l Host ID is the MAC address (or "Ethernet address") of the host computer (lower-
case, with no colons or dashes).

Your hostid.txt may contain multiple Host IDs; however, you can enter only one in
the online request form.
3. You will receive an email with instructions for installing the license:
a. Save the safe.lic file to the FlexServer directory. For example: C:\Program
Files\FlexServer\

b. Restart the FME License Server:

From the Windows Start menu, select FlexNet for Safe Software> Start -
Restart FME License Server

Licensing 51
Install FME on Client Computers
After the license server is running, install FME on the client computers or on the Network
Server (if you have a fast and non-congested network).
If this is a license upgrade from fixed license to floating license (and not a new FME
installation), then ensure that there are no existing fme_license.dat files in the licenses
directory (commonly at C:\ProgramData\Safe Software\FME\Licenses). Also ensure there
are no FME tasks running before starting the registration process.

Start FME Registration

Perform this step for each computer that has FME installed.
For command prompt instructions, see Licensing FME Desktop from the Windows Com-
mand Prompt.

1. From the Windows Start menu, open the FME Licensing Assistant under FME
Desktop > FME Licensing Assistant.
2. Select Connect to a floating license server, and enter the name of the computer that
is hosting the FME licenses.
3. Click the Next button.
4. If your configuration contains more than one type of FME license, select the license
that you want to use.
5. Click Finish to complete the connection.

Installing a Floating License on Linux

To install a floating license on Linux, follow these steps:

1. Before You Begin

2. Locate the Flexera License Manager Files
3. Create a Directory for the Flexera License Manager

Licensing 52
 4. Provide the Information to Generate a Floating License
5. Install the Floating License
6. Configure FME Desktop to Use the Floating License

Before You Begin

Ensure that the following requirements are met before beginning the installation:

l You must be running a TCP/IP network.

l One computer on the network is designated as the license server. The license server
may be any computer on the network that is visible to all computers that are
dependent on it for their licenses. You should choose a computer that is always run-
ning and always connected to the network because the client computers must be
able to communicate with the license server to use the FME. The processing burden
on the licensing server is negligible.
l You must have Administrator privileges to install the FME Floating License server.
l If the computer you want to use as your floating license server has a firewall, you
must open a port through which the FlexServer can communicate. By default, the
range of ports used is 27000-27009, although you can also configure other ports. For
more information, see Specifying Floating License Server Ports.
l If FlexNet is already installed on your license server, you still need to perform a new
installation. FME requires the version of FlexNet that is included in the installer. In
addition, if your organization is configuring license borrowing (see Borrowing a Float-
ing License), you will require LMTOOLS version 11.8 or newer.

The FME license server cannot be installed on a virtual machine that is built and moved
around among many physical machines. It must be locked to a single fixed MAC address.

Licensing 53
Locate the Flexera License Manager Files
If you have purchased an FME floating or single-fixed license for Linux, copy the
Linux\FlexServer directories from the FME installer. Alternatively, follow these steps:

1. On the FME Downloads page, specify the desired version under Select an
FME Version.
2. Under Floating License Installer for FME Desktop, select Linux 64-bit and click
Download. This will download the file: fme-flexnet-linux-x64.tar.gz

Create a Directory for the Flexera License Manager

Create a directory for the Flexera License Manager on your license server computer,
which is the computer that will manage the licenses. Extract the contents of fme-
flexnet-linux-x64.tar.gz into this directory. For example:

% mkdir /opt/FlexServer
% cd /opt/FlexServer
% gunzip < ~/fme-flexnet-linux-x64.tar.gz | tar xf -

This directory is referred to as the FlexServer directory for the remainder of these instruc-
tions.

Provide the Information to Generate a Floating License

Safe Software requires three pieces of information to generate a floating or node-locked
license:

l hostname
l host ID
l FME serial number

What's Next?

Licensing 54
 l Install the Floating License

Obtaining the Hostname

To obtain the hostname, type the hostname command. For example:

% hostname
worf

In this example, the host name is worf.

Determining the Host ID

To determine the host ID, use the lmutil lmhostid command within the FlexServer
directory. The output should be an eight-character alphanumeric string (or a 12-char-
acter alphanumeric string on Linux). For example:
% ./lmutil lmhostid
lmutil - Copyright (c) 1989-2009
The FlexNet host ID of this machine is "807abc12"

In this example, the host ID is 807abc12.

Note: When you are running ./lmutil lmhostid, you may see the following error
message:
>-bash: ./lmutil: No such file or directory

This error appears when FlexNet is missing necessary libraries to run on Linux. To clear
the error, install lsb-core by typing the command:
sudo apt install lsb-core

Determining the FME Serial Number

To get your serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing
FME Desktop.
Visit www.safe.com/activation/floating/ and submit the Floating License Request.

Licensing 55
Safe Software will send you a file called safe.lic that contains the key code file for the
license code server.
Copy the safe.lic file into the FlexServer directory on your license server computer.
The filename must remain in lowercase text. Safe Software recommends that you do not
change the filename.

Install the Floating License

To start the Flex Server, you must have a /usr/tmp directory.

Verify that the /usr/tmp directory exists and if it doesn’t exist, create this directory as
follows:

% mkdir /usr/tmp

To start the License Manager:

% <FlexServerDir>/lmgrd -c <FLEXServerDir>/safe.lic

This action runs the License Manager in the foreground, logging activity to the terminal.
To store the log to a file instead, use the -l option:
% ./lmgrd -c ./safe.lic -l safe.log

When a log file is used, lmgrd detaches as a background process, so there is no need to
explicitly background the application. However, you’ll have to start the server each time
the license server host is rebooted. The system administrator can make sure the pre-
ceding command is run at system start-up time.

Configuring FME Desktop to Use the Floating License

To configure an installation of FME to use a License Manager, follow these steps.

1. Once FME Desktop is installed on Linux, log in as the same user who installed FME
Desktop.

Licensing 56
 2. Navigate to Applications > FME Desktop > FME Licensing Assistant. The FME Licens-
ing Assistant opens.
3. On the Activate FME Desktop License dialog, select Have a License? > Floating
license.
4. Enter the name of the license server and click Connect.
5. On the Select an Edition dialog, select the FME Edition from the list and click Activ-
ate.
6. On the License Summary dialog, click Finish.

A floating license is installed to borrow a license.

Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Windows

To install Three-Server Redundant Floating Licenses on Windows:

1. Before You Begin

2. Download and Run the Installer
3. Start the License Servers
4. Install FME On Client Computers
5. Start FME Registration

Before You Begin

Ensure that the following requirements are met before beginning the installation:

l You must be running a TCP/IP network.

l Three computers on the network are designated as license servers. The license serv-
ers may be any computers on the network that are visible to all computers that may
dependent on them for their licenses. You should choose computers that are always
running and always connected to the network because the client computers must be

Licensing 57
 able to communicate with any one license server to use FME. The processing burden
on the licensing server is negligible.
l You must have Administrator privileges to install the Flexera Licensing Manager.
l If the computers you want to use as your floating license servers have firewalls, you
must open a port on each one through which the FlexServer can communicate. By
default, the range of ports used is 27000-27009, although you can also configure
other ports.
l If FlexNet is already installed on your license servers, you still need to perform a new
installation. FME requires the version of FlexNet that is included in the installer. In
addition, if your organization is configuring license borrowing (see Borrowing a Float-
ing License), you will require LMTOOLS version 11.8 or newer.

The FME license servers cannot be installed on a virtual machine that is built and moved
around among many physical machines. It must be locked to a single fixed MAC address.

Download and Run the Installer (Three-Server Redundant Floating License

Server)
The FME installer contains the utility program that is needed to get the license server up
and running:
fme-flexnet-win-x86.msi

or
fme-flexnet-win-x64.msi

To download and run

1. On the FME Downloads page, specify the desired version under "Select an
FME Version."

Licensing 58
 2. Under "Floating License Installer for FME Desktop," specify the applicable Windows
bit version, and click Download.

Note: If you are viewing this link in a PDF file, your Acrobat security settings
may prevent access to the installer. Instead, paste https://www.safe.-
com/support/downloads/ into a web browser.

3. On each computer that acts as a license server, run (double-click) the installer to
create a FlexServer directory.
4. Send an e-mail to codes@safe.com and include the FlexNet Host ID, the hostname
assigned to each of the computers, and serial number. To get your serial number,
see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing FME Desktop.

The table that follows lists the shortcuts that are created in the Safe Software pro-
gram group:

Expand for details

Shortcut Description
Generate hostid.txt Creates a text file to send to
codes@safe.com.
Launch LMTOOLS Launches LMTOOLS. Used for debug-
ging or changing configuration.
License Administration Opens Flexera Software’s License
Guide Administration Guide.
Start - Restart FME License Starts the license manager process.
Server
View FME License Server Opens the license manager log file.
Log Used for debugging.

Licensing 59
 Shortcut Description
View hostid.txt Reopens text file, if required by Safe
Software.
View Readme Opens the installation and con-
figuration instructions.

5. We will e-mail you a file called safe.lic that contains the key code file for the
license code servers. Copy the safe.lic file into each of the FlexServer dir-
ectories on your license server nodes.

Start the License Servers

On all three servers, start the license manager. From the Windows Start menu, select
Safe Software, and run Start - Restart FME License Server.
If you’re installing FlexNet on Windows Vista, right-click Start-Restart FME License Server
and run this function using administrator privileges.
The first server started of the first two servers listed in the fme_license.dat file
becomes the master node.
Start the servers in the order shown in the following example:
SERVER host1 1223344 27009
SERVER host2 9384749 27009
SERVER host3 2038404 27009
VENDOR safe
FEATURE FME . . .
. . .

Therefore, the first server to start—host1—becomes the master node; host3 never
becomes the master node.
There is no time limit for starting all of the servers.

Licensing 60
Unlike independent servers, each SERVER line requires a port number. The port number
in this example is 27009. You can modify the port numbers to any unused port number
in the range 1024 to 32000.
You can change the order of the SERVER lines to suggest which node is the master node,
however we recommend you keep the order shown in the preceding example.

Install FME on Client Computers

When the server license files are running, install FME on the client computers or on the
Network Server (if you have a fast and uncongested network). If this is not a new install
(but rather a license upgrade from fixed license to floating), ensure that there are no
existing fme_license.dat or fme_license.fmelic files (commonly in C:\Pro-
gramData\Safe Software\FME\License).
Using a text editor, create a file called fme_license.dat that contains the same three
SERVER lines from the safe.lic files that were used to start the redundant server
nodes. Add a USE_SERVER line after the SERVER lines, as shown in the following example:
SERVER host1 1223344 27009
SERVER host2 9384749 27009
SERVER host3 2038404 27009
USE_SERVER

Place this fme_license.dat file in the FME client installation licenses directory: C:\Pro-
gramData\Safe Software\FME\License.

Start FME Registration

Perform this step for each computer that has FME installed.
For command prompt instructions, see Licensing FME Desktop from the Windows Com-
mand Prompt.

Licensing 61
 1. From the Windows Start menu, Open the FME Licensing Assistant under FME
Desktop > FME Licensing Assistant.
2. Select Connect to a floating license server, and enter the name of the master node
computer that is hosting the license.
3. Click the Next button.
4. If your configuration contains more than one type of FME license, select the license
that you want to use.
5. Click Finish to complete the connection.

Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License Server on Linux

To install Three-Server Redundant Floating Licenses on Linux:

1. Before You Begin

2. Download and Run the Installer
3. Start the License Servers
4. Configuring FME Desktop to Use the Floating License

Before You Begin

Ensure that the following requirements are met before beginning the installation:

l You must be running a TCP/IP network.

l Three computers on the network are designated as license servers. The license serv-
ers may be any computers on the network that are visible to all computers that may
dependent on them for their licenses. You should choose computers that are always
running and always connected to the network because the client computers must be
able to communicate with any one license server to use FME. The processing burden
on the licensing server is negligible.
l You must have Administrator privileges to install the Flexera Licensing Manager.

Licensing 62
 l If the computers you want to use as your floating license servers have firewalls, you
must open a port on each one through which the FlexServer can communicate. By
default, the range of ports used is 27000-27009, although you can also configure
other ports.
l If FlexNet is already installed on your license servers, you still need to perform a new
installation. FME requires the version of FlexNet that is included in the installer. In
addition, if your organization is configuring license borrowing (see Borrowing a Float-
ing License), you will require LMTOOLS version 11.8 or newer.

The FME license servers cannot be installed on a virtual machine that is built and moved
around among many physical machines. It must be locked to a single fixed MAC address.

Download and Run the Installer

Install the floating license server on three different computers using the instructions in
sections Before You Begin through Installing a New Floating License.
Send an e-mail to codes@safe.com and include the FlexNet Host ID, the hostname
assigned to each of the computers, and serial number. To get your serial number, see
the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing FME Desktop.
We will e-mail you a file called safe.lic that contains the key code file for the license
code servers. Copy the safe.lic file into each of the FlexServer directories on your
license server nodes.

Start the License Servers

Start the license manager on all three servers, in order based on the following:
The first server started of the first two servers listed in the fme_license.dat file
becomes the master node.
Start the servers in the order shown in the following example:
SERVER host1 1223344 27009

Licensing 63
SERVER host2 9384749 27009
SERVER host3 2038404 27009
VENDOR safe
FEATURE FME . . .
. . .

Therefore, the first server to start—host1—becomes the master node; host3 never
becomes the master node.

There is no time limit for starting all of the servers.

Unlike independent servers, each SERVER line requires a port number. The port number
in this example is 27009. You can modify the port numbers to any unused port number
in the range 1024 to 32000.
You can change the order of the SERVER lines to suggest which node is the master node,
however we recommend you keep the order shown in the preceding example.
To start the License Manager:
% <FlexServerDir>/lmgrd -c <FLEXServerDir>/safe.lic

This action runs the License Manager in the foreground, logging activity to the terminal.
To store the log to a file instead, use the -l option:
% ./lmgrd -c ./safe.lic -l safe.log

When a log file is used, lmgrd detaches as a background process, so there is no need to
explicitly background the application. However, you’ll have to start the server each time
the license server host is rebooted. The system administrator can make sure the pre-
ceding command is run at system start-up time.

Configuring FME Desktop to Use the Floating License

To configure an installation of FME to use a License Manager, follow these steps.

Licensing 64
 1. Once FME Desktop is installed on Linux, log in as the same user who installed FME
Desktop.
2. Navigate to Applications > FME Desktop > FME Licensing Assistant. The FME Licens-
ing Assistant opens.
3. On the FME Licensing Assistant, select Connect to a floating license server button.
4. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the master node computer that is host-
ing the license. Click Next.
5. Select the FME Edition from the list and click Activate.
6. Click Finish.

A floating license is installed to borrow a license.

Monitoring Floating License Use

To find out who is currently using FME licenses from your floating license pool:

1. Ensure the Flexera license manager utility (lmutil) is installed. This tool is installed
with the floating license manager, available on the FME Downloads site
(http://www.safe.com/support/support-resources/fme-downloads/). On Windows,
it is installed by default in C:\Program Files\FlexServer.
2. Create a "license file" that you will use on your computer. You can call it safe.lic, or
any other name ending in .lic. It should contain the following:
SERVER <IP address or name of license server> Any [optional
port number]

for example:
SERVER 107.22.68.36 Any

or
SERVER license1 Any 27000

Licensing 65
 You can use either the IP address or the name of the floating license server. We
recommend using the server name because the IP address might change.
Any is required because the license server query requires both the host name and
host id. Any can be used as the hostid. If known, you can also use the MAC address
of the license server.
The port number is generally between 27000 and 27009. If you do not know what
port is being used for the Safe floating license server, leave this blank, and lmutil
will find it automatically. If you do specify the port, the lmstat query is much
faster.
3. Open a Command Window

Use the safe.lic file to query all details using the command:
lmutil lmstat -a -c <license file>

for example:
lmutil lmstat -a -c safe.lic

This will return a lot of information. You may want to query for specific features in
the license file. You can do this using a command like:
lmutil lmstat -f FME -c safe.lic

The -f flag specifies the feature you want reported. If you want to know who has
checked out any FME feature, use -f FME. You can also look for specific license
types like smallworld, oracle, esri, professional, base, and server.
If you do not specify a license file, lmutil lmstat will query all files in its folder
ending in .lic. This can be useful if you have multiple floating license servers; you
can query all of them at once by having a separate .lic file for each, and then omit-
ting the -c flag in the lmutil command.

Licensing 66
Interpreting the output of the lmstat query
The output of lmstat -a looks similar to:
lmstat - Copyright (c) 1989-2012 Flexera SoftwareLLC. All Rights
Reserved. Flexible License Manager status on Wed 02/28/2012 14:49
[Detecting lmgrd processes...]
License server status: 40000@prod
License file(s) on prod: C:\prod\i86_n3\counted.lic:
prod: license server UP v11.5
Feature usage info:
Users of f1: (Total of 4 licenses issued; Total of 1 license in
use)
"f1" v1.0, vendor: demo
floating license
daniel myhost2 19.36.18.26 (v1.0) (myhost1/40000 102), start Fri
2/28 14:29

where:

Output Argument Description

daniel user User name.
myhost2 user_host Host where user is running.
19.36.18.26 display Display where user is running.
v1.0 version Version of feature.
myhost1 server_host Host where license server is running.
40000 port TCP/IP port on server_host where license server is run-
ning.
102 handle License handle.
start Fri 2/28 checkout_ Time that this license was checked out.
14:29 time

Licensing 67
For more information about using the lmutil lmstat command, see the "License Admin-
istration Guide" under "Documentation," on the Flexera downloads page, at
http://www.globes.com/support/fnp_utilities_download.htm.

Specifying Floating License Server Ports

This topic explains how to specify ports used by the floating license server. By default,
communication between the floating license server and a client running FME occurs on
a random port. Specifying ports can be useful in specific security configurations. For
example, if you have a firewall between your floating license server and a client machine
running FME, you may want to open a specific port for this communication. Or, you may
wish to avoid conflict when multiple FlexNet servers are installed in the same envir-
onment. For example, FME may use a random port, but ArcGIS may use a fixed port, and
a conflict will occur if the same port is in use.

To specify Floating License Server Ports

Edit the safe.lic file in your FlexServer directory so that yyyy on the VENDOR line is the
port you want to open for the communication to the client machine running FME. The
port in the SERVER line (xxxx) can also be set, but this is necessary only for a three-
server redundant configuration, or if another FlexNet license server is using a specific
port.
SERVER servername 000c290de0df xxxx
VENDOR safe PORT=yyyy

The port number for the SERVER and the VENDOR must be different. On Windows, the
VENDOR port is typically between 1024 and 65535. On Linux, the default VENDOR port is
between 32768 and 61000. The SERVER port is typically between 27000 and 27009. Be
sure to add the VENDOR port and SERVER port to your firewall exceptions.

Licensing 68
If the VENDOR port is specified, the FME running on the client machine must specify this
port as well. Using the FME Licensing Assistant, specify the port number when prompted
to "Connect to a Floating License Server," as shown below:
LicenseServerName:yyyy

where yyyy is the port number used in the VENDOR line of the safe.lic file.
In earlier releases of FME, the fme_license.dat file in the <FMEDir>\licenses\ directory
must be edited manually. It should contain the following line:
SERVER LicenseServerName Any yyyy

where yyyy is the port number used in the VENDOR line of the safe.lic file.
Finally, restart the FME License Server:

l Windows: Start Menu > FlexNet for Safe Software> Start - Restart FME License Server
l Linux: % <FlexServerDir>/lmgrd -c <FLEXServerDir>/safe.lic

Borrowing a Floating License

If your FME Desktop product uses a floating license, and your organization supports this
option, you can borrow a license for offline use.
A fixed license configuration does not allow you to borrow a license. In addition to a
floating license, you need a floating license server with the license borrowing cap-
abilities enabled.

License borrowing requires LMTOOLS version 11.8 or newer.

If a license is available, you can borrow it and run FME for the maximum period, as spe-
cified in your license file, on a computer that will not be connected to the license server.
The default period is 30 days.
If a different license period than the default is required, ask your System Administrator
to contact us at codes@safe.com.

Licensing 69
When the borrowing period expires, the license also expires. After the expiry date, the
license automatically becomes available for other users to borrow.
You do not have to return the license after an expiry date; however, you can choose to
return a license early. See Return the License.

To Borrow a Floating License

1. Connect to the Floating License

2. Specify the Terms of the License

To Return a Borrowed License

l Return the License

Connect to the Floating License Server

To borrow a license, you first need to connect to a floating license server. (Please see
your System Administrator if you do not know the server name.)

1. Open the FME Desktop Licensing Assistant. From the Windows Start menu, select
FME Desktop > FME Licensing Assistant.
2. On the Activate FME Desktop License dialog, select Have a License? > Floating
License.
3. Enter the name of the floating license server, and click Connect.
4. On the Select an Edition dialog, select the license type from the list, and click Activ-
ate.
5. On the License Summary dialog, click Finish.

You will see a message when you are successfully connected to the floating license
server.

Licensing 70
 To borrow the license for offline use, you will have to start FME Workbench and
specify the terms of the license. See Specify the Terms of the License.

Specify the Terms of the License

To access the License Borrowing option, start FME Workbench:

1. From the Windows Start menu, select FME Desktop > FME Workbench.
2. Click Tools > License Borrowing.
3. Click Yes, borrow a license for, and then enter or adjust the number of days. Click
OK to close the dialog.
4. on the confirmation dialog, click OK.

You have successfully borrowed the floating license for the specified number of
days.

To run FME Desktop during this time frame, you do not need to be connected to the
license server.

Return the License

To return a borrowed license before the time expires:

1. Start Workbench.
2. Click Tools > License Borrowing.
3. On the License Borrowing pane, select Yes, return the borrowed license early. Click
OK.
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

The license is now available for other FME Desktop users to borrow.
You cannot change or update licenses when you have borrowed a floating license.
You must first return a borrowed license.

Licensing 71
Restricting Licenses to Users or Groups
You can restrict floating licenses to specific users, groups, or machines. Create a file
called safe.opt in the FlexServer directory. There is no need to reference this file in any
other configuration files; FlexNet knows to look for it automatically. However, the file
must be named safe.opt, and it must be in the same folder as safe.exe.
Any licenses reserved for a user are dedicated to that user. Even when that user is not
actively using the license, it is unavailable to other users.

Here is an example of an options file:

RESERVE 1 professional GROUP groupA
GROUP groupA xxxx yyyy
RESERVE 1 professional GROUP groupB
GROUP groupB aaaa

This example reserves one FME Desktop Professional license for users xxxx and yyyy,
who are in group groupA, and one Professional license for user aaaa, who is in group
groupB. GROUP member names are case-sensitive.

To restrict a license to specific hosts (i.e. machines) instead, replace the keyword
GROUP with HOST_GROUP.
For more documentation, including additional options, see <FlexServer>\Docu-
ments\LicenseAdministration.pdf, where <FlexServer> is the directory where you
installed the FlexNet software.

Troubleshooting Floating Licenses

Specifying the FME Edition to Use

If your floating license service supports multiple editions of FME, you can use the
flexlm_config.dat file to tell FME what edition to use.

Licensing 72
To determine the FME editions you are licensed for, consult the safe.lic file on your
license server.
To specify the FME Edition to Use

On the computer that is running FME Desktop, edit (or create) flexlm_config.dat in the
C:\ProgramData\Safe Software\FME\Licenses folder.
The contents should be the following two lines:
Registered Product=<FME edition name>
<Displayed name in FME>

For example:
Registered Product=smallworld
FME Desktop Smallworld Edition

<FME edition name> is case-sensitive. <Displayed name in FME> appears when you
navigate to Help > About in FME Workbench or FME Data Inspector.
Possible values for FME Edition Name are:

FME Edition Name Displayed Name in FME

professional FME Desktop Professional Edition
esri FME Desktop ESRI Edition
database FME Desktop Database Edition
smallworld FME Desktop Smallworld Edition

System error 1067 has occurred

Symptoms

The following error occurs following an attempt to start the license server:
system error 1067 has occurred

Licensing 73
Cause

This error can occur if you were provided an invalid license file.
Resolution

Open the safe.lic file that you saved to your FlexServer directory. (For example: C:\Pro-
gram Files\FlexServer\.) It should contain a number of lines starting with 'FEATURE'.

If the file only has the following contents, then it is invalid:

SERVER 0022fb821528 skyfire
VENDOR safe
USE_SERVER

Send your hostid.txt (Start > Programs > FlexNet for Safe Software > View hostid.txt) and
safe.lic files to codes@safe.com and mention that the license file is empty. A new license
file will be generated for you.

The License Server will not Start on Linux

The FlexNet license server fails on Linux
Symptoms

On the client machine, the error message is:

....License system failure. Check that the safe daemon version is
newer than the FME client version. Program Terminating.

On the license server, the error message is:

./lmgrd -c ./safe.lic -l safe.log
>-bash: ./lmgrd: No such file or directory

Cause

FlexNet is missing necessary libraries to run on Linux

Licensing 74
Resolution

On the license server, install lsb-coreby typing the following command in the Linux ter-
minal:
sudo apt install lsb-core

Access to Floating License Times Out Over VPN

Access to the FlexNet floating license over a virtual private network (VPN) may time out
if the network is slow. To minimize this issue, set the FLEXLM_TIMEOUT environment
variable.

1. Open the Windows System Properties dialog (Start > Control Panel > System >
Advanced System Settings.
2. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.
3. Under System Variables, click New.
4. In the Variable name box, enter: FLEXLM_TIMEOUT
5. In the Variable value box, enter: 1000000
6. Click OK to close each dialog box.

Licensing from the Linux Command Line

To activate a single-fixed license with your serial number
l Run:
./fmelicensingassistant --serial <serial-number>

To get your serial number, see the confirmation e-mail you received after purchasing
FME Desktop.
To get a serial number for FME Desktop Trial, go to https://www.safe.com/trial-serial-
number.

Licensing 75
To activate a license file provided by Safe Software

1. Complete steps 1-3 under Installing a License File Provided by Safe Software.

Note: To obtain the registration key, navigate to the FME Desktop installation
folder and run:

./fmelicensingassistant --key

2. Run:
./fmelicensingassistant --file <filename>

To configure FME Desktop to use a floating license

1. Complete steps 1-5 under Installing a Floating License on Linux.

2. Run:
./fmelicensingassistant --floating <server>[:<port>] <FME-Edi-
tion>

Note: For information about specifying <FME-Edition>, see Specifying the

FME Edition to Use.

To configure FME Desktop to use a three-server redundant

floating license

1. Complete steps 1-3 under Installing a Three-Server Redundant Floating License

Server on Linux
2. Run:
./fmelicensingassistant --floating <master-node-server>
[:<port>] <FME-Edition>

Licensing 76
 Note: For information about specifying <FME-Edition>, see Specifying the
FME Edition to Use.

Getting Your Current Licensing Status

To find out the current licensing status of your FME Desktop installation, open the FME
Licensing Assistant.

l On Windows, the Licensing Assistant is in the Start menu under FME Desktop, or
fmelicensingassistant.exe in the root folder of the FME Desktop install directory.
l On Linux, the Licensing Assistant is in the Applications menu, or in the root folder of
the FME Desktop install directory.
l On Mac, /Library/FME/<version>/Apps/FME Licensing Assistant.

The Licensing Assistant opens and displays the current licensing status.

See Also
l About the Registration Key

Licensing 77
Other Common Tasks

Installing the Software Development Kit for FME

Desktop
The FME Desktop installer allows the option of installing the Software Development Kit
(SDK) for FME Desktop. The SDK provides access to the FME Objects and FME Plug-in
Builder APIs. You can use the APIs to create your own applications and plug-ins that
make use of FME functionality.

Installing Grid Shift Files

FME supports conversions between coordinate systems using different datums. Many
datum transformations are not mathematically definable and require the use of grid of
shifts. If you attempt to perform a datum transformation of this kind without the appro-
priate grid shift file in place, FME stops the translation.

Installing Grid Shift Files on Windows

When you install FME for Windows, the grid shift files provided by Safe Software are
automatically installed in the correct location.

If you have already installed FME, you can find more information on which files are
included by opening Workbench help and clicking on the Coordinate Systems topic, or
by choosing Tools > Browse Coordinate Systems and pressing the F1 key.
You can manage grid shift files by choosing Tools > FME Options > Coordinate Systems.
Click the Help button for more information on how you can maintain grid shift files.

Other Common Tasks 78

Installing Grid Shift Files on Linux
When you install FME for Linux, the grid shift files provided by Safe Software are auto-
matically installed in the correct locations.
You can find more information on which files are included in Linux and UNIX install-
ations by viewing our FME FME Community site:
FME Knowledge Center.com/index.php/Datum_Transformations_and_
Grid_Shift_Files

The files in the Reproject subdirectory of your FME installation folder include a path to
the location of your grid file. The order in which the grids are listed is the order in which
FME uses them.
To register a file, add the full pathname of the file to the beginning of the appropriate
.gdc file. For example, in Nad27ToNad83.gdc, add:

fmehome\Reproject\GridData\Canada\NTV2_0.gsb

To make sure the files were registered correctly, check the log file when you run a trans-
lation.

If you have access to the FME Workbench user interface, you can manage grid shift files
through the Workbench > Tools > FME Options menu. Click the Coordinate Systems icon.

Using FME Desktop with Third-Party Applic-

ations
FME Desktop integrates with a number of popular GIS applications. Visit www.safe.com
for more information.
This section provides instructions for using the FME Integration Console to extend any
applicable third-party applications.

Other Common Tasks 79

About the FME Integration Console
FME Application Extensions are products that use or embed FME functionality in other
applications. The exact functionality varies from product to product, but can include the
ability to read datasets not native to that application, to export to non-native datasets,
or to convert between two non-native formats.
FME can "extend " several different applications. Some extensions are packaged as part
of FME, some are sold as add-ons, and some are packaged as part of the other GIS
application. Unless they are packaged as part of FME, support for Application Extensions
is usually provided by the application vendor.
For information about how FME works with other applications, please see Solutions for
GIS Applications.

Note: FME does not currently extend any applications on Mac or Linux.

Installation Notes
When extending an application using FME Desktop, please be aware of the following:

l 64-bit and 32-bit applications can only be extended with the 64-bit and 32-bit ver-
sions of FME, respectively.
l Fixed (node-locked) licenses of FME Desktop will automatically extend compatible
third-party software installed on the same system. You can easily revert the exten-
sions.
l FME cannot extend shared applications that are installed on a different machine.
FME and the application to be extended must be installed on the same logical
machine, whether it is a physical machine or a virtual machine.

Using the Integration Console

Extending Applications
Menus and Windows

Other Common Tasks 80

Reverting Applications
Troubleshooting

Integration Console Menus and Windows

The File and View menus contain basic window-level commands that allow you close
the application or adjust the visible areas.
Through the Help menu, you can view the current FME build number, and check for
FME updates.

Log Pane
The log pane shows status information and results.

Properties Pane
Click on the name of the application to display its Properties:

Property Value
Application The name of the application.
Status The FME build number that extends
the application. The build number
will change each time you update
FME.

Other Common Tasks 81

Property Value
Extendable Is this application extendable by
FME? A Yes in this column indicates
that the application is ready to be
extended.
Extended Is this application extended by
FME? If No, then you can extend the
application from the Action column.
FME Build The current FME build installed on
your machine.
FME Home Path The location of the FME installation
folder.
Buttons
Copy Text Copies the properties so you can
paste details into an e-mail applic-
ation or text file. This information
might be required if you need to
troubleshoot an installation.
Options This button is enabled only when
certain third-party applications are
installed.
When it is enabled, you can set
application-specific top-level
defaults.

Other Common Tasks 82

Extending Applications
After installing FME Desktop, open the Windows Start menu, and click the Programs (or
All Programs) submenu. Click FME Desktop > Utilities > FME Integration Console.

Note: To ensure that you do not encounter any integration issues, we recommend
that you run the Integration Console with Administrator privileges. To do this, right-
click on the Integration Console menu entry, and select Run as administrator, as
shown here:

When the FME Integration Console starts, click the Extend button next to the applic-
ation. (Note that the application must be closed.)
FME will scan your machine for any installed applications that can be extended to sup-
port FME. The results appear in the Application column.
If the status of an application is Not Extended, the Action column will show an Extend
button. Press the button to extend the application. The log pane will display inform-
ation.

Other Common Tasks 83

The Log will display the message Extend Successful.

Note: Open the extended application to ensure that FME has been successfully
extended from within that application. In the example above, FME is extended with
FME Extension for ArcGIS. To check this extension, open the Extensions window
from ArcCatalog or ArcMap (from the Customize > Extensions menu in ArcGIS 10.x)
and ensure that FME Extension for ArcGIS is selected.

Menus and Windows

Troubleshooting
Reverting Applications

Other Common Tasks 84

Reverting Applications
If the Status of an application is Extended, the Action column will contain a Revert but-
ton.

Note: Ensure that the extended application is closed.

Press the button to revert the application to a Not Extended state.

The log pane will display status information.
Extending Applications
Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting
Always make sure an application is closed before extending or reverting it in the
FME Integration Console.

If an application status does not show Extended:

l Ensure that you have the correct license for extending the application. Training
licenses will not work.
l Ensure that you are using the correct architecture version of FME Desktop for the
application you are trying to extend. For example, AutoCAD Map 3D is only available
in a 64-bit version, and therefore must be extended using 64-bit FME Desktop.
l Ensure that you have the correct license for extending the application. Training
licenses will not work.

Other Common Tasks 85