License Server User Query

[JohnDye]

So the ArcGIS License Server and Administrator have come a long way recently (License Borrowing, Finally!!!). Let's keep up the good work and add in License Usage Query function. Yes...I know I can get this from the Flexera LMTools. But that doesn't mean I should have to. It's also god awful ugly. 

Namely, I would like to:

• Display a list of users who are currently using a license from the License Server
• For each of those users, list the product(s) they are using.
• For each of those products, list the date/time when they acquired the license for that product.
• If possible, inform me of whether or not a user's session is active (they  have leveraged a function or used ArcGIS in some manner within the last 10 minutes. Perhaps some geoprocessing is happening, they are panning/zooming, viewing an attribute table, ect. I dont need to know what they're are doing, I just want to know they're doing something and didnt just forget to close the program)
• Kill a user's connection to the License Server for a period that exceeds the ArcGIS Desktop License Reconnection Timeout, thus kicking them off the License Server and freeing that license back up for others.
• In the OPTIONS FILE, allow me to Limit the Number of Unique Licenses available to a Unique User (ie. At my discretion, in the OPTIONS FILE, I can prevent "USER1" or "MACHINE1" from obtaining 2 licenses of the same product concurrently, one on his/her laptop and another on his/her desktop is a common scenario where this occurs)

[JohnDye]

It would also be really useful to be able to extend the Desktop License Timeout Period or alternatively "Loan Licenses". So, currently, the License Server sits on my Desktop Machine. However, whenever I need to restart my machine, the License Service of course terminates and all users have to wait for a reconnection. It would be really nice for this to NOT happen.

Desktop License Timeout Extension
I think the most elegant solution here is just to extend the License Reconnection Timeout for Desktop. My End Users know almost instantly when the License Server is down. 99% of the time, it's because I'm restarting. I have no way to keep their Desktop running while I restart. Why can't we just extend the License Timeout to something more practical like, say 10 minutes. Which is enough time for most computers to reboot and reinitiate all startup services. 

License Loaning
A more difficult way to accomplish the same solution would be "License Loaning" which is similar to License Borrowning, except the onus is on the License Server Manager instead of the End User to do this before restarting the License Server Machine.

The concept is that in the OPTIONS FILE or somewhere else in the License Server, I should be able to set it up so that if my machine restarts, it performs a reverse of the License Borrowing process. Let's call this "License Loaning".
The License Server becomes aware of a System Restart because the machine is terminating the License Service in order to restart, the License Server then immediately pushes license files to all of the systems connected to the service, commensurate with the licenses they are currently using through the License Service.
The End User is oblivious to all of this. When the License Service comes back online, The License Server retracts all of those "Loaned Licenses" and returns the user to the License Service without any loss in Desktop availability. 

[GelcysWilliams]

I whole-heartedly agree!  There used to be 2 tools that end users had developed - wherehaveallthelicensesgone and a log analyzer that would do a few things you've got on your wish list.  However no one has rewritten the log analyzer so I had to get a developer to help make something for our reporting purposes internally.  With the need to keep track of use of enterprise license usage, I had really hoped ESRI could provide these tools.

To get a list of CURRENT users/license/time checked out you can still use wherehaveallthelicensesgone.  You can use the admin version to kick people off temporarily to let someone else on if licenses are maxed out.

I WISH there was a way to determine the timeout as you suggested since I have some concurrent users that check out at 8 am and check in at 5 pm despite my explaning a license is like a bathroom key - if you're not using it put it back so you don't leave someone hopping....

I came across your post looking for solutions for the last suggestion you had - I have a user that has decided to open arcgis on a desktop and laptop despite agreeing not to - going to read through the options file limits but I don't think there's an easy answer to that one...

[EricKopras]

+1 on items four and five!

[KirkMower]

Kicking users would be my number 1 request. Some people squat ArcInfo when they have no business doing so, worse if they leave it on and leave the office.