Understanding the Workstation Agent

The Workstation Agent is a small background application installed on your computer by your IT team. It reports which licensed software you are running and for how long. It provides real-time, endpoint-level visibility into how, when, and if licensed software is used — beyond what license servers report.

What it does

• Detects when you open or close a licensed application
• Reports usage data to the OpenLM Platform
• Enables license-release policies (for example, releasing an idle license so a colleague can use it)
• Tracks idle time for each application
• Supports license harvesting to reclaim unused licenses automatically

What it does NOT do

• It does not monitor your files, emails, or personal activity
• It does not capture screenshots
• It only tracks usage of specific licensed software defined by your administrator

Is it required?

The Workstation Agent is required for applications that do not report usage data to a central license server (for example, some standalone or node-locked tools). For server-based licenses (FlexNet, Sentinel, etc.), the agent is optional but provides richer usage detail.

Idle license detection

Licenses are often checked out but not actively used. For example, a user might open AutoCAD and walk away, leaving the license occupied. This causes:

• Blocked access: Other users are denied entry to the software.
• False demand: High checkout rates lead to over-purchasing.
• Wasted budget: Idle licenses consume resources without delivering value.

How idle time tracking works

Idle time is when a licensed application is open but not actively used (no keyboard or mouse input to that application). The Workstation Agent tracks idle time and sends it to OpenLM.

When a session exceeds the idle time threshold, OpenLM marks it as idle and displays:

• All running software sessions.
• Idle time for each application.
• A session timeline showing activity and inactivity.

License harvesting

License harvesting automatically reclaims licenses from idle sessions and returns them to the pool for other users.

Harvesting methods

OpenLM supports several harvesting strategies, depending on the application and license type:

• Save & Close: Saves the user's work and closes the application. Requires an OpenLM extension. Common for:

  • ArcGIS / ArcGIS Pro
  • AutoCAD
  • SOLIDWORKS
  • MATLAB
  • CATIA

• Suspend & Resume: Suspends the application (ideal for FlexLM). Users resume it from their Personal Dashboard.

• Kill: Force-closes the application without saving. Use only when other options are not available.

Process Manager configuration

The Process Manager lets administrators configure how the agent handles each application.

Set up a process

In the Process tab:

• Name: Enter the exact executable name (case-sensitive).
• License server toggle:
  • On: Links the process to a license feature.
  • Off: For standalone applications.

Define idle behavior

In the License Release tab:

• Release method: Choose Save & Close, Suspend & Resume, custom Procedure, or None.
• Release conditions: Set idle thresholds (for example, 60 minutes) or only release when usage hits a certain level (for example, 90%).
• Advanced detection: Refine based on CPU, I/O, or activity levels.
• Agent procedures: Define custom actions (for example, Agent Kill, Agent Save&Close).

Shadow license policies

Use the Shadow Licenses tab to manage applications without a license manager.

Define consumption rules

• Policy type:
  • Process: One license per running instance.
  • Workstation: One license per machine.
  • User at Workstation: One license per user/machine combo.
• Named user restriction: Prevent the same user from using the application on multiple machines.
• Concurrency and version control: Block multiple versions or limit concurrent use.

Define release rules

• Release delay: Set a grace period (for example, 10 minutes).
• Bucket duration:
  • DAY: License is released at midnight.
  • HOUR: Released at the top of the hour.
  • NONE: Released immediately after the delay.

Process sessions report

The Process Sessions report captures what happened on the user's machine — beyond license checkouts.

Data includes:

• Process name, user, host
• Session start and end time
• Total idle time
• Shutdown reason (for example, closed by user or agent)

note

To see idle time for a past session, use the Process Sessions report, not the license server data.

Personal Dashboard

The Personal Dashboard helps users understand and manage their license usage.

Key features:

• License availability: View real-time status and see who holds each license.
• Recently closed: Shows applications closed by OpenLM with a Resume button to reopen them.
• Projects: Attribute usage to a specific project for reporting.
• Live feed: Displays diagnostic logs from the local agent.