What the Workstation Agent does

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

What it does

The Workstation Agent does the following:

• Detects when you open or close a licensed application.
• Reports usage data to OpenLM Platform.
• Applies 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 reports

The Workstation Agent reports which licensed applications you run, how long you run them, and how long they sit idle. Your administrator chooses the applications it watches and the settings below. Ask your IT team which of these apply to your computer:

• Screenshots of monitored applications: if your computer has the Personal Dashboard, the agent periodically captures screenshots of the applications it monitors. This setting is on in a new OpenLM Platform account, and your administrator can turn it off. You see the last screenshot of an application that OpenLM Platform closed on the Harvested Applications page of your Personal Dashboard.
• Installed applications: the agent can report the applications installed on your computer.
• Websites: the agent can report the web services you open, with or without your username.
• On a Mac: window titles need the Screen Recording permission, and Safari history needs Full Disk Access. Your IT team grants both on your Mac.

The agent is built to report on the software that your administrator sets up for monitoring. Your IT team can tell you which settings they use.

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, and so on), the Workstation 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. An idle license 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 Platform.

When a session exceeds the idle time threshold, OpenLM Platform marks it as idle. You can then see:

• 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 (used with 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

To control how the Workstation Agent handles each application, administrators use Process Manager.

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: Applies to standalone applications.

Define idle behavior

In the License Release tab:

• Release method: Select 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.
• Workstation 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

To define consumption rules, set these options:

• Policy type:
  • Process: One license per running instance.
  • Workstation: One license per machine.
  • User at Workstation: One license per user and machine pair.
• 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

To define release rules, set these options:

• Release delay: Set a grace period (for example, 10 minutes).
• Bucket duration:
  • DAY: Releases the license at midnight.
  • HOUR: Releases the license at the start of each hour.
  • NONE: Releases the license immediately after the delay.

Process sessions report

To see what happened on a user's machine beyond license checkouts, open the Process Sessions report in Process Manager.

Data includes:

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

Note

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

Personal Dashboard

To check and manage your own license usage, use the Personal Dashboard. You can use these features:

• License availability: View real-time status and see who holds each license.
• Harvested Applications: See the applications closed by OpenLM Platform, with a Resume button to reopen them.
• Projects: Attribute usage to a specific project for reporting.
• Live feed: View diagnostic logs from the local Workstation Agent.