The Altair licensing landscape: The “state of the union”
In the world of simulation, data analytics, and AI, Altair is a leader with its flagship products like HyperWorks, SimLab, and Feko. Altair’s innovative units-based business model is designed for flexibility, but its complexity—spanning global time zones and hybrid infrastructures—presents a unique challenge for IT and engineering managers.
The “unit consumption” visibility gap
Altair uses a patented units-based subscription model. While “Leveling” (running multiple apps on one machine only draws units for the most expensive one) is a great cost-saver, it makes it incredibly difficult to track actual demand. Without real-time Altair Units analytics, organizations often over-purchase units to create a safety buffer for peak simulation periods, unaware of how much of that buffer is consumed by idle background sessions.
The hybrid infrastructure challenge
As teams move toward the cloud, managing a mix of on-premises Altair License Servers (ALM) and cloud-based Managed SaaS or Hosted Units creates data silos. Without a unified monitoring solution, you cannot see your total global unit consumption in a single pane of glass, leading to inefficient resource allocation and unpredictable costs.
Core license managers supported
OpenLM provides a unified governance layer for the entire Altair ecosystem, regardless of how or where the licenses are hosted.
Altair Units (AUs)
The fundamental currency of the Altair portfolio. OpenLM monitors the “draw” of units (where 1 AU typically equals 1,000 license features) to give you by-the-second visibility into which users, groups, and projects are consuming your pool.
Altair Managed SaaS
For organizations using cloud-based licensing via the Altair One portal. OpenLM integrates with ALTAIR Managed to track usage anywhere in the world without requiring a VPN, ensuring that your remote and global teams are operating within their allocated budgets.
Hosted HyperWorks Units (HHWU)
OpenLM provides native support for Hosted HyperWorks Units, allowing you to monitor cloud-based units with the same granularity as on-premise servers. It captures usage data and expiration dates, helping you manage the transition from legacy on-prem setups to modern cloud-hosted environments.
Comprehensive solution framework
OpenLM provides a three-layered approach to help you manage Altair units efficiently.
The visibility layer (global monitoring)
Gain a unified view of your sharable Altair Units. OpenLM interfaces with the Altair License Server (ALS) and cloud portals to show current check-outs, feature-level usage, and user IDs. This removes the “black box” of unit-based licensing and shows you who is truly active in real time.
The automation layer (active management)
Move beyond passive monitoring. OpenLM’s active process monitoring identifies when a simulation (like HyperMesh or a solver) is active but the workstation is idle. By identifying these “zombie” sessions, OpenLM can automatically reclaim the units, ensuring that your high-value pool is always available for active engineering work.
The intelligence layer (strategic foresight)
Leverage advanced analytics to prepare for your next renewal. By analyzing Altair Units usage intensity and “Leveling” patterns, you can justify your unit count and identify specific areas to optimize your subscription mix for the lowest possible cost.
Technical details: The OpenLM Altair integration
OpenLM uses a secure, Broker-based approach to capture high-fidelity data from your Altair environment, supporting both standard and cloud deployments.
- Native ALM support: OpenLM natively queries the Altair License Server (typically port 6200) to retrieve real-time check-out data.
- Broker-led precision: The OpenLM Broker (v25.x or higher) is installed on the license server to execute almutil commands locally for maximum data fidelity.
- Process & DLL Monitoring: Go beyond high-level unit checkouts; see exactly which features or add-ins (DLLs) within an application are being used.
- By-the-second resolution: Capture usage statistics with second-level precision, essential for understanding the rapid “draw and return” nature of Altair Units.
Strategic ROI and business value
Organizations leveraging OpenLM for Altair typically realize significant savings by deferring unnecessary unit purchases.
- Procurement support: Use “verifiable usage” data to negotiate your next Altair Units subscription or Enterprise Agreement (EA).
- Increased R&D throughput: By reclaiming idle units, you effectively “expand” your pool without increasing your spend.
- Unified engineering stack: Manage your Altair licenses in the same ecosystem as your other CAE/CAD tools like Ansys, Autodesk, and Siemens.
