Operating During Outages
Microvellum's SLS (Software Licensing System) is designed to work with consistent internet connection in mind, but in situations where a stable connection is not possible, such as an internet or power outage, it may be helpful to have alternative options to keep one's manufacturing workflow operational.
Session Management for FLA Licenses
- What it is: Sessions are manually determined spans of time wherein one can download a temporary local license that will allow the software to function offline, for a period of up to 7 days at a time.
- How to do it: Checking out a session can be done either in the splash screen that appears when one first opens the software, or in the About Microvellum UI, by clicking the "Session Management" hyperlink at the top right corner of the interface.
- Limits: Checking out a session removes an available seat from your license's pool for the duration of the session. It also requires internet connection for the initial checkout, so one may have issues completing the initial checkout if one is having an outage.
SLA Licenses
- What it is: SLA (Single License Activation) are license types that download a read-only local file onto one's device upon activation, allowing for software usage offline for a limited time.
- Benefits: SLA-type licenses do not lock in response to a loss of connection to the internet. Rather, a simple and automatic 7-day timer will begin to count down until connection is required for re-authentication. This happens automatically without any action on the user end.
- Limits: SLA-type licenses have less flexibility regarding installation, activation, and still require an internet connection for the initial activation. An SLA-type license can only be activated once and needs to be deactivated in order to be moved to another device.
Alternative Sources of Internet Connection
- Mobile Phone Tethering: Many smartphones have a built-in feature that allows one to create a personal Wi-Fi hotspot that devices can connect to. Some carriers offer this as part of their plans, others charge extra. Check the settings of your OS to determine the exact method. (iPhone) (Android)
- Hotspot Device: Mobile internet routers that can be powered on independently and create a backup Wi-Fi network. They often require a cellular plan in order to function.
- Failover Router: A failover router monitors and automatically activates when one's standard network goes down, switching from the standard Wi-Fi network to one powered by LTE.
- Backup Devices: With FLA-type licenses, one can install and activate Microvellum on as many devices as they want, with the only limit being how many can be used at once. As such, having laptops prepared as backup workstations is practical to ensuring one's workflow is not interrupted by outages. Any laptops that meet Microvellum's system requirements are suitable, though Microvellum has created a list of recommended workstations.
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