Creo® Installation and

Administration Guide
7.0.1.0
Creo Parametric
Creo Direct
Creo Layout
Creo Simulate
Creo Options Modeler
Creo Render Studio
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 Contents

About This Guide ........................................................................................................7

Preparing to Install Your PTC Software ....................................................................... 11
What You Receive ..............................................................................................12
Generating Licenses ...........................................................................................12
Before You Begin................................................................................................13
Opening a PTC Online Account ...........................................................................13
About PTC Installation Assistant ..........................................................................14
Working with PTC Installation Assistant................................................................16
PTC Software License Agreement .......................................................................17
Authenticating Your User Access .........................................................................18
Quick-Start Installation for Experienced Users .............................................................19
Updating PTC License Server..............................................................................20
Installing Creo Applications .................................................................................20
Where Your Software Is Installed .........................................................................21
Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications ............................................................22
Using PTC Installation Assistant for Licensing.......................................................23
Using the License Server Manager ......................................................................23
Verifying System Requirements ...........................................................................23
Before You Proceed ............................................................................................24
Generating or Updating Licenses .........................................................................25
Installing Creo Applications and other Utilities..............................................................32
Installation Prerequisites .....................................................................................33
File Format Compatibility.....................................................................................33
Installing the Creo Applications: Simple Installation Process ..................................33
Using Diagnostic Tools with Creo Applications ......................................................38
Customizing the Installation of the Creo Applications ...................................................39
Customizing an Installation..................................................................................40
Defining the Installation Components ...................................................................41
Installing Creo Mold Analysis (CMA) Component ..................................................43
Modifying License Configurations ........................................................................44
Configuring Windows Shortcuts ...........................................................................46
Setting Licenses for Creo Simulate ......................................................................46
Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications......................................48
Completing the Installation ..................................................................................49
Installing and Uninstalling Creo Applications in Silent Mode ...................................50
Starting Creo Applications ...................................................................................50
Configuring the Creo Application Startup ..............................................................50

3
 Directory Permissions to Start Creo Applications...................................................53
Installing Creo Platform Services .........................................................................53
Configuring a Creo Parametric Installation ............................................................55
Uninstalling Creo Applications .............................................................................58
Installing and Accessing Creo Help.............................................................................60
Overview of the Help Center ................................................................................61
Browser Support for Creo Help ............................................................................61
Accessing Help from within a Creo Application......................................................61
Choosing a Location for the Help Center Installation..............................................62
Installing the Help Center ....................................................................................62
Enabling the Help Center from a Network Drive.....................................................64
Installing the Help Center on a Web Server...........................................................65
Viewing the Help Center Independent of a Creo Application ...................................66
Uninstalling the Help Center ................................................................................67
Updating an Installation .............................................................................................68
Updating the License Server................................................................................69
Updating Creo Applications .................................................................................69
Customizing an Existing Installation of a Creo Application......................................70
Installing a Maintenance Release.........................................................................71
Upgrading an Existing Version of an Installation ....................................................71
Appendix A.License Management Software ................................................................74
Overview of PTC Licensing .................................................................................75
License Types ....................................................................................................75
Renewing a Subscription License ........................................................................76
Simplified License Management Process .............................................................77
PTC License Server............................................................................................82
Benefits of Using FlexNet Publisher .....................................................................82
Downward License Compatibility Using FlexNet Publisher .....................................83
Running FlexNet Publisher with Other Applications ...............................................83
Understanding Timeout Parameters .....................................................................84
Suppressing the Regained Network License Dialog Box for Creo
Parametric ......................................................................................................85
Using the Ptcflush Utility......................................................................................86
License Borrowing ..............................................................................................86
Appendix B.lmadmin License Server Manager.............................................................91
Overview of lmadmin as a GUI-Client ...................................................................92
Differences between lmgrd and lmadmin ..............................................................92
Installing PTC License Server Based on lmadmin..................................................92
Working with the FLEXnet License Administrator Web Interface .............................93
Appendix C.System Administration Information ...........................................................98
Temporary Directories ....................................................................................... 100
System Management Utilities ............................................................................ 100
IPV6 Support for Creo ....................................................................................... 102
Controlling Access to Toolkit Applications ........................................................... 102
Supported Graphics Modes ............................................................................... 102

4 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 General Plotter Information................................................................................ 102
Using Fonts...................................................................................................... 103
OpenType Font Support .................................................................................... 105
UNICODE Font Support .................................................................................... 105
Available System Fonts for Menu Items .............................................................. 106
Extended ASCII Set .......................................................................................... 106
Displaying the Text Symbol Palette in Creo Parametric ........................................ 107
Exporting Special Symbols to IGES.................................................................... 107
Font Definition .................................................................................................. 107
AVI Compression Codecs.................................................................................. 124
Exporting Data to Portable Document Format ..................................................... 124
Meeting Browser Requirements ......................................................................... 125
Opening a PDF File within the Creo Browser ...................................................... 126
Using Creo View Express to Open Creo Objects ................................................. 126
Opening Creo Objects from Windows Explorer.................................................... 127
JavaScript Security ........................................................................................... 128
Handling Incorrect Wrapper Files Stored in Windchill........................................... 128
Appendix D.Installing and Configuring Diagnostic Tools ............................................. 131
Overview.......................................................................................................... 132
Installing Diagnostic Tools ................................................................................. 132
Configuring Diagnostic Tools ............................................................................. 132
Using Diagnostic Tools ...................................................................................... 136
Uninstalling Diagnostic Tools ............................................................................. 137
Appendix E.Installing MKS Platform Components ...................................................... 138
Overview.......................................................................................................... 139
Installing MKS Platform Components ................................................................. 139
Appendix F.Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode ......................................... 140
Guidelines and Advantages of a Silent Installation............................................... 141
Strategies for the Mass Deployment of Creo Applications .................................... 142
Workflow for a Silent Installation ........................................................................ 143
Command Syntax for a Silent Installation............................................................ 145
Locating the XML Files...................................................................................... 147
Editing the XML Files ........................................................................................ 147
Uninstalling the Creo Applications in Silent Mode ................................................ 153
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode ....................... 153
Installing Diagnostic Tools and MKS Platform Components in Silent Mode ............ 155
Updating the Registry File ................................................................................. 155
Appendix G.Port Usage by Creo Applications ............................................................ 157
Using Communication Ports .............................................................................. 158
Appendix H.Distributed Computing Technology for Creo Parametric............................ 163
Overview of Distributed Computing .................................................................... 164
Supported Functions......................................................................................... 164
Configuring Workstations for Distributed Computing ............................................ 165
Appendix I.Troubleshooting Tips............................................................................... 166
General Debugging Hints .................................................................................. 167

Contents 5
 Online Information ............................................................................................ 167
Troubleshooting List.......................................................................................... 167
Appendix J.Workflow for Installation and Configuration .............................................. 170
Workflow for Generating Licenses for the Creo Applications................................. 171
Workflow for Installing the Creo Applications....................................................... 172
Workflow for Reconfiguring the Creo Applications ............................................... 173
Glossary................................................................................................................. 174
Index...................................................................................................................... 181

6 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 About This Guide

The Creo design software package encompasses the CAD, CAM, CAE, CAID,
and Visualization applications of PTC. It provides flexibility to add new
interoperable capabilities such as 2D modeling, direct modeling, and BOM-driven
assemblies to your software tools. This guide describes how to generate and
configure licenses, and how to install and maintain the Creo applications—Creo
Parametric, Creo Direct, Creo Layout, Creo Simulate, Creo Options Modeler and
Creo Render Studio—using PTC Installation Assistant. The installation
instructions are also common for Creo Distributed Services Manager.
System administrators who are installing the Creo applications for the first time
must be experienced in application installations and must have a good
understanding of operating systems.

How to Use This Guide

This guide supplements the tooltips in PTC Installation Assistant and provides
installation instructions and reference information. To generate or update licenses
and then install or reconfigure the Creo applications, see the following chapters:
Chapter Role Information
Preparing to Install All users Describes the materials in your
Your PTC Software on software shipment. Also
page 11 provides an overview of PTC
Installation Assistant.
Quick-Start Installation Advanced users Describes a quick-start
for Experienced Users approach for users who have
on page 19 previously installed license
management and product
software.

7
Chapter Role Information
Configuring Licenses All users Describes how to generate or
for the Creo update licenses and install PTC
Applications on page License Server.
22
Installing the Creo All users Describes a simple installation
Applications on page process for the Creo
32 applications.
Customizing the Advanced users Describes the advanced
Installation of the Creo customization options for
Applications on page installing the Creo applications.
39
Completing the All users Describes the steps to complete
Installation and Starting the installation of Creo
Creo Applications on applications and the procedure
page 48 to uninstall them.

Installing and Using Advanced users and Describes how to install and
Creo Help on page 60 system administrators access Help for Creo
Parametric, Creo Direct, Creo
Layout, Creo Simulate, Creo
Options Modeler, and Creo
Render Studiofrom a local host
computer, a network drive, and
from a Web server.
Updating an All users Describes how to update the
Installation on page 68 Creo applications on your
system.
Installing the Creo System administrators Describes how to install and
Applications in Silent uninstall the Creo applications
Mode on page 140 and the client-side components
in silent mode.

Related Documentation
The following documents on the Reference Documents page may be helpful as
you use this guide:
• Installing Creo 7.0: Creo Schematics
• Installing Creo 7.0: Creo View
• Installing Creo 7.0: Creo Illustrate
• FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide that discusses the third-party
license management software for distributing Creo licenses

8 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• Installing and Configuring the Standalone PTC License Server that discusses
the installation of the lmadmin-based PTC License Server

Technical Support
For resources and services to help you with PTC software products, please visit
the Customer Support Guide on the eSupport Portal at:
http://support.ptc.com/appserver/support/csguide/csguide.jsp
You must have a Service Contract Number (SCN) before you can receive assisted
technical support. If you do not have a service contract number please contact
PTC Customer Care by clicking the Contact tab on the Customer Support Guide
page.

Documentation for PTC Products

PTC provides documentation for download at PTC.com and also on other
installation media. The following forms of documentation are available for Creo
applications:
• A Help Center with context-sensitive Help, search facility, and quick links to
helpful information.
• Creo Installation and Administration Guide and other books as PDF files. To
view and print the books, you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.
After you install the Help component, press F1 on a user interface item to get
context-sensitive Help. To access the Help Center, click .
To access all PTC Documentation from PTC.com, you must have a valid user
account. Go to the New Account page to request a user account or call the
Customer Support.

Feedback to Documentation
PTC welcomes your suggestions and comments on its documentation—send
feedback to the following address:
[email protected]
Please include the name of the application and its release with your comments.
For online books, provide the book title.
Additionally, you can report any documentation issues using the online Case
Logger tool. On the second Case Logger page, select a product, release, datecode,
and then select Help Center / Documentation from the Technical Area list. Upon
submission of all information, a case number is returned immediately.

About This Guide 9

Documentation Conventions
PTC documentation uses the following conventions:
Convention Item Example
Bold Menu paths, dialog box options, Click File ▶ New.
buttons, and other selectable Click OK.
elements from the user interface
Courier User input, system messages, Processing
directories, and file names completed.
Courier with less- Variables for which an output=
than and greater- appropriate value is substituted <LOADPOINT>
than
symbols (< >)

10 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 1
Preparing to Install Your PTC
Software
What You Receive .....................................................................................................12
Generating Licenses..................................................................................................12
Before You Begin ......................................................................................................13
Opening a PTC Online Account ..................................................................................13
About PTC Installation Assistant.................................................................................14
Working with PTC Installation Assistant ......................................................................16
PTC Software License Agreement ..............................................................................17
Authenticating Your User Access ................................................................................18

This chapter describes the materials in your software shipment. It also provides an
overview of how you can use PTC Installation Assistant for obtaining licenses and
installing your software.

11
What You Receive
PTC sends the following materials related to your software order:
• PTC Software Order Confirmation e–mail—Before the receipt of your PTC
software, you will receive an e-mail containing all the details of your order.
• Software and Help Installation media—Your order contains one or more
installation media for each product purchased. It also contains the media for
the following Creo applications: Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, Creo Layout,
Creo Simulate,Creo Options Modeler, and Creo Render Studio in all the
supported languages.

Generating Licenses
Both new and existing customers can generate licenses in one of two ways.
• Using PTC Installation Assistant
• Using PTC License Management Web tools—Request your License Pack via
e-mail.

New Software Orders and Configurations

For new software orders, configure the license for the purchased products in one
of the following ways:
• Use PTC Installation Assistant to generate the license and install PTC License
Server.
• Contact PTC License Management directly for licenses.
• Click Manage Licenses on the eSupport page. Follow the instructions in the
Quick Licensing section to add a new license.

Maintenance Shipments
If you are updating your PTC software, you can use PTC Installation Assistant to
generate a license file. The license generation process is based on the product code
for your Maintenance Release shipment. Alternatively, you can request electronic
copies of your License Packs by either contacting PTC License Management
directly or using the Creo eSupport Center page and clicking Retrieve Existing
License Packs under License Management and following the instructions. A
License Pack for a Maintenance Release shipment contains all the qualifying
licenses for the specified site.

12 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
The contents of the License Pack reflect your order. If your configurations
have changed since a maintenance release, contact PTC License Management
for a new License Pack.

Before You Begin

Before you install your Creo software, make sure that the following prerequisites
are met:
• You have opened an online account at PTC.com.
• You have received the Software Confirmation Order e-mail with the product
code or the Sales Order Number for your shipment. Alternatively, you must
have received your License Pack via e-mail from PTC License Management.
• You have received the product installation media in your software shipment. If
not, follow the link on your Software Confirmation Order e-mail to download
the installation package to a folder on the local or the network computer.
• You have checked the Hardware Notes for platform support, system
requirements, and supported graphics card details at Creo Hardware Notes.
• If you are an existing user, you must have verified whether a FlexNet
Publisher license server is available for updating with new license codes.
• You have read the READ THIS FIRST document for installation prerequisites.
• The latest versions of all Windows software updates, security patches and
Microsoft Universal C Runtime in Windows are installed on the local or
network computer where you want to install Creo software.

Opening a PTC Online Account

You must have a PTC online account to generate a license and install the Creo
applications. Use the following instructions to create an online account:
1. On a computer connected to the Internet, go to the New Account page.
2. Fill in any empty boxes.
3. Click Create Account. A confirmation page indicates a successful account
creation.
4. Review and print this confirmation as a record. A confirmation of your
account is sent to your e-mail address.

Preparing to Install Your PTC Software 13

Resetting Your Password
If at any time you do not remember your PTC.com password, follow these
instructions:
1. Open the Reset Your Password page.
2. Type your user name.
3. Click Continue. A URL to reset your password is sent to your e-mail address.

About PTC Installation Assistant

PTC Installation Assistant generates licenses and installs the Creo applications
based on the license sources that you have been provided. You can perform the
following tasks using PTC Installation Assistant:
• Generate or update node-locked or floating licenses at runtime
• Drag-and-drop previously downloaded node-locked or floating license files
• Download node-locked licenses to a specific location. In case of floating
licenses, install PTC License Server
• Identify license sources listed in a PTC_D_LICENSE_FILE variable set on
your computer, or if a license server is already running
• View a list of the available applications based on the entitlements listed in the
license file
• Download and install the Creo applications from PTC.com
• Perform a simple installation. Alternatively, customize the installation to add
specific features and configurations
• Reconfigure an existing installation
See Workflow for Installation and Configuration on page 170 for flowcharts on
the installation and reconfiguration tasks.

Accessing PTC Installation Assistant

You can access PTC Installation Assistant from the installation media in your
software shipment. You can also download the Assistant from the Web by
following the link on your PTC Software Order Confirmation e-mail. After
downloading the installation package from the Web, extract the contents to a
folder on your computer or onto a network server location depending on how you
want to configure your installation.

14 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Privileges for Starting PTC Installation Assistant
To start PTC Installation Assistant on Windows, you must have elevated
privileges assigned to you by an administrator. In addition, the startup behavior of
the Assistant depends on the following criteria:
• The permission group or the access token associated with the logged-in user
account
• The User Account Control (UAC) settings for that account
The startup behavior for the Assistant is summarized below:
Access Token UAC Status Type of Prompt Result
Administrator Enabled Prompt for consent You can start the
Assistant after you
provide your
consent.
Administrator Disabled No prompt You can start the
Assistant with a
full administrative
access token.
Standard User Enabled Prompt for You can start the
credentials Assistant with a
full administrative
access token.
Standard User Disabled Not applicable You cannot start
the Assistant.

Starting PTC Installation Assistant

You can start PTC Installation Assistant by running setup.exe from the root
directory of either the installation media or the downloaded installation files.
Other than using the default of English, you can run the Assistant in French,
German, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean,
Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. See the next section for details. If
you are starting the Assistant from installation media such as a thumb drive, the
Assistant starts automatically if your computer has autorun enabled for the
drive. If it does not happen, follow one of these methods:
• Start Windows Explorer, browse to the installation media, and double-click the
setup.exe icon.
• At an MS-DOS prompt, type <drive>:\setup.exe, where <drive> is
the installation media drive letter.
• From the task bar, select Start ▶ Run, and enter <dvd>:\setup.exe.

Preparing to Install Your PTC Software 15

Working with PTC Installation Assistant
In addition to generating and updating licenses, you can install some of the Creo
applications using PTC Installation Assistant. When you start the Assistant, the
Welcome screen appears as shown below:

On this screen select a task based on your installation requirements and click Next
to proceed.
• Install new software
• Upgrade existing software
• Reconfigure existing software
• Setup license
As you perform the various tasks, the processes involved are highlighted on the
left pane. Take one of the following actions to end the installation process:
• Click Install and then click Finish to complete the installation and close the
Assistant.
• Click Finish to close the Assistant if you are only generating or updating
licenses.
• Click [X] at the top-right corner of the Assistant to stop the installation and
exit the Assistant at any stage during the installation.

16 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

PTC Software License Agreement
Before you use PTC Installation Assistant for generating licenses or installing
software, you must accept the PTC software license agreement. To do so, follow
these steps:
1. Start the Assistant and select a task on the Welcome screen.
2. Click Next. The Software License Agreement screen appears.

The license agreement is in the language specified for the language

environment variable LANG. If you are running the Assistant in a language
other than English, click to open a PDF file with the English license
agreement.
3. Read and accept the license agreement.
• You must accept the license agreement to proceed even if a license
agreement already exists. The license agreement shown above supersedes
the previous license agreement.
• If you decline the license agreement, you cannot proceed. Click Finish to
stop the installation and exit the Assistant. A page with instructions that
you should follow after you decline the license agreement, opens in your
default browser window.
4. Click the check box at the bottom of the screen to confirm that you are
installing and using the software in compliance with the export agreement.
5. Click to print the license agreement.

Preparing to Install Your PTC Software 17

Authenticating Your User Access
If you are accessing PTC Installation Assistant from the Web, the following login
screen may appear at any stage after you accept the software license agreement.
This happens in case your user access has not already been authenticated:

Perform the following steps for authentication:

1. Type your user name using the format <user [email protected]> in the
Username text box.
2. Type the password corresponding to the user name in the Password text box.
3. If you do not remember your user name or password, click Reset my
password. You are redirected to a page on PTC.com to reset your password.
4. Click Log In.
If necessary, click the link at the bottom of the dialog box to create a new account.

18 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 2
Quick-Start Installation for
Experienced Users
Updating PTC License Server ....................................................................................20
Installing Creo Applications ........................................................................................20
Where Your Software Is Installed ................................................................................21

This chapter provides a quick-start approach for experienced users who have
previously installed license management and product software on license server,
license client, and node-locked machines. For step-by-step installation instructions
on using PTC Installation Assistant, read the subsequent chapters in this guide.
New users can refer to the section Installing the Creo Applications: Simple
Installation Process on page 33.

19
Updating PTC License Server
If you are updating your software to a later release, you must update your PTC
licenses. See Updating the License Server on page 69 for details.

Installing Creo Applications

Install Creo applications one at a time to a client machine and to the license server
machine using the following workflow:
1. Start PTC Installation Assistant.
2. Click Install new software on the Welcome screen.
3. Accept the software license agreement.
4. Configure a license source (a license file or a license server) using the
instructions in the chapter Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications on
page 22. If you have already configured a license source, select it from the
License Summary area of the License Identification screen.
5. Select one or more Creo applications to install.
6. Select a folder for the installation. To install into a folder other than the
default, either type the full path or browse to the folder to select it.
To install more than one Creo application at a custom location, make sure to
install them in a common folder. The files common to the applications get
installed in the <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files folder accessible to
all the applications.
7. Click Next.
8. Customize each Creo application using the steps that follow, or click Install to
start a simple installation.
a. Define the platforms, languages, options, and the other components for
each application that you want to customize using the options on the
Application Features tab.
b. Use the options on the Command Configuration tab to modify the license
configuration information to associate specific licenses to the application
startup command. You can attach multiple licenses to a single command
name.
c. Configure the Windows shortcut preferences as required.
See Installing Creo Applications and other Utilities on page 32 for details on
the simple installation process. See Customizing an Installation on page 40 for
the customization details.
9. Click Install.

20 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

10. Click Finish when the installation completes.

Where Your Software Is Installed

PTC Installation Assistant defines and installs software into a default installation
directory that you can modify for your environment during installation. The
default path is as follows:
C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo <version number>\<app_name>
where <version number > has the format V.R.M.C where:
• V- indicates the main release number
• R- indicates the point release number
• M- indicates the maintenance release number
• C-indicates the critical patch set number
For example for the main Creo 7 release the value of V.R.M.C would be 7.0.0.0
and the software will be installed at the path C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo
7.0.0.0 hereafter referred to as <creo_loadpoint>
PTC License Server, the Creo applications, and any related components are
installed into separate subdirectories within the PTC directory.

Quick-Start Installation for Experienced Users 21

 3
Configuring Licenses for the Creo
Applications
Using PTC Installation Assistant for Licensing .............................................................23
Using the License Server Manager .............................................................................23
Verifying System Requirements..................................................................................23
Before You Proceed...................................................................................................24
Generating or Updating Licenses................................................................................25

This chapter explains how to generate or update licenses using PTC Installation
Assistant. It also provides instructions to install PTC License Server, a third-party
license management software for your Creo applications. You must install PTC
License Server before installing your Creo applications unless you have purchased
uncounted node-locked licenses. Refer to your sales documents for your license
type. For the license server version requirements appropriate for your installation,
see the READ THIS FIRST.
PTC uses FlexNet Publisher from Flexera Software, Inc. as its license server. See
License Management Software on page 74 for an overview and benefits of the
license management software. The FlexNet Publisher License Administration
Guide may be helpful as you install PTC License Server.

22 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Using PTC Installation Assistant for
Licensing
You must generate or update exiting licenses to use the latest software for Creo
7.0. Licenses determine the Creo applications that you are authorized to run on
your computer. The Assistant helps you perform the following licensing-related
tasks:
• Generate a new license file based on your product code
• Update and reuse an existing license file on your computer or at a remote
server location
• Install a single or a triad license server

Using the License Server Manager

The license server manager handles the initial contact with your PTC software that
uses FlexNet licensing. It passes the connection to the appropriate vendor daemon.
A license server manager serves the following purposes:
• Starts and maintains vendor daemons for serving license rights from different
software.
• Transfers specific software requests to the correct vendor daemon.
There are two versions of the license server manager for license administration:
• lmadmin—Uses a graphical user interface (GUI)
• lmgrd—Uses a command-line interface
PTC currently ships with its products a license server manager based on
lmadmin with the ptc_d vendor daemon at version 11.16.2.1. It is a
replacement to the lmgrd−based license server manager shipped with the earlier
releases of PTC products. If you are using an lmgrd−based license server
manager with ptc_d vendor daemon of version 10.8.x, it is recommended that
you migrate to lmadmin although it is not necessary.

Verifying System Requirements

Installation requirements for the Creo applications in this guide follow:
• You must have administrative privileges to install PTC License Server.
• You must have TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)
installed and configured correctly on your Windows system before installing
the software.

Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications 23

• To use the lmadmin−based license server manager on Windows platforms,
you must install the following packages:
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package(x86)
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package(x86)
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package(x86)
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable Package(x64)
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package(x86)
○ Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable Package(x64)
.

Note
For information on platform support for the Creo applications, see http://www.
ptc.com/WCMS/files/160242/en/PTC_Creo_Future_Platform_Support_
Summary.pdf.

Before You Proceed

Gather all the necessary information that follows about the installation:
• Check the following documents for the latest installation settings:
○ The Hardware Notes for platform support, system requirements, and
supported graphics card details at PTC_Creo_Future_Platform_Support_
Summary.pdf
○ The READ THIS FIRST document of your product for any changes to
your computer settings
○ The FlexNet License Server Hardware Notes for license server installation
requirements at www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/121640/en/FlexNet_Licensing.
pdf
• Make a note of your product code that arrives via e-mail. If you have received
a license file via e-mail, store it at a secure location on your disk.
• If you have already installed PTC License Server based on lmgrd and choose
not to migrate to lmadmin, you must still update the license server with
license codes compatible with Creo 7.0.
• If you have already installed PTC License Server based on lmgrd and choose
to migrate to lmadmin, complete these steps before the migration:
1. Shut down any lmgrd service or processes running on the system.

24 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 2. Save the license.dat file from your existing license server installation
to a secure location.
3. Uninstall the previous installation completely.
See Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin, in the FlexNet Publisher License
Administration Guide for more information.

About the Product Codes

A product code is a unique serial number corresponding to the license that you are
requesting. An example of a product code is BH381111ED12345H4B5CXD.
Product codes are nontransferable. They can be used by only one individual on
only one computer. Product codes are usually provided by PTC when your
software order is confirmed. You can use the product codes to generate licenses
using PTC Installation Assistant.

Generating or Updating Licenses

After you have received an e-mail from PTC with the Sales Order Number (SON)
or product codes for your software order, generate or update licenses using PTC
Installation Assistant as follows:
1. Start the Assistant. The Welcome screen appears.
2. Select either Setup license or Install new software depending on the tasks that
you want to perform:
• Setup license generates or installs licenses.
• Install new software performs license generation or identification tasks
after which you can install the software.

Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications 25

3. Click Next. The Software License Agreement screen appears.

4. Read and accept the software license agreement and click the check box at the
bottom of the screen to accept the export agreement.
5. Click Next. The License Identification screen appears. The License Summary
area shows the available license sources installed using the Assistant, or the
licenses found on the computer. The license availability is shown in the Status

26 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 column. The Host ID of the computer is displayed below the available
licenses.

6. If you don’t already have a license click the “Don’t have a licence? Click
here” link and follow the instructions on the License Management page to
obtain a license.
7. Click Skip Licensing if you want to proceed with the installation without
providing the licensing information. You can provide the licensing information
at a later stage by re-running the PTC Installation Assistant.

Note
If you click Skip Licensing, the Command Configuration tabbed page on
the Customize Selected Applications dialog box is not available when you
customize the Creo application. You can add, edit, or delete a license
configuration using the Command Configuration tabbed page on the
Customize Selected Applications dialog box.

Using the Simple License Entry Options

Use the Simple License Entry area on the License Identification screen and perform
the following steps:
1. Type your sales order number or product code in the corresponding text box.

Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications 27

2. Click Install Licensing. If the sales order number matches your software order,
all the available licenses corresponding to the sales order number are
automatically generated into the license file.
• For node-locked licenses, a single set of available node-locked license
features are added to the license file and downloaded to the “C:\
ProgramData\PTC\licensing\ folder.
• For floating licenses, all the available licenses are added to the license file
and the PTC FlexNet Publisher license server is installed.
The complete path of the license file or the port@hostname value of the
license server appears in the Source column of the License Summary area.
This area displays all the license files or servers available for use on your
computer.
3. To complete the license setup, click one of the following buttons depending on
the options you have selected on the Welcome screen:
• Click Finish to close the Assistant if you have selected Setup license.
• Click Next if you have selected Install new software to proceed with the
installation.

Using the Advanced License Entry Options

Use the Advanced License Entry area on the License Identification screen to edit
the default license port and for the setup of a Triad license server as follows:
1. Click next to Advanced License Entry to expand the area.

28 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

2. Type your Sales Order Number or your product code in the corresponding text
box.
3. Click Host ID Setup to open the Host ID Setup dialog box.

The sales order number or the product code from the previous step appears in
the dialog box. The Machine ID, Port, and the Host columns for the local
computer is shown.
a. To change the default port for a single license, edit the number in the Port
text box and click Install Licensing. Then skip to the last step in this
section.

Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications 29

 b. For triad server installations, follow these steps:
i. Click next to Triad Server to expand the area.
ii. Provide the host ID, port number, and the host name for the other two
servers.
iii. Click Install Licensing. An authentication dialog box to connect to
PTC.com may open if your user access has not already been validated.
If so, provide your credentials and click Log In.
The license server is installed and appears in the License Summary area of
the License Identification screen.
4. To complete the license setup, click one of the following buttons depending on
the options you have selected on the Welcome screen:
• Click Finish to close the Assistant if you have selected Setup license.
• Click Next if you have selected Install new software to proceed with the
installation.

Installing the License Server at a Custom Location

If required, you can install the license server at a custom location, as follows:
1. Copy the Creo product installation media or the product installation package
that you downloaded from the web, to a temporary location (<temp_
folder>) on your disk.
2. Edit the <temp_folder>/pim/xml/flexadmin.xml file and modify
the INSTALLBASE name attribute of the PROPERTY node to specify the
custom installation location for the license server as shown:
<PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">[PROGRAMFILES]\PTC</PROPERTY>

Modify to:
<PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">D:\NEWFLEXDIR</PROPERTY>

Where, D:\NEWFLEXDIR is the custom installation location for the license

server.
3. Save the <temp_folder>/pim/xml/flexadmin.xml file.
4. Start the PTC Installation Assistant from the locally copied <temp_
folder> folder, and install the license server. The license server is installed
at the custom location D:\NEWFLEXDIR.

30 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
• PTC recommends that you do not edit the flexadmin.xml file unless there
is a specific need to do so.
• You can only edit the nodes that are documented in this section.

Specifying License Entry for Previously Generated

License Files
Using the License Summary area, you can install licenses using the license files
that you have already received as follows:
1. Drag and drop or type the path to the license file or click to select an
existing license file.
2. Click outside the License Summary area to begin the installation of the license
server for floating licenses. For the node-locked licenses, this step checks the
host ID of the local computer.

Note
Node-locked licenses that you specify using the License Summary area are
not remembered in the subsequent sessions unless you add them
specifically to the PTC_D_LICENSE_FILE variable.

3. Click the or the buttons in the License Summary area to add or remove
license sources from the current session.

Note
Removing license sources does not delete or uninstall license files or the
license server.

4. To complete the license setup, click one of the following buttons depending on
the options you have selected on the Welcome screen:
• Click Finish to close the Assistant if you have selected Setup license.
• Click Next if you have selected Install new software to proceed with the
installation.

Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications 31

 4
Installing Creo Applications and
other Utilities
Installation Prerequisites ............................................................................................33
File Format Compatibility ...........................................................................................33
Installing the Creo Applications: Simple Installation Process .........................................33
Using Diagnostic Tools with Creo Applications .............................................................38

This chapter provides information on how to install the following PTC products:
• Creo applications:
○ Creo Parametric
○ Creo Direct
○ Creo Layout
○ Creo Simulate
○ Creo Options Modeler
○ Creo Render Studio
○ Creo Distributed Services Manager
• Utilities

32 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Installation Prerequisites
See Before You Begin on page 13 to check if all the installation prerequisites are
met. Install the Creo applications and Creo Distributed Services Manager after
you have obtained a license and installed PTC License Server. See the chapter
Configuring Licenses for the Creo Applications on page 22 for details on how to
obtain licenses for your software. You can install your product software on a
license server, a license client, a node-locked machine, or on any combination of
these machines.

Note
• Usage of uncounted, node-locked licenses does not require PTC License
Server.
• License configuration is a part of the installation process.

File Format Compatibility

You can retrieve files (parts, assemblies, drawings) created in a previous release of
a Creo application using the current version of the same application.

Installing the Creo Applications: Simple

Installation Process
Using PTC Installation Assistant, you can install the Creo applications and Creo
Distributed Services Manager using a simple installation process. You can also
customize their installation using this installer. A simple installation process is
described below:
1. Start the Assistant. The Welcome screen appears.
2. Click Install new software.

Installing Creo Applications and other Utilities 33

3. Click Next. The Software License Agreement screen appears.
4. Accept the agreement and select the check box at the bottom of the screen to
confirm that you are installing the software in compliance with the export
agreement.

5. Click Next. The License Identification screen appears.

34 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

6. If you have not already obtained your licenses or installed PTC License
Server, follow the instructions in the chapter Configuring Licenses for the
Creo Applications on page 22.
If you have configured your licenses, confirm that your license source appears
in the License Summary area, or add it using one of the following methods:
• Drag and drop a valid license file into the Source column for a node-
locked license.
• Click on the browse button, navigate and select a valid license file on the
local system.
• Specify the port@hostname value of the license server in the Source
column for a single floating license server.
• Specify the name of a member of the triad license server in the Source
column. The License Summary area is automatically populated with the
entire triad license server information.
After you provide the correct license information, the availability of the
license appears in the Status column.
7. Click Next. The Application Selection screen appears.

Installing Creo Applications and other Utilities 35

8. Specify an installation folder or retain the default folder for all applications.

Selecting Application for Installation

Select one or more applications from the list:
• Creo:
○ Creo Direct
○ Creo Distributed Services Manager
○ Creo Layout
○ Creo Options Modeler
○ Creo Parametric
○ Creo Simulate
○ Creo Render Studio
• Utilities:
○ Creo Platform Services
○ Creo Thumbnail Viewer
○ Creo View Express
○ Microsoft .NET Framework <version_number> Setup.
○ Diagnostic Tools
○ MKS Platform Components 9.x

36 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
Required utilities for applications that you select to install, are
automatically marked for installation. You can deselect the Creo
Thumbnail Viewer, andCreo View Express for installation. The MKS
Platform Components 9.x is not selected by default.

Before selecting applications from the list, check if you are installing the correct
version of the software and whether the disk space requirements are met.
Click Next. The Customize Selected Applications screen is displayed. Perform one
of the following steps:
• Click Install to install the applications without any customization.
• Customize the selected application by varying the different options displayed
on this screen. Refer to the chapter Customizing the Installation of the Creo
Applications on page 39 for more information.

Installation Path of Utilities

Few of the required and optional utilities that you select to install with the Creo
applications do not get installed at the default or custom installation path that you
specify.
The following is the list of required and optional utilities and their respective
installation paths:
• Creo Thumbnail Viewer
C:\Windows\System32\thumbplug.dll
• Creo Platform Services
With default location as C:\Program Files\
With custom path — <installdir>\Creo\Platform
• Creo View Express
C:\Program Files\PTC\Utilities\Creo View Express\bin
• Diagnostic Tools
<Installdir>\DiagnosticTools

Installing Creo Applications and other Utilities 37

Using Diagnostic Tools with Creo
Applications
Diagnostic Tools is a utility that is installed by default when you install any of the
Creo applications. Click or clear the check box at the bottom of the Application
Selection screen to enable or disable diagnostic reporting. By default, diagnostic
reporting is enabled.
Diagnostic Tools helps you to collect information and send reports to PTC on the
performance and usage of the Creo applications. Before clicking the check box,
read the instructions in the data collection document. The link to the data
collection document is at the bottom of the screen. See Installing and Configuring
the Diagnostic Tools on page 131 for more information on the uses of Diagnostic
Tools.

38 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 5
Customizing the Installation of the
Creo Applications
Customizing an Installation ........................................................................................40
Defining the Installation Components ..........................................................................41
Installing Creo Mold Analysis (CMA) Component .........................................................43
Modifying License Configurations ...............................................................................44
Configuring Windows Shortcuts..................................................................................46
Setting Licenses for Creo Simulate .............................................................................46

This chapter explains how to customize an installation of the Creo applications.

This information also applies to Creo Distributed Services Manager. Some of the
application features in this chapter are specific to individual Creo applications.

39
Customizing an Installation
You can customize the installation of a Creo application using the following
procedure:
1. Perform steps 1 through 8 as described in the section Installing the Creo
Applications: Simple Installation Process on page 33.
2. When the Customize Applications task is selected you can select the
application you want to customize from the Customize Selected Applications
screen. The selected applications are highlighted. The customization tabbed
pages appear on the right pane as shown in the following figure.

• To install customized application features using the Application Features

tabbed page, see Defining the Installation Components on page 41.
• To modify license configurations using the Command Configuration tabbed
page, see Modifying License Configurations on page 44.
• To configure Windows shortcut preferences using the Shortcuts tabbed
page, see Configuring Windows Shortcuts on page 46.
3. Select an application and then click a tabbed page on the right pane to
proceed.
4. After selecting the options on all the tabbed pages, perform one of the
following actions:
• Click Install to start the installation.

40 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 • Click Back to go back to the Application Selection task.
5. Complete the installation of the Creo application. See Completing the
Installation and Starting the Creo Applications on page 48 for details.

Defining the Installation Components

Using the Application Features tabbed page, you can define the following
components for installation. Refer to the Application column for the application
with which you can install the component.
Component Application Description
<application_name> All the Creo Installs the Creo application
applications and Creo and its components. By
Distributed Services default, the components are
Manager installed at <creo_
loadpoint>\
<app_name> and the
startup scripts are installed at
<creo_loadpoint>\
<app_name>\bin.
Options Creo Parametric Installs additional
components such as Creo
ModelCHECK, Mold
Component Catalog, Creo
Mold Analysis, NC-GPOST,
Creo Parametric Distributed
Computing Extension, and
Creo Photo-Realistic
Rendering with Creo
Parametric, Creo Flow
Analysis, and Creo Topology
Optimization. See Installing
CreoMold Analysis (CMA)
Component on page 43 for
information on installing
Creo Mold Analysis.
Note
The ModuleWorks
component is installed by
default along with Creo
Parametric.

Customizing the Installation of the Creo Applications 41

Component Application Description
Additionally starts the Intel
MPI Service that enables
parallel computing for Creo
Mold Analysis.
API Toolkits Creo applications and Installs the files necessary to
Creo Distributed run the Application Program
Services Manager Interface toolkits.
Interfaces Creo Installs the external
interfaces.
Note
To install Creo Parametric
Interface for CADDS 5,
you must also select MKS
Platform Components 9.x
for installation on the
Application Selection
screen. See Installing
MKS Platform
Components on page 138
for more information.
Languages All the Creo Selects the languages for the
applications and Creo installation. The software is
Distributed Services installed in English by default
Manager and cannot be disabled.
Enable Diagnostic All the Creo If enabled, collects
reporting applications information related to the
Creo applications and other
system-related information
and sends it to PTC. See
Installing and Configuring
Diagnostic Tools on page 131
for more information on
Diagnostic Tools.
Verification Models Creo Simulate Installs the verification
models that are described in
the Simulation Verification
Guide Help.

42 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Component Application Description
Creo Parametric Creo Parametric,Creo Installs this component to run
Distributed Computing Simulate distributed computing tasks
Extension
that include import/export,
printing operations, and
studies in the case of Creo
Simulate.
Direct Modeling Creo Parametric, Creo Installs files that are required
Converter Simulate, Creo Direct to convert and open Creo
Elements/Direct files.

Note
Some Creo applications require the latest version of Java 8 installed on your
machine. For optimal performance of Creo, install the latest version of Java 8
before you start installation.

Installing Creo Mold Analysis (CMA)

Component
Creo Mold Analysis (CMA) is an injection molding simulation application. You
can use CMA to verify the part design for manufacturing to avoid the molding
defects. CMA uses the IntelMPI process to launch parallel computing. The
hydra_service.exe process on your system verifies whether the IntelMPI is
installed or not.
You can install IntelMPI using following procedure:
1. Open a command window as an administrator.
2. Browse to the location of the hydra_service.exe file. If you install the
Creo Mold Analysis component with the default installation path for the Creo
Parametric application, the path is C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo
<version number>\Common Files\x86e_win64\cma\Bin\
IntelMPI\.
3. To start the installation process of this component, run the following
command:
hydra_service.exe –install
Similarly, run the following command to uninstall theCreo Mold Analysis
component:

Customizing the Installation of the Creo Applications 43

 hydra_service.exe –uninstall

Modifying License Configurations

Using the Command Configuration tabbed page, you can add, edit, or delete a
license configuration. The figures in this section show the default license
configurations for Creo Parametric. Similar screens appear for the other Creo
applications.

Perform the following steps:

1. Click Add to add additional configurations. The Add configuration dialog box
opens.

44 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 a. In the Configuration Name box, specify a file name (*.psf) for the license
configuration information. Use alphanumeric characters without spaces to
define the configuration name.
b. From the Configuration Type list, select an application.
c. In the Configuration Description box, type a description for each of the
license configurations that you have defined. This information is displayed
on start up of Creo Parametric. The description can contain spaces and
other characters.
d. The Available License(s) column displays the set of all licenses to run and
the startup extensions and floating licenses. Select the required license in
this list and move it to the Startup extensions and floating options list.
e. Click OK. The newly added license configuration appears on the Command
Configuration tabbed page.
2. To edit a license configuration, select it on the Command Configuration tabbed
page and click Edit. Use the options on the Edit configuration dialog box for
editing.
3. To delete a license configuration, select it and click Delete.

Customizing the Installation of the Creo Applications 45

Configuring Windows Shortcuts
Using the Shortcut tabbed page, you can configure the Windows shortcut
preferences for the Creo applications. You can change any of the Windows
shortcut settings that are shown in the following figure:

Setting Licenses for Creo Simulate

The Licenses tabbed page appears when you click Creo Simulate.

46 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Using this tabbed page you can configure licenses for Creo Simulate. A list of
license types against the selected licenses appears on this tabbed page. Type a
value in the Selected License(s) text box to change the license for the selected
license type.

Customizing the Installation of the Creo Applications 47

 6
Completing the Installation and
Starting the Creo Applications
Completing the Installation .........................................................................................49
Installing and Uninstalling Creo Applications in Silent Mode..........................................50
Starting Creo Applications..........................................................................................50
Configuring the Creo Application Startup.....................................................................50
Directory Permissions to Start Creo Applications .........................................................53
Installing Creo Platform Services ................................................................................53
Configuring a Creo Parametric Installation...................................................................55
Uninstalling Creo Applications ....................................................................................58

This chapter explains how to complete an installation of a Creo application. This

information is common to Creo Distributed Services Manager. Information on
how to start the Creo applications and configure their startup is also given.
Proceed to the end of the chapter for the procedure to uninstall the Creo
applications.

48 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Completing the Installation
After configuring your settings, follow these steps to complete the installation:
1. Click Back if you want to review information to make sure that your settings
are correct.
2. Click Install to begin the installation. The Installation Progress screen displays
the status.

Note
From Creo 6.0.0.0 onward, the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
Package is a part of the Creo installation.

Note
Utilities that are required for applications that you select on the Application
Selection screen, get installed prior to the installation of the selected
applications.

On this screen you can also perform the following operations using buttons to
the right of the progress bars and below them:

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 49

 • Click to stop an installation.

• Click to restart an installation.

• Click Finish after the applications are installed to close the Assistant. You
can also click [X] at the top-right corner of the Assistant to exit the
installer.

Installing and Uninstalling Creo

Applications in Silent Mode
You can install and uninstall all the Creo applications included in this guide in
silent mode using command-line arguments. See Installing the Creo Applications
in Silent Mode on page 140 for details.

Starting Creo Applications

After your license management and product software have been installed, start the
Creo applications. You can run the applications using the shortcut defined on your
desktop or using the Start menu. Click All Programs ▶ PTC Creo and select the
Creo 7.0 application that you want to start.

Configuring the Creo Application Startup

When you configure the startup of a Creo application, an executable file named
<app>.exe, for example, parametric.exe and one or more configuration
files (.psf) are created for each startup configuration. The configuration file
contains an area where you can specify and set user-defined environment
variables. This user-defined information is preserved during reconfiguration and
update installations of the Creo applications. A configuration file is created when
you complete the installation of a Creo application.
The configuration file is created in the <creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\
bin\ directory.
You can run <creo_loadpoint>\\<app_name>\bin\<app_
name>.exe to display a list of the available startup configurations.
The startup command is a combination of the startup executable and the
configuration file. For example,
parametric.exe <filename>.psf
In this case, <filename> is the name of the configuration file.

50 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

A sample configuration file follows. The text is the default information that is
used when you start Creo Parametric. The bold text following the // USER -
PSF section is the user-defined information for starting Creo Parametric.

Note
Modify only the last text line of this sample configuration file.

// PTC - PSF file: parametric

//
ENV=PATH+=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\deflib
ENV=PATH+=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\lib
ENV=PRO_COMM_MSG_EXE=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\
OBJ\pro_comm_msg.exe
ENV=CDRS_DATA=<creo_loadpoint>
ENV=PRO_IMAGE_CONVERTER=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\obj
\convert_image.exe
ENV=SPG_DIRECTORY=<creo_loadpoint>
ENV=PROTABLE_DIRECTORY=<creo_loadpoint>\protable
ENV=PROTAB=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\OBJ\protab.exe
ENV=CLHOME=<creo_loadpoint>\text\pcldata
ENV=CV_ENV_HOME=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\CV102
ENV=LM_LICENSE_FILE=7788@static
ENV=CREOPMA_FEATURE_NAME=CREOPMA_BASIC
RUN=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\nms\nmsd.exe -timeout 300
RUN=<creo_loadpoint>%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%obj\xtop.exe
// USER - PSF
// Add User specific environment or run applications below here
ENV=PRO_LANG=german
You can set the value of an environment variable or specify the startup of a third-
party application under the // USER - PSF section of the configuration file.
If you run Creo application without creating a configuration file, a error message
indicates that the Creo application cannot be started. In such cases you must run
ptcsetup from the <creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin\ folder and
create a PTC Startup File (PSF) for that Creo application. You can then run that
Creo application using corresponding PSF file.
If you create only one configuration file for a Creo application, that application
uses the configuration file by default.

Specifying Environmental Variables

You can use a configuration file to specify the value of an environmental variable
in the configuration file, follow these instructions:
• Use the ENV or RUN entry to specify the value of an environment variable or
to run an external application.

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 51

• Use the equal sign (=) following ENV to change the existing value of the
variable.
• Use the plus and equal to signs (+=) to add a value after an existing value of
the variable.
• Use the minus and equal to signs (-=) to insert a value before an existing
value of the variable.
• Use the RUN entry to run an external command on startup.

Reading of Configuration Files at Startup

A Creo application automatically reads configuration files from several locations.
If an option is in more than one configuration file, the most recently loaded or the
most recently read setting is applied.
At startup, a Creo application first reads in a protected system configuration file
called config.sup. It then searches for and reads in the configuration files
(config.pro, config.win, menu_def.pro) from various directories in
the following order:
1. <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\text (creo_loadpoint is the
Creo application installation directory)—Your system administrator may have
put configuration files in this location to support company standards for
windows configuration settings, formats, and libraries. Any user starting a
Creo application from this loadpoint uses the values in this file.
2. HOME environment variable—You can set this environment variable to point
to a directory created for your login ID. You can place your configuration files
here to start the Creo application from any folder without having to copy the
files in each folder.
3. Startup directory—This is your current or the working directory when you
start a Creo application. Since the local configuration files (config.pro,
config.win, and menu_def.pro) in this directory are the last to be read,
they override any conflicting configuration file option entries. The
config.pro file does not, however, override any config.sup entries.

PIM Installer Log File

During the installation of the selected applications and components, the pim_
installmgr.log file is generated in the My Documents folder. You can
share this log file with PTC for further analysis of issues related to the PIM
Installer.

52 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Generating a Debug Log File
The debug log file contains the environment variables that you have set. You can
run the <app_name>.exe executable in debug mode by setting the value of the
environment variable APPL_STARTUP_LOG to true. A debug file named
applstarter.log is created in the C:\ drive.

Directory Permissions to Start Creo

Applications
You cannot start a Creo application from a directory without write permissions
unless you specify an alternative directory to store the trail files. If you start a
Creo application from a directory without write permissions, a dialog box opens
as shown in the following example:

Specify another directory with write permissions. The working directory remains
the same, but the trail files are stored in the new working directory that you have
specified.

Installing Creo Platform Services

Installation Path of Utilities
Few of the required and optional utilities that you select to install with the Creo
applications do not get installed at the default or custom installation path that you
specify.
The following are the required and optional utilities and their respective
installation paths for the Creo Platform Services:
With default location as C:\Program Files\
With custom path: <installdir>\Creo\
When you begin the installation of a Creo application, the latest version of the
Creo Platform Services also gets installed. Older installed versions of Creo
Platform Services are uninstalled, since the latest version works with older
versions of Creo applications.

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 53

 Note
The behaviour described above is new in Creo 4.0. In the previous releases
older versions of Creo Platform Agent (which is now superseded by Creo
Platform Services) were not automatically uninstalled or upgraded with a
newer version of the same package.

Creo Platform Services is a system level component which provides the following
functionalities to Creo:
• It acts as a broker connecting other independent Creo components.
• Invokes the LearningConnector for Creo application.
• Provides embedded browser infrastructure and HTTP streaming services.
• Performs Creo monitoring for ExitLogger reporting.
See Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode on page
153 for instructions on performing a silent installation of Creo Platform Services.
If you access Creo applications from a shared location across the network, you do
not need to install Creo Platform Services on your client machine.
If a Creo installation on a custom location (For Example, D:\PTC), is relocated to
a network drive (For Example, D:\PTC is exported as \\SERVER\CREO4_
Share\), then Creo automatically finds the creoagent executable file relative to
the install location.
Creo does not require the environmental variable CREO_AGENT_EXE_PATH to
find the path of creoagent.exe.
However, if the Creo installation structure in the network location is different
from the default one, then the environmental variable CREO_AGENT_EXE_PATH
must point to the file creoagent.exe.
The environment variable, CREO_AGENT_LDP_LIST must also be set and must
point to the manifests folder on the Platform location. (For Example,
\\SERVER\CREO4_Share\Creo\Platform\4\manifests).
For local installation, the above environmental variables are not used.
If Creo is started from a network install and Creo Platform Services package
(creoagent.exe and Creo platform) is installed locally and the environmental
variables are not set, local installation takes precedence even if Creo finds the
network installation. Using environmental variables, you can change the order of
lookups.

54 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
When conditions listed below exist, set the path for the Creo Platform Services
executable as the value of the CREO_AGENT_EXE_PATH environment
variable:
• You are working on a 64-bit platform.
• You access a Creo application that is installed at the default installation
path and is shared across a network.

This ensures all dependent add-ons of the Creo Platform Services work correctly.

Configuring a Creo Parametric

Installation
After you have installed Creo Parametric, you can perform the following
operations either by setting configuration options before starting Creo Parametric
or by installing the necessary components at startup
• Change the units of measure by setting configuration options in your
config.pro file before Creo Parametric startup
• Generate a traceback log file by setting a configuration option before or after
starting Creo Parametric

Changing the Units of Measure for Creo Parametric

You can change the units of measure for your Creo Parametric installation. Use
the settings in the next table to update values for the configuration options in your
config.pro file:
Configuration
Option English Metric
drawing_setup_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
file \Common Files\ \Common Files\
text\prodetail.dtl text\iso.dtl
format_setup_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
file \Common Files\ \Common Files\
text\prodetail.dtl text\iso.dtl
pro_unit_ unit_inch unit_mm
length
pro_unit_mass unit_pound unit_kilogram

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 55

Configuration
Option English Metric
template_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
designasm \Common Files\ \Common Files\
templates\
inlbs_asm_design.asm \templates\mmks_asm_design_
abs.asm
template_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
drawing \Common Files\ \Common Files\
templates\c_drawing.drw templates\a3_drawing.drw
template_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
sheetmetalpart \Common Files\ \Common Files\
templates\ templates\
inlbs_part_sheetmetal_ mmks_part_sheetmetal_
abs.prt abs.prt
template_new_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
ecadasm \Common Files\ \Common Files\
templates\ templates\
inlbs_ecad_asm_abs.asm mmks_ecad_asm_abs.asm
template_ <creo_loadpoint>\ <creo_loadpoint>\
solidpart \Common Files\ \Common Files\
templates\ templates\
inlbs_part_solid_ solid_part_mmks_abs.prt
abs.prt

todays_date_ %Mmm-%dd-%yy %dd-%Mmm-%yy

note_format
tolerance_ ansi iso
standard
tol_mode nominal nominal
weld_ui_ ansi iso
standard

Generating a Traceback Log File for Creo Parametric

In the event of a premature exit, Creo Parametric can output a stack trace of your
last operations if you set the auto_traceback configuration option to yes.
The default value is always. By default, this information is stored in the
traceback.log file in the startup directory. The following message appears to
indicate the premature exit of Creo Parametric:

56 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

The traceback.log file can sometimes be useful to Technical Support to
resolve the premature exit issue. If you click Cancel, Creo Parametric exits
without creating the traceback.log file. If you click OK, the following
message appears:

Creo Parametric exits after creating the traceback.log file in the current
working directory.

Note
If you start Creo Parametric from a directory without write permissions, the
traceback.log file is stored in the directory that you have specified using
the Choose startup directory dialog box.

Working with CADDS 5 Models in Creo Parametric

You can import and export 3D CADDS 5 parts and assemblies within Creo
Parametric by installing the CADDS 5 interface during the installation of Creo
Parametric. To do so, select Creo Parametric Interface for CADDS 5 under
Interfaces on the Application Features tabbed page on the Application Custom
Setting screen. To use this interface, consider the following instructions:

• After you have installed Creo Parametric Interface for CADDS 5 with Creo
Parametric, a configuration file config_cadds.pro is automatically saved
in the <creo_loadpoint>\Parametric\text\ folder. This file
contains configuration options whose settings determine how the CADDS 5
interface works with Creo Parametric. A sample config_cadds.pro file
follows:

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 57

 atb_ident_cadds_files yes
cadds_import_layer yes
intf_cadds_import_make_solid yes
intf_cadds_version 14
! extend_cvpath is similar to config-option search_path for
Creo Parametric.
! It allows to find user's CADDS 5 objects on import...
! extend_cvpath

Check the config_cadds.pro file for the above configuration options. If

required, copy the configuration options to your local config.pro file and
update their values.
• Check whether the components listed below are installed:
○ Creo Parametric Interface for CADDS 5
○ MKS platform components. See Installing MKS Platform Components on
page 138 for installation instructions.
○ Portmapper that is installed as a part of the MKS platform components.
Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ Programs and Features to open the Uninstall
or change a program screen. You must see PTC Portmapper as an installed
program.

Uninstalling Creo Applications

You can remove an installation of a Creo application through the Control Panel as
follows:
1. Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ Programs and Features. The Uninstall or change a
program screen appears.
2. In the application list, click the specific version of the application you want to
remove.
3. Right-click Uninstall. A confirmation dialog box opens as shown in the figure
below :

58 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 .
Select one of the following Uninstall Options:
• Uninstall only selected application
• Uninstall all applications and Utilities in this version
Click Uninstall to remove either the selected Creo application or all
applications and utilities for the selected version.

Note
If you have installed more than one Creo application, make sure that the
Common Files folder and its contents are still available in the Creo load
point.

Completing the Installation and Starting the Creo Applications 59

 7
Installing and Accessing Creo
Help
Overview of the Help Center.......................................................................................61
Browser Support for Creo Help ...................................................................................61
Accessing Help from within a Creo Application ............................................................61
Choosing a Location for the Help Center Installation ....................................................62
Installing the Help Center ...........................................................................................62
Enabling the Help Center from a Network Drive ...........................................................64
Installing the Help Center on a Web Server .................................................................65
Viewing the Help Center Independent of a Creo Application..........................................66
Uninstalling the Help Center .......................................................................................67

This chapter provides an overview of the Help Center. It explains how to install
and access Help for all the Creo applications from a local host computer, a
network drive, or a Web server.

60 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Overview of the Help Center
The Help Center provides access to documentation and includes the following
features:
• Context-sensitive Help for Creo applications — Creo Parametric, Creo Direct,
Creo Layout, Creo Simulate, and Creo Options Modeler.
• A search facility and quick links to helpful information.

Browser Support for Creo Help

Creo Help supports following browsers:
• Internet Explorer 9.0 and later
• Mozilla Firefox 10.0.1 and later
The Help Center for the Creo application opens in your default browser. You can
set one of these browsers as the default on your computer.

Accessing Help from within a Creo

Application
Each Creo application launches its Help in a separate window of your default
browser. The value of the PRO_LANG environment variable determines the
language of the Help Center. You can access Help topics in the following ways:
• For context-sensitive Help, point to a user interface item and press F1.

• To browse the Help Center, click .

The Help Center is accessed from the following locations:
• http://support.ptc.com/help/creo/creo_<app>/<release number><lang>/—The
default if you do not install the Help Center and do not set the PTC_<app_
name>_HC_URL_7 environment variable. <release number> takes the form
r6.0, r7.0 etc.and <app> has the following values:
○ pma — Creo Parametric
○ dma—Creo Direct
○ lcd—Creo Layout
○ sim—Creo Simulate
○ optm—Creo Options Modeler
○ render—Creo Render Studio

Installing and Accessing Creo Help 61

• Local host computer—The default if you install the Help Center but do not
specify an alternate location, such as a network drive, for accessing Help.

Note
When you upgrade a Creo application, you must also upgrade the Help
center to the corresponding datecode of the application. Otherwise, the
Creo application accesses the corresponding Help Center from PTC.com.

Choosing a Location for the Help Center

Installation
Using the Help installation media, you can install the Help Center for the Creo
applications at one of the following locations:
• A local host computer where the Creo applications are installed.
• A network drive. This location is helpful for administering multiple clients on
a network.
• A Web server.

Installing the Help Center

Using the Help installation media in your shipment, proceed with the installation
as described. You can also download the Help installation image from the Order or
Download Software Updates page at PTC.com. If you have installed the Help
Center on a network drive, perform the steps explained in Enabling the Help
Center from a Network Drive on page 64 to access the Help Center from the Creo
application.
1. Start Windows Explorer, browse to the installation media drive, and double-
click setup.exe. Alternatively, download the installation media as
described in the previous paragraph. The PTC Installation Assistant begins.
2. Perform steps 1 through 4 as described in Installing the Creo Applications:
Simple Installation Process on page 33.
3. Click Next. The Application Selection screen appears.

62 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

4. Select one or more Help Centers from the list of Help Centers.
5. Retain the default folder, for example, C:\Program Files\PTC, or click
and specify the full path of an alternative folder.
6. Click Install to install the Help Center without any customization.
Alternatively, click Customize to open the Application Custom Setting dialog
box and customize the installation as follows:
a. On the Application Features tab, select the Help Center languages to
install.
b. On the Shortcuts tab, specify the shortcut preferences for the Creo Help
startup commands and other Windows preferences. See Configuring
Windows Shortcuts on page 46 for information on how to perform these
operations.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Install on the Application Selection screen. The Installation Progress
screen shows the status of the installation. You can click Cancel at any time to
cancel the installation.
9. Click Finish. The Help Center is installed in the <help_install_path>\
PTC\Creo verion\help\creo_help_<app_name> directory.
For example, if you specify the default path, the Help Center is installed in the
C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo version\help\creo_help_
<app_name> directory.

Installing and Accessing Creo Help 63

Enabling the Help Center from a Network
Drive
To enable the Help Center that is installed on a network drive, you must configure
the Creo application as explained in the following example:
1. If you have installed the Help Center on computer machine03d at C:\
Program Files\PTC\<Creo 7.0.0.0\help, share the folder C:\
Program Files\PTC\Creo 7.0.0.0 as:
\\machine03d\Creo 7.0.0.0.
2. On a client computer where you want to access the Help Center, map the
shared folder to a local drive, say Q. After mapping, the folder with the Help
installation files appears as Q:\Help\help\creo_help_<app_name>.
3. Set the PTC_<app_name>_HC_URL_7 environment variable for the Creo
applications as listed:
• Creo Parametric—PTC_PMA_HC_URL_7
• Creo Direct—PTC_DMA_HC_URL_7
• Creo Layout—PTC_LCD_HC_URL_7
• Creo Simulate—PTC_SIM_HC_URL_7
• Creo Options Modeler—PTC_OPTM_HC_URL_7
• Creo Render Studio—PTC_RENDER_HC_URL_7
a. Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ System ▶ Advanced system settings. The
System Properties dialog box opens.
b. Click the Advanced tab and then click Environment Variables.
c. Click New under the User variables area. The New User Variable dialog box
opens.
d. Specify the environment variable and its value in the boxes listed below.
For example, for Creo Parametric Help, set the environment variable as
follows:
• Variable name—PTC_PMA_HC_URL_7
• Variable value—Q:\Help\help\creo_help_pma
e. Click OK and again click OK on the System Properties dialog box.
4. Start the Creo application and access Help.

64 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Installing the Help Center on a Web
Server
You can install the Help Center on any Web server. If you are using Apache,
install the Help Center in the Document Root directory as follows:
1. Perform steps 1 through 4 as described in Installing the Help Center on page
62.
2. Specify <DocumentRoot> as the installation path.
3. Click OK and click Install on the Application Selection screen.
The selected application help is installed in the <DocumentRoot>\Creo
<version number>\help\creo_help_<app_name> directory.
4. To distribute the Help Center files from the <DocumentRoot>\Creo
<version number>\help\creo_help_<app_name> directory for
context sensitive Help access, set the PTC_<app_name>_HC_URL_6
environment variable for the Creo applications as listed:
• Creo Parametric—PTC_PMA_HC_URL_7
• Creo Direct—PTC_DMA_HC_URL_7
• Creo Layout—PTC_LCD_HC_URL_7
• Creo Simulate—PTC_SIM_HC_URL_7
• Creo Options Modeler—PTC_OPTM_HC_URL_7
• Creo Render Studio—PTC_RENDER_HC_URL_7
a. Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ System ▶ Advanced system settings. The
System Properties dialog box opens.
b. Click the Advanced tab and then click Environment Variables.
c. Click New under the User variables area. The New User Variable dialog box
opens.
d. Specify the environment variable and its value in the boxes listed below.
For example, for Creo Parametric Help, set the environment variable as
follows:
• Variable name—PTC_<app_name>_HC_URL_7
• Variable value—<Help_Center URL>

For example, for a Help Center installed on Apache server configured

on port number 8080, the Help Center URL is http://<server_
name>:8080/Creo <version number>/help/creo_help_
<app_name>.
e. Click OK and again click OK on the System Properties dialog box.

Installing and Accessing Creo Help 65

Alternatively, you can copy the Help Center of an application that is installed on
the local host computer in the <DocumentRoot> directory of the servlet
container.
For example, if you have installed Creo Parametric Help Center on the local host
computer at the default path, you can copy the Help Center directory C:\
Program Files\PTC\Creo <version number>\help\creo_help_
pma to the <DocumentRoot> directory. Specify the appropriate URL as the
value for the PTC_PMA_HC_URL_7 variable to access the context-sensitive
Help.

Note
If you specify <DocumentRoot> directory as the location for the
installation of the Help Center, you can access the context-sensitive help
directly from this directory. Set the Help Center URL as the value of the PTC_
<app_name>_HC_URL_7 environment variable to access the context-
sensitive Help through the Web server URL.

Viewing the Help Center Independent of a

Creo Application
To view the Help Center that is installed on a host computer independent of the
corresponding Creo application, open the following page in a browser window:
<creo_help_install_path>\help\creo_help_<app>\
<language>\index.html
For example, to open the Help Center for Creo Parametric in English, open the
following page in a browser window:
<creo_help_install_path>\help\creo_help_pma\usascii\
index.html
The Help Center opens in the browser window.

Note
Due to limitations of the Chrome browser, the search functionality is not
available when viewing a local installation of the Help Center from a Chrome
browser. Use other browsers to view the locally installed Help.

To view the Help Center that is installed on a Web server independent of the Creo
application, specify the following URL in a browser window:

66 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

http://<server_name>:<port_number>/Creo <version
number>/help/creo_help_<app_name>/<language>/index.html
For example, to open the Help Center installed on a Web server that has the
Tomcat servlet container configured on port number 8080 for Creo Parametric in
English, open the following page in a browser window:
http://<server_name>:8080/Creo version/help/creo_help_
pma/usascii/index.html
A Help Center opens in the browser window.

Note
Context-sensitive Help is not supported when you view the Help Center
independent of a Creo application.

Uninstalling the Help Center

You can remove the Help Center from the local host computer independent of a
Creo application using the following steps:
1. Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ Programs and Features. The Uninstall or change a
program screen appears.
2. In the application list, click Creo Help <release><date_code> for any
of the Creo applications.
3. Click Uninstall. A confirmation dialog box opens.
4. Click Yes to uninstall the Help Center for the application.

Note
If you have uninstalled the Help Center on the host computer or have not set
the PTC_<app_name>_HC_URL_7 environment variable, you can access
the Help Center from PTC.com from within a Creo application. Additionally,
if you uninstall or remove the Help Center from the Web server, you must
remove or unset the PTC_<app_name>_HC_URL_7 environment variable.

Installing and Accessing Creo Help 67

 8
Updating an Installation
Updating the License Server ......................................................................................69
Updating Creo Applications ........................................................................................69
Customizing an Existing Installation of a Creo Application ............................................70
Installing a Maintenance Release ...............................................................................71
Upgrading an Existing Version of an Installation...........................................................71

This chapter explains how to update the Creo applications installed on your
system. Use the same procedure to update Creo Distributed Services Manager.
Each time you update your software, you must update your license file. New
license codes are not required if you are updating to a new build of Creo within
the same release. In some cases you may have to update the current installation of
PTC License Server. See the next section for details.

68 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Updating the License Server
You can update the current installation of PTC License Server with your new
license information when updating your PTC software. An installation update of
PTC License Server is typically required in one of these scenarios:
• Adding license information from your new Sales Order
• Updating the existing license features in your license file with those of a
Maintenance Release
You may have to update the license server software itself depending on the
version installed. In such cases, with administrative privileges uninstall PTC
License Server and follow the instructions in the chapter Configuring Licenses for
the Creo Applications on page 22 to install PTC License Server. Update PTC
License Server using this workflow:
1. Make note of the product code that you have received via e-mail.
Alternatively, use the PTC License Management Web tools to request for a
license file via email. Save the license file in an ASCII format to a secure
location on your disk.
2. Start PTC Installation Assistant from the mounted installation media (thumb
drive) or from the installation package downloaded from the Web. The
Welcome screen appears.
3. Click Setup license and then click Next. The License Identification screen
appears.
4. Type your new product code or Sales Order Number in the respective text box
and click Install Licensing. Alternatively, drag and drop your new license file
into the Source column of the License Summary area.
If a license server is already installed or running, the Assistant replaces the
existing license file with the new one. If a license server is not running, the
Assistant checks whether the new license file requires a license server. If so,
the license server is automatically downloaded and installed. See Generating
or Updating Licenses on page 25 for details.
5. Click Finish.
The Assistant restarts PTC License Server. For Triad configurations, two of the
three partner machines must be running before licenses can be distributed.

Updating Creo Applications

After you install Creo applications of a particular release, you can perform the
following operations:

Updating an Installation 69
• Customize an existing installation—After the update, all the previously
installed files including the ones in the <creo_loadpoint>\\Common
Files folder remain unchanged. The updated files relevant to the
customization are added to the <version> folder.
• Install a new maintenance release—After the installation, a new <version>
folder corresponding to the datecode of the maintenance release is created
within the <creo_loadpoint> folder. This folder contains all the files for
the maintenance release.
• Upgrade an existing installation—After the upgrade, the highest version of the
release that is installed is removed and the new maintenance release is
installed in the installation path that you specify. If there is no installed version
at the specified installation path, then the new maintenance release is installed
at that path.

Customizing an Existing Installation of a

Creo Application
Customizing an existing installation of a Creo application implies enabling or
disabling diagnostic reporting for the application, updating or creating startup
commands, and updating Windows shortcut preferences. You cannot add or delete
application features during this process.
Rerun PTC Installation Assistant from the installation media and perform the
following steps:
1. Start the Assistant. The Welcome screen appears.
2. Click Reconfigure existing software and click Next. The License Identification
screen appears.
3. Check the license information and update it if required. See Generating or
Updating Licenses on page 25 for details.
4. Click Next. The Application Selection screen appears with a list of applications
that you previously installed.
5. Click Customize after selecting the applications. The Application Custom
Setting dialog box opens.
6. Select an application on the left pane and perform one of the following
actions:
• Select or clear the Enable PTC Diagnostic reporting check box using the
Application Features tabbed page. See Defining the Installation
Components on page 41 for details.

70 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 • Add, edit, or delete a license configuration using the Command
Configuration tabbed page. See Modifying License Configurations on page
44 for details.
• Configure the Windows shortcut preferences and path settings using the
Shortcut tabbed page. See Configuring Windows Shortcuts on page 46 for
details.
• Click OK on the Application Custom Setting screen and then click Install on
the Application Selection screen to customize the installation.
7. Click Finish.

Installing a Maintenance Release

If you have installed an earlier release of a Creo application, use the steps below
to install a newer maintenance release. Refer to the chapters about the installation
of various components for detailed information.
1. Start PTC Installation Assistant. Select Install new software on the Welcome
screen. Click Next. The License Identification screen appears.
2. Generate or update your license file. If required, PTC License Server is also
updated based on your license file. Click Next. The Application Selection
screen appears.
3. Select an application to install.
4. Specify an installation folder.
5. To customize the installation for specific application features, license
configurations, or Windows shortcut preferences, click Customize. Use the
Application Custom Setting screen that opens for the customization.
6. After you select all the options, click Install on the Application Selection
screen. The common files folder created for the previous release gets replaced
with common files folder for the release you are installing.
7. Click Finish to complete the installation and close the Assistant.

Upgrading an Existing Version of an

Installation
1. Start PTC Installation Assistant. Select Upgrade existing software on the
Welcome screen. Click Next. The License Identification screen appears.

Updating an Installation 71
 Note
If there is no installed version of the release, the Upgrade existing software
option is not available on the Welcome screen

2. Generate or update your license file. If required, the PTC License Server is
also updated based on your license file. Click Next. The Application Selection
screen appears.
3. The path of the last installed version of the release appears on the Application
Selection screen as the default installation path. If you retain this default
installation path, the installed applications appear selected, and you cannot
deselect them.

Note
If an earlier version of the release exists at the specified installation path,
Update from <version> appears in the Status column. However, if
an installed version does not exist at the specified installation path, the
status appears as New. The name of the installation folder is changed when
you upgrade. For example, the folder name Creo 7.0.0.0 changes to
Creo 7.0.1.0 for the first maintenance release of the software.

Alternatively, you can specify a different installation path. If an installation of

an application does not exist in the specified alternative path, this installation
is treated as a new installation. You can select any or all such applications on
the Application Selection screen.

Note
If a version of the release of an application exists at the specified
alternative installation path, Update from <version> appears in the
Status column for that application.

Additionally, if the version of a release of an application that you are installing

already exists at the specified installation path, the same version of that
application is upgraded with the customizations of the application.
4. Select the Back up my modified files during installation check box if you have
customized files in the Common files directory and you want to retain these
configurations and settings when you upgrade to the new version. Click to

72 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 view a complete list of files and folders that are backed up and restored when
the upgrade completes.

Note
Note that when you select this option you might not get updates that PTC
has made to the default configuration settings and libraries in the updated
version. However, the updated configuration and library files and folders
are made available in the Common files directory in a folder named
ORIG.

5. To customize the installation for specific application features, license

configurations, or Windows shortcut preferences, click Customize. Use the
Application Custom Setting screen that opens for the customization.
6. After you select all the options, click Install on the Application Selection
screen.
7. Click Finish to complete the installation and close the Assistant.

Updating an Installation 73
 A
License Management Software

Overview of PTC Licensing ........................................................................................75

License Types ...........................................................................................................75
Renewing a Subscription License ...............................................................................76
Simplified License Management Process ....................................................................77
License Simplification—Advantages ...........................................................................78
License Simplification—General Information ...............................................................78
License Simplification—Technical Information .............................................................78
PTC License Server ..................................................................................................82
Benefits of Using FlexNet Publisher ............................................................................82
Downward License Compatibility Using FlexNet Publisher............................................83
Running FlexNet Publisher with Other Applications ......................................................83
Understanding Timeout Parameters............................................................................84
Changing the Inactivity Timeout Parameter .................................................................85
Suppressing the Regained Network License Dialog Box for Creo Parametric .................85
Using the Ptcflush Utility ............................................................................................86
License Borrowing.....................................................................................................86
Initiating License Borrowing .......................................................................................87
Using the <creo_app>_borrow.bat File........................................................................87
Determining the Borrowed License Status ...................................................................88
Early Return of a Borrowed License ............................................................................89

This appendix discusses license management software and describes the benefits
of PTC License Server. License simplification is explained for new and existing
users.

74 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Overview of PTC Licensing
PTC software including PTC optional applications must be licensed for use.
Licensing authorizes the installed software to run. PTC supports the following
licenses for different product types:
• Commercial—Licenses for using full versions of PTC software. These
licenses are not time-sensitive.
• Educational—Also known as student licenses used at educational institutions.
These licenses are time-sensitive. The objects created in an educational or
student version of the software are not compatible with the commercial
version of the same software.
• Evaluation—Licenses that limit your use of the software to a specified time
period.

License Types
Depending on the PTC product, a license can be one of the following types.
• Node-locked licenses—Restricts the use of the software to a particular
machine (independent workstation).
• Floating licenses—Served by the license server and can be used on any
machine connected over the network. There are two different types of floating
licenses:
○ Single server licenses—Configured for a single machine as the server.
○ Triad licenses—Configured for a set of three machines on the same
network that work together to manage a pool of floating licenses. This
configuration provides redundant backup in case of a server outage. An
identical license file is used for each Triad partner.
• Extended license—An extended license makes floating licenses available for
locked modules.
• Borrowed license—A borrowed license allows you to work temporarily on
your machine without being connected to the license server. Refer to License
Borrowing on page 86 for details.
Based on the duration for which you can purchase a license, licenses are classified
as the following types:
• Perpetual license—A permanent license that you do not need to renew once
you purchase it.
• Subscription license—A license that is valid for a fixed period. Once the
license period expires you can renew the license for an additional fixed period.
For more information on the additional license types that are supported for your
product, refer to the product documentation.

License Management Software 75

Renewing a Subscription License
A subscription license is valid for a fixed period of time. When the license
expires, or some days prior to expiry of the license, you can renew the
subscription license for an additional fixed period of time. In the case of a node
locked license, or a single server license a warning message is issued a fixed
number of days before the license is due to expire.

Note
In the case of a single server license the warning message is displayed only if
the Creo application is also running on the server on which the single server
license is installed.

You can set the number of days prior to expiry, when you want the warning
message to be displayed using the configuration option daystoshow_
expirydialog. The default value is 15 days. The number of days prior to the
license expiry, the following message is displayed when you invoke the software:

76 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Click Renew License to initiate the process of subscription license renewal. You
are redirected to the following form:

Specify your Username and Password and click Renew License to renew your
license online. The software redirects you to www.ptc.com. You can renew your
license for an additional subscription period. The license file is automatically
updated on your computer or server (in the case of single server license).
Simplified License Management Process
Creo uses license simplification for an easy license configuration, installation, and
tracking process. This process provides flexibility in configuring your licenses and
minimizes the number of generated Service Contract Numbers (SCNs). You can
combine all the Creo licenses and options into a single SCN. You can also assign a
single SCN to the required license server.
Each PTC product is defined in the license file with a unique feature name. This
license file format follows a standard approach by using the PTC License Server.
This format has been in use by PTC since Pro/ENGINEER 2001 datecode
2001440. Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 or later automatically uses simplified
licenses as license simplification is required for Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0 and
later releases.

Note
License configuration is a part of the installation process.

License Management Software 77

Visit www.ptc.com/olm/ls_faq for more information on license simplification
including the advantages of simplifying your licenses.

License Simplification—Advantages
License simplification has the following advantages:
• Increased flexibility in managing PTC licenses—With the license
configuration process integrated into the installation process, you can alter the
assignment and configuration of functions without contacting the PTC License
Management team.
• Fewer licensing rules—Licenses are assigned to a machine through a SCN
(Service Contract Number).
• Stable number of licensing SCNs—With no licensing requirements for SCNs,
you have significantly fewer SCNs to manage. License changes do not force
you to change the SCN.
• Reduced time associated with licensing PTC products—You and PTC do not
need to research and maintain the tight control over the multiple types of
licenses based on how you purchased the products originally.
• Reduced system administration time for license changes—With the use of
common feature names in licenses, updates to the client are reduced as the
licenses are moved between servers. The feature name and the startup
commands remain the same.

License Simplification—General Information

• License simplification is integrated with all the Creo applications as well as
products of the Creo Parametric family and is available in Pro/ENGINEER
2001 datecode 2001440 and later.
• On the Creo eSupport Center page, use the License Support Web tool called
Reconfigure Software Licenses under License Management to upgrade to the
new licensing scheme. The tool automatically consolidates the licenses into a
selected Service Contract Number (SCN) and returns an updated license file.

License Simplification—Technical Information

• License simplification has changed the license file format.

78 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
FlextNet Publisher Version 11.16.2.1 is shipped with Creo 7.0.

• The license simplification process has changed the format of the FlexNet
Publisher feature line in the license file in the following ways:
○ The SCN is no longer a part of the feature name and is moved below the
SN tag in the feature line.
○ A new classification of floating license called a License Extension is
available for all locked modules and extensions. This new classification is
identified by the keyword STARTUP in the Vendor String.
License extensions are available for checkout only at runtime, that is,
when starting a base license. You cannot add or release the License
Extension within a Creo application.
• The following license file is an example of a license-to-run license and a
floating license bundle under the license simplification scheme.
INCREMENT PROE_Engineer ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 1 \
BC24AFC5B76BB74C9366 VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(0,3,6,7,10,17,32,34,40,45,48,51,55,61,62, \
66,69,71,73,77,97,106,108,115,126,127,128,133,135,137, \
158,163,188,191,210)" \
SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 EXTERNAL_NAME=" \
ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 NOTICE="PTC_customer" \
SN=SCN12344,SCN765431 SIGN2="169C A28A \
E97F E96E 0A3E 563B FDEB 4510 829E 4BF4 25D3 2394 \
0444 2FD4 6C23 0168 A8A5 AEBE 54B0 1FF6 B79B DC75 \
2014 A278 33CC 1B90 8647 6A12 F4D6 45BF"
INCREMENT 10108 ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 1 \
1C75006B8512AA3C4EBE VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 LO=()" \
SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 EXTERNAL_NAME=" \
ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 NOTICE="PTC_customer" \
SN=SCN12344,SCN765431 SIGN2="1A34 408F 40D4 749F 5980 \
2DFE 15B0 0FAF 0ED7 A5F5 DCEA E318 6529 2E27 A055 \
1A21 F766 D9E1 F7AB BD1F 993E B3B2 2975 E46C 06AC \
6304 25AD E576 9E37 8794"
INCREMENT PROBUNDLE_10108 ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 99999 \
4CF5E08B0EF55FF34082 VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(6,32,56,91,92,94,104,131)" SUPERSEDE \
ISSUED=01-sep-2006 SIGN2="14A8 7CE3 57D9 1246 D07F \
3610 E235 2120 4322 A874 681C 282B 5449 3150 BC5A \
0867 853D FE8E F8E9 9E29 6CD1 987C 4A8D 0024 BDAA \
AEBC 065B 9530 3AAB 441D"
• Using PTC Installation Assistant, you can define startup commands with
additional license extensions or floating options. Defining a startup command

License Management Software 79

 means specifying the license-to-run for an application at startup. You can also
specify additional floating options to grab at startup. This enables additional
optional modules for a session that are not otherwise enabled by the license-to-
run. The designation of the licenses to grab at startup results in the definition
of an environment variable <APP>_FEATURE_NAME, where <APP> is the
abbreviation for Creo application name that you are configuring. For example,
CREOPMA_FEATURE_NAME identifies the licenses to grab when running
Creo Parametric. Similarly, CREODMA_FEATURE_NAME refers to Creo
Direct. The value of this environment variable can be a list of licenses-to-run,
followed by a parenthesized list of optional modules. Only one license-to-run
is checked out while all the options from the parenthesized list are checked
out. For the license-to-run, checkout attempts are made in the order listed,
until one is successfully checked out. Then the option list is attempted.
Consider the following example:
CREOPMA_FEATURE_NAME=PROE_FLEX3C PROE_FoundationAdv
(61 108)
This example shows an environment variable definition identifying two
licenses-to-run and two options. This environment variable prescribes that
Creo Parametric will first try to checkout PROE_FLEX3C license-to-run; if it
fails, it will try to checkout PROE_FoundationAdv. If either one is successful,
it will then attempt to check both options – 61 (Web.Link) and 108 (Piping).
• Using PTC Installation Assistant, you can define startup commands with
additional license extensions or floating options. When you add license
extensions, or floating options, to a startup command, a value is assigned to
the <APP>_FEATURE_NAME variable. This value can be one of CREOPMA_
FEATURE_NAME, CREODMA_FEATURE_NAME, or CREOSIM_FEATURE_
NAME depending on the Creo application that you have installed. This variable
is defined in the application startup command.
• During a session, if a license is lost and you try to recover the license-to-run,
the Creo application attempts to reacquire the license-to-run and all other
options specified in the startup command.
• The output of the Ptcstatus utility provides the location of the SCN in the
license file. You can use the Ptcstatus utility in two modes:
• Normal mode—Run the Ptcstatus utility at the command line without any
arguments.
ptcstatus
• Verbose mode—Run the Ptcstatus utility at the command line with the -v
argument.
ptcstatus -v

80 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 The following output illustrates the difference between the two Ptcstatus
utility modes:

Ptcstatus Normal Mode

Displaying status for license file: 7788@static
License Server: static
ptc_d FlexNet Publisher version: 11.16.2.1

License In Use Free

PROE_Engineer Uncounted, 2
Locked
Foundation_Adv 0 2

Pro/SURFACE * 0 2

Behavioral_Modeler 0 2

Pro_Plastic_Advisor 0 2

Tool_Design_Set* 0 2
* = License Extensions - Available only on startup
^ = Borrowed License

Ptcstatus Verbose Mode

Displaying status for license file: 7788@static
License Server: static
ptc_d FlexNet Publisher version: 11.16.2.1

License In Use Free Ver Expiration SCN

sion Date
PROE_Engineer Uncounted 2 33.0 Locked to
00-11-22-33-44-
5512345
Foundation_Adv 0 2 33.0

Pro/SURFACE * 0 2 33.0

Behavioral_ 0 2 33.0
Modeler
Pro_Plastic_ 0 2 33.0
Advisor
Tool_Design_ 0 2 33.0
Set*

• You can specify a name for a license instead of its default name by changing
the value of the attribute EXTERNAL_NAME in the feature line of the license
file.

License Management Software 81

 For example, to change the feature PROE_Engineer to My_License_
Name in a license file, specify the value of the EXTERNAL_NAME attribute as
shown in the original and changed files.
Original license file:
INCREMENT PROE_Engineer ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 1 \
BC24AFC5B76BB74C9366 VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(0,3,6,7,10,17,32,34,40,45,48,51,55,61,62, \
66,69,71,73,77,97,106,108,115,126,127,128,133,135,137, \
158,163,188,191,210)" SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 \
EXTERNAL_NAME=" ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 \
NOTICE="PTC_customer" SN=SCN912344,SCN765431 SIGN2="169C A28A \
E97F E96E 0A3E 563B FDEB 4510 829E 4BF4 25D3 2394 \
0444 2FD4 6C23 0168 A8A5 AEBE 54B0 1FF6 B79B DC75 \
2014 A278 33CC 1B90 8647 6A12 F4D6 45BF"

Changed license file:

INCREMENT PROE_Engineer ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 1 \
BC24AFC5B76BB74C9366 VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(0,3,6,7,10,17,32,34,40,45,48,51,55,61,62, \
66,69,71,73,77,97,106,108,115,126,127,128,133,135,137, \
158,163,188,191,210)" SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 \
EXTERNAL_NAME=My_License_Name ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 \
NOTICE="PTC_customer" SN=SCN12344,SCN765431 SIGN2="169C A28A \
E97F E96E 0A3E 563B FDEB 4510 829E 4BF4 25D3 2394 \
0444 2FD4 6C23 0168 A8A5 AEBE 54B0 1FF6 B79B DC75 \
2014 A278 33CC 1B90 8647 6A12 F4D6 45BF"
Notice the text after the EXTERNAL_NAME attribute in the changed license file.
With this change, the output of the Ptcstatus utility displays the new name, My_
License_Name, instead of PROE_Engineer.
PTC License Server
Flexera Software, Inc.’s FlexNet Publisher license management software is
integrated with PTC software. For more information, visit www.flexerasoftware.
com.

Note
FlextNet Publisher Version 11.16.2.1 is shipped with Creo 7.0.

Benefits of Using FlexNet Publisher

Using FlexNet Publisher to control usage of licenses offers the following key
advantages:

82 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• Single-Server Solution—FlexNet Publisher can manage PTC software and
other vendor applications without conflict. Note that the PTC license file
cannot be combined with the license files of other vendors.
• Immediate License Recovery—If there is a premature exit of the licensed
software (for example, the system shuts down), the FlexNet Publisher license
server automatically reclaims the PTC license.
• Increased Flexibility—System administrators can reserve or deny licenses
based on user name, host name, display name, or IP address. For more
information see Managing the Options File in the FlexNet Publisher License
Administration Guide.
• Centralized License Storage—PTC customers can store all PTC licenses for
all PTC products in a single file for each license server.
• Multiple Licenses for a Single Command—One command can be used to
execute multiple licenses of PTC software based on availability.
• License Borrowing—Creo 7.0 allows license borrowing with FlexNet
Publisher.

Downward License Compatibility Using

FlexNet Publisher
FlexNet Publisher license servers have downward compatibility with PTC
applications using FLEXlm license servers. For example, a Creo Parametric 7.0
license can run Creo Parametric 6.0 software, because both releases of the
software use the same PTC License Server.

Note
To run the current release of Creo, you must install FlexNet Publisher version
10.8.x or later. FlextNet Publisher Version 11.16.2.1 is shipped with Creo 7.0.

Running FlexNet Publisher with Other

Applications
You can use FlexNet Publisher to run PTC products as well as other applications.
Each application that uses FLEXlm or FlexNet Publisher has a corresponding
license server manager (lmgrd ) or (lmadmin) and a vendor daemon. The
license server manager starts the vendor daemon (for example, ptc_d) that
controls the usage of licenses.
You cannot combine a PTC license file with a license file of another vendor. Do
not, for example, combine PTC feature lines with those of other vendors in a
single license file. This action causes the licenses to be invalid.

License Management Software 83

If all applications and vendor daemons are FLEXlm 10.8.x or later, lmgrd or
lmadmin can process multiple license files. This is true even when the Host IDs
are different (as long as the license files refer to the same node). For more
information, see Managing Licenses from Multiple Software Publishers in the
FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide.
Understanding Timeout Parameters
Timeout parameters enable the license client and the license server to
communicate with one another so that licenses are released and available upon
request.
You can reconfigure the TIMEOUTALL parameter within a specified range, as
described in the next section, Changing the Inactivity Timeout Parameter on page
85.
Timeout
Parameter Value Description
Inactivity timeout 120 minutes This parameter prevents a license from
(TIMEOUTALL) (default) remaining idle. If the license client is
inactive for a specific period, the license
can be reclaimed by the license server and
used by another license client. For the
Creo applications, the inactivity timeout
default is 120 minutes.
Activity is measured as active menu
selections.
You can change the default of 120 minutes
so that the parameter ranges from 20
minutes (minimum value) to infinity
(maximum value).
License refresh 1 minute A license refresh occurs at intervals of 1
minute. When you select a command after
such an interval, the license client
communicates with the license server. The
license client and the license server both
must be working. If the license server is
not found, the license client loses its
license to run. If the license client is not
found, the server reclaims the license for
use by another license client.

84 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Timeout
Parameter Value Description
Validation retries None The first time a license client cannot
validate its license the application's
graphical user interface will freeze. You
are immediately given the following three
options:
Click Retry to request a license from an
active license server.
Click Save File(s).
Click Exit to close the application without
saving the file or files.
Startup 10 seconds Upon starting a session, the license client
requests a license and has 10 seconds in
which to have the request validated.

Changing the Inactivity Timeout Parameter

You can set the TIMEOUTALL parameter that determines how long the system
allows a license to remain idle before it is reclaimed by the license server. To
change the default inactivity timeout parameter, you must update the FlexNet
Publisher option file, ptc.opt in <ptc License Server loadpoint>/
FLEXnet Publisher/licensing. The default is 120 minutes. Edit the
default parameter TIMEOUTALL 7200 by changing 7200 seconds (120 minutes)
to another value in seconds.
The minimum value is 20 minutes (or 1200 seconds) and the maximum value is
infinity. To make infinity the default, remove the TIMEOUTALL parameter from
the ptc.opt file. If you set a minimum value to less than 20 minutes, the system
defaults to 20 minutes.
Suppressing the Regained Network
License Dialog Box for Creo Parametric
Beginning with Pro/ENGINEER 2000i, you can disable the Regained Network
License dialog box using a configuration option. In the config.pro file, set the
suppress_license_loss_dialog option to yes. The default is no. If you
lose or regain your network license-to-run Creo Parametric, a status message
appears but a dialog box does not.

License Management Software 85

Using the Ptcflush Utility
The Ptcflush utility is used only when a license client application fails to shut
down and does not break the TCP/IP connection between the license server and
the client. This situation most commonly occurs when a client exits prematurely
or does not respond. However, it is not mandatory to use the Ptcflush utility.
You can use the Ptcflush utility once every 10 minutes. For Ptcflush to work with
the lmadmin-based license server, set licenseReclaimAllowed=”true” in
the server.xml file at license_server_manager_loadpoint/conf.
The syntax for running Ptcflush is as follows:
% ptcflush feature_name hostname port handle
Execute the ptcstatus command to list the <feature host port
handle> information and copy and paste this listing at the command prompt to
run Ptcflush.
To flush a license in use, for example, type% ptcflush PROE_Engineer
titan 7788 101 using the feature name and not the user-defined name if you
assigned an alias.
License Borrowing
With license borrowing for all supported platforms, you can run Creo applications
on clients without being connected to the license server. The license server must
be running FlexNet Publisher 10.8.x or later and must use the License Pack of
version 33 or later. With license borrowing, you can:
• Choose from a pool of available licenses
• Specify the expiration date of the license
• Work remotely on design and manufacturing projects
The appearance of the BORROW keyword on the feature line in the license file
indicates that the license is borrowable. If this keyword is missing, contact PTC
License Management to regenerate your license file for a borrowable license. An
example of a license file with the BORROW keyword follows:
INCREMENT PROE_Engineer ptc_d 33.0 01-nov-2011 1 \
BC24AFC5B76BB74C9366 VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(0,3,6,7,10,17,32,34,40,45,48,51,55,61,62, \
66,69,71,73,77,97,106,108,115,126,127,128,133,135,137, \
158,163,188,191,210)" SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 EXTERNAL_
NAME=" \
ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 BORROW=264 NOTICE="PTC_customer" \
SN=SCN12344,SCN765431 SIGN2="123F 6758 5955 8D78 \
F718 4995 3F6F EA5B F56A 2759 6A9A F6B3 773A F2B9 \
0F31 0219 EC28 6D28 0345 4971 B5C4 8835 7E88 28A6 \
7581 8191 BB82 CB3D 8BF8 8282"

86 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Initiating License Borrowing
You can initiate license borrowing using one of the following methods:
• Running a batch file available in the \<creo_loadpoint>\<app_
name>\bin directory.
• Specifying the command-line argument to borrow licenses as instructed in the
FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide.

Note
If you may possibly want an early return of a borrowed license, set the PRO_
ALLOW_EARLY_RETURN environment variable prior to borrowing the
license from the license server. See Early Return of a Borrowed License on
page 89 for more information.

Using the <creo_app>_borrow.bat File

Use the <creo_app>_borrow.bat file with the Creo application to initiate
license borrowing as follows:
1. Browse to the \<creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin directory and
run the <creo_app>_borrow.bat file. A dialog box opens in which you
can specify a startup configuration.

2. Under Startup Configurations, select the desired startup configuration.

3. Specify the number of days that you want the borrowed license.

License Management Software 87

 The start date for borrowing the license is today’s date. The end date is based
on the number of days that you request.

Note
Use the environment variable LM_BORROW_DURATION to borrow a
license.
• LM_BORROW_DURATION < = 29 days for a desktop perpetual license.
• LM_BORROW_DURATION < = 179 days for a desktop subscription
license.

4. Click Start to start the Creo application in the borrow configuration mode.
5. After starting the Creo application, you can include additional floating options
with the borrowed license.
All the licenses that you check out during this session are borrowed from the
license server and cached on your computer. Each license is created on the
local machine in the registry under current user.
6. Exit the Creo application.
7. Disconnect from the license server and use the borrowed license. You must
start the application subsequently on the same computer and as the same user
to use this borrowed license.

Note
Multiple licenses with separate expiration dates can be borrowed to a
client computer. Each time you start a Creo application using a borrowed
license, the application checks for and removes any expired borrowed
licenses from the client computer. You can borrow licenses again, if
required.

Determining the Borrowed License Status

You can run Ptcstatus for the following information on borrowed license status:
• Licenses that have been borrowed
• Expiration for each of the borrowed licenses
• License server information for borrowing licenses
• Local borrowed license information

88 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Early Return of a Borrowed License
All arrangements to return the borrowed licenses early must be made before
initiating license borrowing. Before borrowing a license from the server, you must
set the environment variable PRO_ALLOW_EARLY_RETURN to true to return
that license early.

Note
The environment variable PRO_ALLOW_EARLY_RETURN is set to true by
default in the Creo application specific PSF file.

If you frequently return licenses early, retain the value of the PRO_ALLOW_
EARLY_RETURN environment variable as true in the PSF file. Otherwise, set it
to false.

Note
Setting the PRO_ALLOW_EARLY_RETURN environment variable has no
effect on an unborrowed license.

For an lmadmin-based license server, set adminOnly="false” in the

server.xml file at license_server_manager_loadpoint/conf to
return a borrowed license early. See Returning a Borrowed License Early in the
FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide for a procedure on returning the
borrowed licenses early.

Using the lmutil lmborrow Utility

For an early return of a borrowed license, you can use the lmborrow subfunction
with the lmutil Flexnet utility. The lmutil utility resides at C:\Program
Files\PTC\Creo <version number>\Common Files\x86e_win64\
obj.
Before running the lmutil lmborrow utility, you can run the following
command in a command shell to check the status of the borrowed license:
lmutil lmborrow -status
Then read the command output to determine the optional arguments for the
lmutil lmborrow utility. See the next table. To use the lmutil lmborrow
utility, open a command shell and type the following command at the prompt:
lmutil lmborrow -return [-fqdn][-c license_file_list] [-d
display] feature

License Management Software 89

Optional arguments are enclosed within brackets in the previous command syntax.
Descriptions of the arguments follow.
Argument Description
-fqdn Specifies that a fully qualified domain name was
used for license borrowing, rather than a simple
host name. Use the lmutil lmstat command
to determine the format of the host name used
when the license was borrowed.
-c license_file_list Specifies the license server from which the
license was borrowed. In most cases specifying
the port@hostname value for the server is
sufficient.
Note
You can avoid using this argument by setting
the LM_LICENSE_FILE variable. Set the
variable as LM_LICENSE_FILE=
port@hostname to point to the server used
for borrowing the license.
-d display Displays the system name. Required only if the
displayed system name is different than the one
used to initiate borrowing.
feature Names the borrowed license feature to be
returned early. Use the lmborrow -status
command for a list of borrowed license features.

90 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 B
lmadmin License Server Manager

Overview of lmadmin as a GUI-Client..........................................................................92

Differences between lmgrd and lmadmin.....................................................................92
Installing PTC License Server Based on lmadmin ........................................................92
Working with the FLEXnet License Administrator Web Interface....................................93
Controlling the License Server Manager Settings.........................................................93
Reconfiguring the Vendor Daemon .............................................................................94
Configuring the License Server Alerts on Windows ......................................................95

This appendix contains basic information on lmadmin, a Web-based license

server manager. It also provides information on migrating from lmgrd to
lmadmin.

91
Overview of lmadmin as a GUI-Client
The lmadmin license server manager supports a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
client with connection over HTTP. It provides a Web-based administrative
interface. It is compatible with license files and vendor daemons created with
FlexNet Publisher 10.8.x and later. Use lmadmin for the following functions:
• Perform server configurations and administration functions
• Start the license server manager without any configuration options
• Directly configure vendor daemon and the license server manager without
editing the license files
• Import existing license files
• Support multiple vendor daemons with a single lmadmin process
• Display license rights status
• Display alerts and monitor status of various processes, such as license
expiration or unavailable licenses
See the chapter lmadmin − GUI−based License Server Manager in the FlexNet
Publisher License Administration Guide for more information.
Differences between lmgrd and lmadmin
The lmadmin license server manager includes all the features of the lmgrd
license server manager. The differences between the two license server managers
follow:
lmgrd lmadmin
Uses a command-line Supports a GUI client with connection over
interface. HTTP.
Configuration settings are Configuration settings are session-based.
retained for all the sessions.
See the chapter Migrating from lmgrd to lmadmin in the FlexNet Publisher
License Administration Guide for more information.
Installing PTC License Server Based on
lmadmin
Follow the instructions given in the section Generating or Updating Licenses on
page 25 to install PTC License Server based on lmadmin. After you install the
license server, you can configure the license server administration settings using
the FLEXnet License Administrator Web interface.

92 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Working with the FLEXnet License
Administrator Web Interface
The lmadmin-based license server uses the FLEXnet License Administrator Web
interface. This interface replaces the lmtools utility used by the lmgrd-based
license server. You can launch the interface by clicking Yes at the end of the PTC
License Server installation. Alternatively, from the Windows Start menu click All
Programs ▶ PTC ▶ PTC License Server ▶ PTC FLEXnet Admin License Server Web
Interface to open the interface. Using the FLEXnet License Administrator, you can
check the server status, start and stop the server, or reconfigure the server.
The FLEXnet License Administrator Web interface has two main pages: the
Dashboard and the Administration pages. Click the Help button for information on
the FLEXnet License Administrator interface elements.

• Dashboard—Displays any alerts and the current activity of the license server
manager.
• Administration—Provides configuration tools for the license server
management system. The default username/password combination is admin/
admin for this password-protected page. You are prompted to change these
credentials the first time you log in. Only the overview information for the
Server Configuration and the Vendor Daemon Configuration tabs on the
Administration page is included in this document. Click a tab to open the
corresponding pages.

Controlling the License Server Manager Settings

A server administrator can use the options on the Server Configuration page to
control the settings for the License Server Manager.

lmadmin License Server Manager 93

Reconfiguring the Vendor Daemon
A server administrator can use the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab to verify
whether the server is running and to reconfigure the vendor daemon.

94 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

If PTC License Server has been successfully installed, Running appears under
the Status column.

Configuring the License Server Alerts on Windows

A Java-based alert configuration is available with the FlexNet Publisher server
version 11.10 onward. This alert utility is installed with the FlexNet installation
(<FLEXnet_Installation_Directory>/example/alerter/) when
you install the lmadmin based license server from the Creo installation media.
You can configure this utility to send alert notifications emails to the administrator
when any of the set critical or important events occur.

Note
The license server must be up and running with an active vendor daemon to
use this alert utility.

You can start the alert utility from the command line on the license server with
administrator rights as follows:

lmadmin License Server Manager 95

C:\Program Files\PTC\FLEXnet Admin License Server\
examples\alerter>"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_75\
bin\java" -classpath "lib\alerter.jar;lib\*" alerter.bat
-port "8080" -user "admin" -password "<flexnet_admin_pwd>"
-smtpUser "<user_id>" -smtpPassword "<password>"
-smtpServer "<mail_server_address>" -toAddress "<e-mail_
ID>" -fromAddress "<e-mail_ID>" -interval "60"
Additionally you can configure the alert utility through the Web service as
follows:
http://<serverhostname>:8080/

Click the Alert Configuration tab and select any of the following critical or
important events for which the alert notifications should be sent:
• Critical alerts
○ Vender daemon down – The vendor daemon has stopped running.
○ Out of activatable licenses – All the available licenses that you can activate
are issued.
○ Out of overdraft licenses – The overdraft count of licenses is zero.
○ Activatable license expired – The expiry date for a license that you can
activate has passed.
○ Out of concurrent licenses – All the available concurrent licenses are
issued.
○ Concurrent license expired – The expiry date for a concurrent license has
passed.
○ Date-based version expired – The expiry date for a concurrent license that
uses the feature as date-based version, has passed.
• Important alerts

96 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 ○ Activatable threshold exceeded – The defined percentage of licenses that
you can activate are issued.
○ Overdraft license issued – The vendor daemon has issued an overdraft
license.
○ Activatable license expiring – The defined days are left before an active
license expires.
○ Subscription license expiry notice — The number of days prior to expiry
of the subscription license.
○ Concurrent threshold exceeded – The defined percentage of concurrent
licenses are issued.
○ Concurrent license expiring – The defined days are left before a concurrent
license expires.
○ Date-based version expiring – The defined days are left before any license
that uses the feature as date-based version expires.

Note
The critical alerts are marked with the alert type in the subject line of the
email. However, the MKS Platform do not have any text in the subject line of
the emails. Such emails go into the Junk E-mails folder.

lmadmin License Server Manager 97

 C
System Administration
Information

Temporary Directories.............................................................................................. 100

System Management Utilities ................................................................................... 100
Creo Utilities ........................................................................................................... 100
FlexNet Publisher Utilities ........................................................................................ 101
IPV6 Support for Creo.............................................................................................. 102
Controlling Access to Toolkit Applications .................................................................. 102
Supported Graphics Modes...................................................................................... 102
General Plotter Information ...................................................................................... 102
Using Fonts ............................................................................................................ 103
OpenType Font Support........................................................................................... 105
UNICODE Font Support........................................................................................... 105
Available System Fonts for Menu Items..................................................................... 106
Extended ASCII Set................................................................................................. 106
Displaying the Text Symbol Palette in Creo Parametric............................................... 107
Exporting Special Symbols to IGES .......................................................................... 107
Font Definition......................................................................................................... 107
Text Parameters ...................................................................................................... 108
Character Parameters ............................................................................................. 112
Definition Commands .............................................................................................. 112
ASCII Font Definition ............................................................................................... 114
Filled Font Definition ................................................................................................ 115
Special Font Definition ............................................................................................. 116
LATIN_1 Font Definition ........................................................................................... 117
How to Edit Fonts or Create New Fonts..................................................................... 118
How to Modify a Font File......................................................................................... 118
How to Create a User-Defined Font File .................................................................... 119
How to Store a New Font ......................................................................................... 119
How to Set Your Font as the Default.......................................................................... 119
How to Create or Customize a Font .......................................................................... 119
AVI Compression Codecs ........................................................................................ 124
Exporting Data to Portable Document Format............................................................ 124

98 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Meeting Browser Requirements................................................................................ 125
Browser Requirements ............................................................................................ 125
Starting a Creo Application through an External Browser ............................................ 126
Opening a PDF File within the Creo Browser ............................................................. 126
Printing a PDF File .................................................................................................. 126
Using Creo View Express to Open Creo Objects........................................................ 126
Opening Creo Objects from Windows Explorer .......................................................... 127
JavaScript Security.................................................................................................. 128
Handling Incorrect Wrapper Files Stored in Windchill ................................................. 128

This appendix describes general system administration information, including

system management utilities and machine configuration settings.

System Administration Information 99

Temporary Directories
Creo applications use a temporary directory as defined by your system
environment to store parts. You can modify the location of the temporary directory
by setting the temporary directory environment variable in the Creo application
startup window before you run the application. This environment variable is TMP.
System Management Utilities
This section briefly describes the utilities for the Creo applications and FlexNet
Publisher. The files listed in the next two tables are installed into the bin
directory of your installation directory. Further information can be found in the
FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide.

Creo Utilities
You can execute the Creo commands listed next, from the \<creo_
loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin directory when the license server is running.
The load point is the directory where the software is installed.

Command Function
ptchostid Returns the PTC Host ID with required formatting used for
FlexNet Publisher license codes.
parametric Runs Creo Parametric. Can be user-defined.
direct Runs Creo Direct. Can be user-defined.
simulate Runs Creo Simulate. Can be user-defined.
layout Runs Creo Layout. Can be user-defined.
optionsmodeler Runs Creo Options Modeler. Can be user-defined.
photorender Runs Creo Render Studio. Can be user-defined.

ptcflush Releases licenses. This may be necessary if there are

network problems. Formerly called proflush.

100 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Command Function
ptcstatus Displays information on the current usage and availability of
licenses.
ptcborrow Initiate license borrowing.
and
<creo_app_
borrow>

FlexNet Publisher Utilities

If you have installed PTC License Server based on the lmgrd license server
manager, you can execute the commands listed below from the \<flexnet_
loadpoint>\bin directory when the license server is running.
Command Function
lmtools Runs the PTC License Management tools utility
lmtools.bat. Functionality includes customer
configuration of the FlexNet Publisher service, starting
and stopping the lmgrd license server(s), server and
licensing status, as well as diagnostic tools. The shortcut
icon created in Start ▶ All Programs ▶ PTC License
Management tools starts the Lmtools graphical user
interface.
lmutil Provides optional arguments to check the server and
licensing status. Refer to the FlexNet Publisher License
Administration Guide.
ptcshutdown Shuts down a license server process for administrative
maintenance of the license server. You can also use the
FLEXnet Control Panel to stop a license server process.
ptcstartserver Starts a license server process. You can also use the
FLEXnet Control Panel to start a license server process.
See Using License Administration Tools, in the FlexNet
Publisher License Administration Guide.

Lmtools Utility
The lmtools.bat program runs the PTC License Management tools utility that
is started from the Start ▶ All Programs ▶ PTC License Server tools menu.
Functionality includes starting and stopping the license server from the Start/Stop/
ReRead tab.

System Administration Information 101

IPV6 Support for Creo
Creo 6.0.0.0 and later have complete support for Internet Protocol version 6
(IPV6). In systems that have both IPV4 as well as IPV6 addresses if you want
Creo to use the IPV6 protocol as the default protocol for network addressing, set
the environment variable PTC_IPV6_MODE to yes.
Controlling Access to Toolkit
Applications
From Creo 6.0.0.0 onwards, you can sign all Creo Parametric TOOLKIT
applications using the standard Microsoft SignTool application. For more
information refer to the “Creo Parametric Toolkit Users Guide”.
From Creo 7.0.0.0 onwards, Creo checks signatures of Tooolkit applications at
load time.
The following configuration options control whether to always allow the users or
administrator to determine whether signed or unsigned Creo Toolkit applications
should be allowed to always run, to never run, or to prompt the user before
running:
• open_protk_unsigned_apps—Controls whether unsigned applications
can be loaded in a Creo session. It can have the following values:
○ Always—Always loads unsigned applications.
○ Never—Never load unsigned applications.
○ Prompt—Asks the user whether to load unsigned applications.
• open_protk_signed_apps—Controls whether signed applications can
be loaded in a Creo session. It can have the following values:
○ Always—Always loads signed applications.
○ Never—Never load signed applications.
○ Prompt—Asks the user whether to load signed applications.

Supported Graphics Modes

For graphics support information, refer to the PTC Hardware Configuration Notes
at PTC_Creo_Future_Platform_Support_Summary.pdf.
General Plotter Information
PTC supplies software that writes plot files in plotter format. You can specify a
plot command in the config.pro file. The physical connection, however, is the
responsibility of the computer and plotter vendors, because they are hardware and
system software experts. Depending on the hardware configuration, the system
software may require a different setup. If you have difficulty in set up, contact the
customer support department of your hardware vendor.

102 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
Creo applications described in this guide do not support any HPIB interfacing.

Using Fonts
PTC provides 42 third-party TrueType fonts and the default PTC fonts with your
software. In addition, you can also use any TrueType font available on Windows.
The third-party TrueType fonts include 13 different font styles. If you are running
a Creo application in Chinese Traditional or Chinese Simplified, you can use two
additional TrueType fonts:
• Chinese Traditional
• Monotype Hei Medium
• Monotype Sung Light
• Chinese Simplified
• Monotype HeiGB Medium
• Monotype SungGB Light
New fonts appear in the current font list in Detailed Drawings and Sketcher. PTC
fonts are listed first, followed by the third-party fonts supplied by Agfa
Corporation.
TrueType fonts are stored in the <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\
text\fonts folder. You can change this default location by placing the fonts in
another folder and setting the value of the pro_font_dir configuration option
to this folder. Creo applications use the fonts in the folder specified by the pro_
font_dir configuration option.
The following table lists the TrueType fonts, their corresponding file names, and
whether the font supports kerning. Kerning controls the space between certain
pairs of characters, improving the appearance of the text string. Kerning is a
characteristic of the particular font.
Supports
Font Name File Name Kerning
Blueprint MT bluprnt.ttf No
Blueprint MT Bold bluprntb.ttf No
CG Century Schoolbook schlbk.ttf Yes
CG Century Schoolbook Bold schlbkb.ttf Yes
CG Century Schoolbook Bold Italic schlbkbi.ttf Yes
CG Century Schoolbook Italic schlbki.ttf Yes

System Administration Information 103

 Supports
Font Name File Name Kerning
CG Omega cgomg.ttf No
CG Omega Bold cgomgb.ttf No
CG Omega Bold Italic cgomgbi.ttf No
CG Omega Italic cgomgbit.ttf No
CG Times cgtime.ttf No
CG Times Bold cgtimebd.ttf No
CG Times Bold Italic cgtimebi.ttf No
CG Times Italic cgtimeit.ttf No
CG Triumvirate trium.ttf Yes
CG Triumvirate Bold triumb.ttf Yes
CG Triumvirate Bold Italic triumbi.ttf Yes
CG Triumvirate Condensed Bold triumcb.ttf Yes
CG Triumvirate Italic triumi.ttf Yes
Garamond Kursiv garamdi.ttf No
Garamond Halbfett garamdb.ttf No
Garamond Antiqua garamd.ttf No
Garamond Kursiv Halbfett garamdbi.ttf No
Garth Graphic gargra.ttf Yes
Garth Graphic Black gargrabl.ttf Yes
Garth Graphic Bold Italic gargrabi.ttf Yes
Garth Graphic Italic gargrai.ttf Yes
Grotesque MT grotesq.ttf No
Grotesque MT Bold grotesqb.ttf No
Microstyle Extended microex.ttf Yes
Microstyle Extended Bold microexb.ttf Yes
Neographik MT neograph.ttf Yes
SackersEnglishScript sackengs.ttf No
Shannon shanno.ttf Yes
Shannon Bold shannob.ttf Yes
Shannon Extra Bold shannoeb.ttf Yes
Shannon Oblique shannoo.ttf Yes

104 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Supports
Font Name File Name Kerning
Spartan Four MT sparton4.ttf Yes
Spartan One Two MT sparton12.ttf Yes
Spartan One Two MT Bold sparton12b.ttf Yes
Symbol symbol.ttf No
CG Triumvirate Inserat triin.ttf No

If required, you can purchase additional TrueType and OpenType fonts. For
information, contact Monotype Imaging at www.fonts.com.
When you work with Creo applications, you use two categories of fonts:
• Fonts specific to Creo applications—These fonts appear in the graphics
windows of Creo applications. They define alphanumeric characters and
special symbols in text files. You can edit these files by:
○ Modifying the look of existing characters and symbols
○ Adding new symbols to the files
○ Creating new fonts
○ Hardware fonts—These fonts appear in the application window headers.
They are machine- and language-specific.

OpenType Font Support

Creo applications provide additional support for OpenType fonts. These fonts are
based on Unicode for multilanguage support. OpenType fonts offer an expanded
character set and layout features. In Creo Parametric, you can use these fonts in
Sketcher to define geometry from sketched text and in Detailed Drawings to place
drawing notes. OpenType fonts contain kerning information. You can enable or
disable it to adjust the spacing between letters.

Note
PTC does not provide any OpenType fonts for general use with the Creo
applications.

UNICODE Font Support

You can insert or read out-of-locale characters and symbols using True Type,
Open Type, or certain specific PTC fonts. When using True Type or Open Type
fonts, make sure to install and store these fonts locally on all machines where you

System Administration Information 105

retrieve objects with text from multiple locales. You can then set the value of the
pro_font_dir configuration option to this directory for an application to use
these fonts.
Out-of-locale text support is also available through a number of PTC fonts. The
table below identifies the fonts along with the locales that they support.
Font name Supported locale
font_chinese_cn Simplified Chinese
font_chinese_tw Traditional Chinese
font_hebrew Hebrew
font_japanese Japanese
font_korean Korean
font_latin English, French, German, Italian, Spanish,
Brazilian Portuguese

All these fonts are located under <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\

text within the folder of the respective locale. Additionally, these fonts are
copies of the ‘font’ font files that are available in each locale. The purpose of
these fonts is to allow unambiguous out-of-locale access to all the default PTC
fonts that are currently referred to as ‘font’. If the text is displayed in the ‘font’
font, to display it correctly and consistently across all locales, change the text to
use the applicable ‘font_<locale>’ font.
Available System Fonts for Menu Items
To specify the font for menu items, set the configuration file option menu_font.
The value for this option is the name of the font file supported by the X-server
running the Creo applications. The fonts are listed in the Control Panel under
Fonts. The font for text in Creo application window headers is determined by the
setting of your window manager.
Extended ASCII Set
ASCII is the default font in all Creo applications. You can modify ASCII
characters. You can also replace ASCII with your own font as the default.
The extended ASCII character set used in the United States and Western Europe is
supplied by Creo through a combination of two font files, ascii.src and
latin_1.src.

Note
Characters through 146 are defined in ascii.src. The remaining characters
are defined in latin_1.src.

106 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

To use the European LATIN_1 characters, use one of the following procedures:
• Make sure your keyboard is set up for the appropriate language. A specific set
of LATIN_1 characters is available with each keyboard language setting.
• Use a key sequence specific to your machine type to produce the desired
character. If necessary, contact your hardware vendor for additional
information.

Displaying the Text Symbol Palette in

Creo Parametric
To display the Text Symbol palette:
1. Open a drawing and click Insert ▶ Note to create a note.
2. Select a location on the drawing to place the note. The Text Symbol palette
appears.
3. Click on a symbol in the palette.
Alternatively, you can create a new symbol. Creo Parametric represents special
symbols with standard ASCII characters.
To use special symbols in drawing notes, follow these steps:
1. Enter the sequence CTRL+A.
2. Enter the ASCII character that represents the special symbol.
3. Enter the sequence CTRL+B.
When you create a new symbol, you should either redefine an existing character to
the new symbol or create a new special symbol font. You can add new special
symbols to the font file, special.src, by defining the graphic representation.
Exporting Special Symbols to IGES
Special symbols and their corresponding ASCII characters map to the IGES font
table 1001. Only two symbols (Total Runout and the Least Material Condition) do
not map to the 1001 table. They are supported by the 1003 font table. The
configuration file option use_iges_font_1003 determines which IGES font
table outputs data to IGES.When you assign an ASCII character to a new symbol,
select a character from either the 1001 or 1003 font table. Use 1001 or 1003
exclusively when you anticipate that a drawing will be exported in an IGES file.
(Refer to your IGES documentation for more information on IGES font tables.)
Font Definition
Creo defines fonts using two sets of parameters:
• Text parameters—The settings of a character definition box and other
parameters used by all characters.

System Administration Information 107

• Character parameters—The individual definition of each character (that is,
how the character is drawn).
Comment lines in font definition source files are preceded with the “#” character.
These parameters do not define the actual size of characters. They establish
relative coordinates for stroking the character in the graphics windows. You
control the actual size of text and symbols using the appropriate options in a Creo
application. In case of Creo Parametric, you can change the actual size of text in
drawings only.

Text Parameters
Text parameters for a given font are specified only once, at the head of the font
file, and are used for every character definition in the file.

Note
The exception to this is the proportional fonts, such as Iso, Leroy, and Cal_
grek, which require you to specify a specific width for each character. The
following parameters define a character box with a grid (where <n> is an
integer):

• height<n>—Defines the total number of grid spaces in the vertical direction.

The maximum height is 63.
• width<n>—Defines the total number of grid spaces in the horizontal
direction. The maximum width is 63.
• gap<n>—Defines the total number of grid spaces between character boxes.
• xextent<n>—Defines the maximum number of grid spaces in the horizontal
direction.
• ascender<n>—Defines the number of grid spaces above the character
designated for placing special characters such as accent acute and accent
grave.
• base_offset<n>—Enables character alignment. The base offset positions the
text box relative to a common baseline, so the drawn character definitions
appear correct relative to each other.
• spec_height<n>—Defines the height of a character without the ascender
above the baseline.
• ics (intercharacter spacing)—Turns on and off the effect of individual
character width on horizontal spacing.

108 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• If you set ics to 1, each character definition must contain an individual width
setting to determine the placement of the next character.
• If you do not specify ics, the system assumes it is 0, and the system ignores
individual width settings.
• If ics = 0, the system uses fixed width character spacing.
• If ics = 1, the system uses proportional width character spacing.
• codeset—Identifies a font type. Codesets have the following meanings:
• 0—Primary alphanumeric font set (such as ascii.src, filled.src, or
leroy.src).
• 2—Extended font set (such as latin_1.src).
• 4—Special character font set or palette (such as special.src).

Note
The filled font has the same codeset as ASCII. Therefore, only one or the
other can exist in the font.ndx file.

• polygons—Turns on character filling.

• If you set it to 1, all closed polygons in the character definitions are filled
(refer to the section Filled Font Definition on page 115).
• If you do not specify this parameter, the system uses the default value 0.
• fixed_width<n>—Can be 0 or 1.
• If you set it to 1, the font is independent of the text_width_factor
option in the drawing setup file.
• If you set it to 0, you can control the font width by using the text_width_
factor option or by modifying the text width manually.
The following figure illustrates the text parameters that define a font.

System Administration Information 109

When you modify text parameters, consider how the font will appear in text with
other fonts. Fonts used in the same text line (such as ASCII and LATIN_1 for
European languages, or ASCII and special) must be compatible. Altering one font
might create inconsistency in appearance and placement.
For example, changing the base_offset value at the top of the font file affects
the positioning of all the font characters, relative to the text baseline, as shown in
the following figure.

110 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

In addition to the width parameter, an individual width parameter can occur in
each character definition. Use the individual width parameter to create a variable
horizontal distance between the characters. In this case, if the ics parameter = 1,
the individual width for each character overrides the width at the top of the file. If
ics = 0, the system ignores individual width parameters. The following figure
shows the effect of the ics parameter on the calculation of character width.

The following figure shows the effect of the fixed_width parameter on the
calculation of character width.

System Administration Information 111

Character Parameters
Below the text parameters section, a font file contains an individual definition for
each character. A character definition contains the following information:
• First line—An ASCII character, in double quotes, that represents the character
to be drawn. For ASCII and filled primary fonts, it is the character itself.
Special characters also use ASCII characters to represent them. The LATIN_1
fonts use the decimal and hexadecimal codes representing the character.
• Second line (optional)—Individual width value (used only if ics is turned on).
• The remainder of the file consists of drawing-definition commands, described
in the next section.

Definition Commands
The drawing definition of characters and special symbols in the font files is done
with the following commands (where <X> and <Y> are integers):
• [m<X>, <Y>]—This command moves an imaginary pen to the grid point (X,
Y).
• [d<X>, <Y>]—This command draws a line from the current position to grid
point (X, Y).
• For each font, you can use 63 or fewer grid points to create characters and
symbols. Creo provides optimum values, giving adequate character definition
with a minimal grid. Enter characters centered or left-justified within a

112 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 character box, depending on how you decide to draw them. The following
figure illustrates text justification.

You can change a font file to alter the appearance of any given font. Consider the
ASCII font definition for the character “A”, both in the original and modified
form.
If you modify the text parameters without redefining the character parameters, the
appearance of the fonts changes. For example, if you change the grid height from
the default value of 16 to 20, the character appears smaller. Because the character
was originally defined with a maximum grid value of 16, the original ratio was 16/
16; after the change, the ratio is 16/20. Therefore, the new text height appears to
be 80 percent of the original height.

System Administration Information 113

ASCII Font Definition
Use the following parameters to define ASCII characters:
• codeset: 0
• height: 16
• width: 16
• base_offset: 4
• gap: 0

114 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

The following figure illustrates how ASCII characters are mapped. Note that
ASCII characters are defined in a character box consisting of 16x16 grid spaces.
All characters have modifiable width and are centered within a character box.

Filled Font Definition

Use the following text parameters to define a filled font:
• codeset: 0
• height: 63
• width: 48
• base_offset: 16
• gap: 0
• polygons: 1
• ics: 1
In the filled font, characters are mapped within 63 vertical grid spaces. However,
the width for each character is different. The ics parameter (set to 1) tells the
system to ignore the global width parameter given at the top of the file. Instead,
the system uses the individual character width, which precedes each character
definition, to map a character.
Define the outline of a filled character by drawing polygons (closed loops). When
the polygons parameter at the top of a font file is set to 1, the Creo application fills
with color any closed polygon drawn in a character definition.

System Administration Information 115

Special Font Definition
The following text parameters are used to define a special font:
• codeset: 4
• height: 38
• width: 36
• xextent: 63
• spec_height: 24
• base_offset: 8
• ascender: 6
• fixed_width: 1
• ics: 1
• gap: 4
In the special font, all characters are defined in 38 vertical grid spaces. Each
character has an individual width declared in front of its definition. To establish
spacing between character boxes, the “gap” parameter is set to 4. The following
figure illustrates the definition of the special font character.

116 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

LATIN_1 Font Definition
The following text parameters define the LATIN_1 font:
• codeset: 2
• height: 40
• width: 32
• xextent: 63
• spec_height: 24
• base_offset: 8
• ascender: 8
• fixed_width: 0
• ics: 0
• gap: 0
The LATIN_1 font is defined with a character box of 40x32 grid spaces. All
characters have constant width and are centered in the character box. In the double
quoted line above the character definition, the decimal and hexadecimal code
representing the character is shown, as follows:
code <decimal> <hex>
The following figure illustrates how to map a LATIN_1 character.

System Administration Information 117

How to Edit Fonts or Create New Fonts
1. Edit an existing or create a new .src file, which resides in <creo_
loadpoint>\Common Files\text\<language>.
2. Compile the font file by using the command compile_font.
3. Make the new font available locally or for all users.

How to Modify a Font File

1. Copy the appropriate .src font file into your working directory. The .src
files reside at <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\text\
<language>.
2. Modify the font file.
3. From the <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\text\<language>
area, copy the appropriate index file to your working directory.
4. Copy the compile_font command to your working area.
5. To compile the font, enter the following command for each font file you
modify: compile_font fontfilename.src fontfilename.fnt

118 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
If you modify the ASCII font definitions, it alters the appearance of the
default font in every Creo application.

How to Create a User-Defined Font File

1. Define a new font in a file with the extension .src. Store the new font in
your working directory.
2. Create an index file that includes the new font file. Make sure the index file
contains fonts with unique codesets.
3. Copy the compile_font command to your working area.
4. Enter the following command for each font file you create: compile_font
fontfilename.src fontfilename.fnt
5. Recompile user-defined fonts whenever you install a new major release of
Creo.
You can include user-defined fonts as default or auxiliary fonts in drawings.

How to Store a New Font

1. Store the updated index file with the .src and .fnt files in your local
directory if the new font is for your personal use.
2. To make a new font available to all users, reference the font in the index and
store the index and source files in the directory <creo_loadpoint>\
Common Files\text\<language>. Store the .fnt file in the following
directory: <creo_loadpoint>/Common Files/<machine_type>/
text/<language>

How to Set Your Font as the Default

1. Rename your file to ascii.src.
2. Recompile the ascii.src file using the compile_font command to
produce a local ascii.fnt file.

How to Create or Customize a Font

1. Copy or create font source files in the local working directory. In this example,
the default primary ASCII and special symbol fonts are copied and renamed.

System Administration Information 119

 cp /usr/pro/text/usascii/ascii.src custom.src
(primary font with codeset 0)
cp/usr/pro/text/usascii/special.src symbols.src
(special symbols font with codeset 4)
2. Edit the source files to include all the required definitions and changes.
vi custom.src
vi symbols.src
3. Copy the compile_font script from the directory <creo_loadpoint>/
Common Files/<machine_type>/obj into the same local working
directory.
cp /usr/pro/i486_nt/obj/compile_font
4. Compile the font files.
compile_font custom.src custom.fnt
compile_font symbols.src symbols.fnt
5. Create a new index file to reference the compiled font files. Note that the
index file name does not need to be the same as the primary font name. If the
custom font created is not a primary font (codeset 0), be sure to include a font
with a codeset of 0 in the index file. In this example, the new font index file
references both customized font files (primary and special symbols).
myfont.ndx (new customized .ndx file)
custom (new custom primary font (codeset 0))
latin_1 (system extended ASCII font(codeset 2))
symbols (new special symbols font (codeset 4))
This font index file references the new customized special symbols font only.
It uses the system default primary font.
myfont2.ndx (new customized .ndx file)
ascii (system default primary font (codeset 0))
latin_1 (system extended ASCII font (codeset 2))
symbols (new special symbols font (codeset 4))
You can use the new font in the following ways:
• To use the font as a global auxiliary font, place the .src and .ndx files in
the <creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\text\<language>
directory.

120 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• Then put the compiled .fnt files in the directory <creo_loadpoint>/
Common Files/<machine_type>/text/<language>.
mv custom.src symbols.src myfont.ndx /usr/pro/text/
usascii
mv custom.fnt symbols.fnt /usr/pro/i486_nt/text/
usascii
• To set the new font as the system default, rename the primary source and
compiled font (codeset of 0) files to ascii.src and ascii.fnt,
respectively. The system font.ndx file already references the ASCII font
file and, therefore, does not need to be modified. Locate the new ascii.src
and ascii.fnt files in the appropriate directories (see the previous section
that describes how to use the font as a global auxiliary font). Note that the
system overrides the original ascii.src and ascii.fnt files, unless you
first rename them.
The next time you start a Creo application, it uses the new custom font as the
system default font.
mv custom.src /usr/pro/text/usascii/ascii.src
mv custom.fnt /usr/pro/i486_nt/text/usascii/ascii.fnt

Customizing the Text Symbol Palette for Creo Parametric

You can customize fonts and add symbols and characters to the Text Symbol
palette in Creo Parametric from the special font file. You can also replace, reorder,
or remove symbols using the text symbol palette layout file.

How to Add New Symbols to the Text Symbol Palette

1. Customize the special font file, special.src, using the method described
in the section Using Fonts on page 103.
2. Add a definition for each of the new symbols that you want to insert in the
Text Symbol palette and associate an ASCII code to the symbol.
3. Create new images for each of the symbols that you have defined in the
customized special font file.
4. Save the images as sp_#.gif where # is the ASCII code of the image
defined in the special font file. For example, you can save an image as sp_
133.gif, where 133 is the ASCII code that is associated with the image.
5. Store all the image files in the <creo_loadpoint>/Common Files/
text/resource directory.

System Administration Information 121

6. Define a text symbol palette layout file and save this file in your working
directory. See the next section, How to Create a Text Symbol Palette Layout
File on page 122, for details.
7. In your config.pro file, set the value of the configuration option
custom_text_symbol_palette_file to point to the full path of the
customized text symbol palette layout file. For example, for a file named my_
custom_palette.txt and saved in the D:\my_parametric\my_
custom_palette.txt directory, set the configuration option as follows:
custom_text_symbol_palette_file D:\my_parametric\my_
custom_palette.txt
This path enables Creo Parametric to display the Text Symbol palette
according to the settings in the customized layout file.
8. Create or modify a drawing in a new session of Creo Parametric, and verify
the presence of the customized Text Symbol palette.

How to Create a Text Symbol Palette Layout File

After you have created images files for the symbols that you have defined in the
special font file, create a text symbol palette layout file using this procedure:
1. Create a file with .txt extension in your working directory, for example,
my_custom_palette.txt.
2. Specify an integer in the first line of the file. This integer represents the
number of columns in the Text Symbol palette in Creo Parametric.
3. Specify integers on all other lines of the file. These integers must represent the
ASCII codes of the symbols for the Text Symbol palette. The integers must lie
from 32–255.
On every line separate each of the ASCII codes with one space. The order of
the ASCII codes in the file represents the order of the symbols in the Text
Symbol palette. For additional information, see Examples of the Text Symbol
Palette Layout File on page 123.

ASCII Codes for GTOL Symbols

ASCII codes for GTOL symbols are based on the setting for the gtol_
symbols_same_size detailing setup option. If you set the value to no, the
ANSI codes are used to identify the special fonts to be used. If it is set to yes, the
ISO codes are used to identify the special font in the Text Symbol palette. Refer to
the next table for the ANSI and ISO codes for GTOL symbols.
GTOL Symbol ANSI Code ISO Code
Straight 33 133
Flat 99 136

122 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

GTOL Symbol ANSI Code ISO Code
Circular 101 138
Cylinder 103 140
Profile Line 107 146
Profile Surf 100 137
Angular 97 135
Perpendicular 108 147
Parallel 102 139
Position 106 145
Concentric 114 148
Runout Circular 104 141
Total Runout 34 134
Symmetrical 105 144

In a Creo Parametric drawing, the GTOL symbols in the Text Symbol palette
change if you change the value of the gtol_symbol_same_size detailing
setup option.

Guidelines for Customizing the Text Symbol Palette Layout File

Administrators must verify that the text symbol palette layout file is customized
correctly and all the entries in this file are valid. If the customization is incorrect,
Creo Parametric uses the default settings to display the Text Symbol palette
without a warning message.
Guidelines for customizing the text symbol palette layout file follow:
• When creating images, ensure that the height and width of the images does not
exceed 16 pixels and 24 pixels, respectively.
• The file must contain only integers. All nonintegers are treated as spaces.
• Specify ASCII codes from 32–255.
• Do not duplicate ASCII codes.
• Place the same number of ASCII codes on each row as the integer that you
have specified in the first line of the file. This listing approximates the
appearance of the customized Text Symbol palette in Creo Parametric.
• Use the ASCII codes for the dtl options carefully. The usage of these
symbols in a drawing changes between ANSI and ISO according to the value
that you set for the detailing setup option, gtol_symbols_same_size.

Examples of the Text Symbol Palette Layout File

• If you specify #1.15 in the first row of the text symbol palette layout file,
Creo Parametric ignores the crosshatch (#) character. One column is displayed

System Administration Information 123

 in the Text Symbol palette. The decimal point (.) after 1 is ignored. The integer
15 is taken as the first ASCII code but is ignored. Only those ASCII codes
from 32–255 are displayed in the Text Symbol palette.
• File 1 and File 2 represent the same Text Symbol palette in Creo Parametric:
File 1 File 2
3 3

60 60 61 62

61 35 37 68

62 65 66 70

35 75

37

68

65

66

70

75

AVI Compression Codecs

You can capture an AVI file using the third-party compression codecs installed on
your system. PTC does not provide codecs that support AVI compression. A
warning message appears when you try to capture an AVI file under the following
conditions and the process aborts prematurely:
• You have not installed or licensed the compression codecs correctly on your
windows system.
• You have installed a codec that is defective.
• The codec does not work with specific compression settings.

Exporting Data to Portable Document

Format
You can use the Interface for PDF application through Creo Parametric to export
model drawings to Portable Document Format. The Interface for PDF provides
enhanced navigation, search, and presentation capabilities. The licenses for this
application can be node-locked or floating.
The Interface for PDF enables you to do the following tasks:

124 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• Insert the Creo Parametric parameter data as searchable metadata in the PDF
file.
• Modify the font types, color, style, and resolution of the PDF output.
• Insert Creo Parametric drawing text and numerical values as searchable and
selectable content in the PDF file.
• Insert bookmarks for the various Creo Parametric layers, sheets, zones, flag
notes, and revision tags.
• Control the access and security rights of the PDF file.
For more details, see the Interface Help available in the Creo Parametric Help
Center.
Meeting Browser Requirements
This section describes the requirements for the Creo browser for all the Creo
applications. For information on Web browser support for the Creo applications,
see http://www.ptc.com/WCMS/files/160242/en/PTC_Creo_Future_Platform_
Support_Summary.pdf. For information related to the Help Center, see Installing
and Using Creo Help on page 60.

Browser Requirements
Creo browser runs in the Creo agent and uses the engine of Internet Explorer (IE)
by default.
Creo uses a 64-bit browser processing support for IE and Chromium.
The multi-process architecture of IE browser allows Creo to run the embedded
browser in the out-of-process mode. That is, the IE browser runs as a separate
process that is not within the Creo process.
The Creo agent is the same across all Creo applications and as a result, the 64 bit
embedded browser will also be the same across all Creo applications.
When Creo applications are connected to the same Creo agent, you can only use a
single browser type in a session of a Creo application. You cannot change the
browser type in the session. To change the browser type, you must exit the current
session of the application and all other Creo applications. You must then make
sure that the Creo agent process is not running before you specify another browser
type and restart the Creo application.
You can specify the Creo browser to use the embedding engine of the Internet
Explorer (IE) browser. Before you start a Creo application, ensure that the value
of the windows_browser_type configuration option in your config.pro
file is set as follows:

System Administration Information 125

• ie_browser—Specifies that the browser uses the IE engine in a Creo agent
process initiated from the Creo process. The windows_browser_type
configuration option is set to ie_browser by default.

Starting a Creo Application through an External

Browser
To start a Creo application from an external browser, register a helper application
in the bin directory. The helper application gets installed automatically when you
install the Creo application. This application, <app_name>.exe, is also referred
to as the Creo Application Starter. Registration of the helper application involves
registering files with .pha extension.
Opening a PDF File within the Creo
Browser
You can view a PDF file in the Creo browser using Adobe Acrobat Reader. On
Windows, Adobe Acrobat Reader is available as a plug-in.

Printing a PDF File

You can view a PDF file in the Creo browser using Adobe Acrobat Reader. To
print the PDF file, click the Adobe Acrobat Reader Print icon instead of the Creo
browser Print icon.
Using Creo View Express to Open Creo
Objects
The Creo objects that you can open using Creo View Express follow:
File Extension File Type
.asm Assembly file
.dft Draft file
.dgm Diagram file
.drw Drawing file
.frm Format file
.pic Picture file
.prt Part file
.rep Report file
.mfg Manufacturing file
.sec Sketcher Section file

126 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

On Windows, double-click a file with a registered PVX extension to open the file
in Internet Explorer.
Opening Creo Objects from Windows
Explorer
If you have not installed Creo View Express, you can open a Creo object directly
from Windows Explorer in a Creo session. Creo objects typically appear with a
PTC icon in Windows Explorer. Double-click an object in Windows Explorer to
open it in a Creo session.
If you have installed Creo View Express, a Creo object is opened in Internet
Explorer only for viewing when you double-click the object in Windows Explorer.
Right-click on the object and choose the Creo application in which to open the
object.
You can open objects with the following file types:
File Extension File Type
.asm Assembly file
.dgm Diagram file
.drw Drawing file
.frm Format file
.cem Layout file
.mfg Manufacturing file
.mrk Markup file
.prt Part file
.sec Sketcher Section file

If a Creo session is already running and you double-click an object in Windows

Explorer, the object is automatically loaded within the same Creo session in a new
window. This new window becomes the active window.
If a Creo session is not running and you double-click an object in Windows
Explorer, the Creo application startup configuration file dialog box opens. You are
prompted to select a file from the list of available configuration files. Upon
selecting the required startup configuration file, a Creo session is started using the
selected configuration file. The selected object is loaded in this Creo session.

System Administration Information 127

If multiple sessions of Creo applications are running, the selected object is loaded
in the session that you started first.
JavaScript Security
In Creo, a JavaScript bridge is used so that the JavaScript code inside a displayed
HTML page interacts with the Creo application. For example, Feature info reports,
folder content listings, and new connection registrations all use the JavaScript
bridge for security purposes.
A Creo application automatically activates the JavaScript bridge only from pages
generated by the application or Windchill Solutions. If a page generated from
another source tries to access the Creo application through the JavaScript bridge, a
warning message appears and the operation is stopped.
Take one of the following actions:
• If the URL in the message is from an unreliable source, contact your system
administrator and avoid accessing this page again.
• If the URL in the message is from a reliable source, such as a PTC Windchill
Solution, contact Technical Support.

Handling Incorrect Wrapper Files Stored

in Windchill
When you use Creo Unite technology to open CATIA, NX, and SolidWorks part
and assembly models in Creo, the following occurs:
• Creo data wraps around the non-Creo data.
• Creo wrapper files are created. The wrapper files are stored internally and are
not visible.
If you open the non-Creo part and assembly models in the Windchill connected
mode of Creo, the wrapper files are created and stored in Windchill. The non-Creo
models are checked in to the Windchill Workspace as follows:
• The non-Creo models are checked in as the primary content of CAD
Documents.

128 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

• The wrapper files are stored in Windchill as the secondary content of the CAD
Documents.
From Creo, you can retrieve the non-Creo part and assembly models from the
Windchill Workspace.

Recreating Wrapper Files

While retrieving the non-Creo models checked in to the Windchill Workspace, the
wrapper files may be corrupt if:
• Model regeneration fails.
• The geometry of the retrieved models is incomplete.
If wrapper files are corrupt and the non-Creo models and their wrapper files are
not synchronized with the data of the latest import profiles, you can use Creo
Distributed Batch to discard the corrupt wrapper files and recreate them.
To enable Creo Distributed Batch to discard the corrupt wrapper files and recreate
them, set the configuration option, sync_data_import_profile, to
recreate in the Task Type Definition (TTD) files. The value, recreate, is
supported only in Creo Distributed Batch.

Note
Discarding the corrupt wrapper files and recreating them before they are
uploaded to the Windchill Workspace as the secondary content of the non-
Creo models does not change the revision of the non-Creo models.

The sync_data_import_profile Configuration Option

Use the sync_data_import_profile configuration option to create new
wrapper files when the existing wrapper files are corrupt or to update the existing
wrapper files when they are not synchronized with the latest import profiles.
Values for the sync_data_import_profile configuration option are listed
below:
• never—Does not synchronize the non-Creo model to the latest import
profile. This is the default.
• update—Updates the wrapper data using the latest import profile.
• recreate—Discards the existing wrapper files and recreates them. The
value, recreate, is supported only in Creo Distributed Batch.

System Administration Information 129

Synchronizing Model and Wrapper Data with Import Profiles
If the latest format-specific import profiles saved to disk were not used when the
non-Creo models were retrieved in Creo, then the non-Creo models and their
wrapper files may not synchronize with the data settings of the latest import
profiles. If they are not synchronized, set the sync_data_import_profile
configuration option to update so that the wrapper files are updated and they
synchronize with the latest import profiles.
Optionally, if you do not want to use the default import profiles, you can set the
following format-specific configuration options before retrieving the non-Creo
models in Creo. The values for each of the configuration options is the full path of
the corresponding import profiles, including the *.dip file extension.
• import_profiles_catiav5
• import_profiles_solidworks
• import_profiles_nx
When the non-Creo models are subsequently retrieved in Creo, the wrapper files
are updated so that the non-Creo models and their wrapper files synchronize with
the import profiles in use.

Note
Updating the non-Creo models and their wrapper files to synchronize with the
import profile data settings does not change the revision of the non-Creo
models stored in Windchill.

130 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 D
Installing and Configuring
Diagnostic Tools

Overview ................................................................................................................ 132

Installing Diagnostic Tools ........................................................................................ 132
Configuring Diagnostic Tools .................................................................................... 132
Preferences ............................................................................................................ 133
Data Filters ............................................................................................................. 133
Pending Data .......................................................................................................... 134
Last Sent ................................................................................................................ 135
Using Diagnostic Tools............................................................................................. 136
Uninstalling Diagnostic Tools.................................................................................... 137

This appendix contains information on Diagnostic Tools utility.

131
Overview
The Diagnostic Tools combines the Quality Agent and the Session Logger
utilities. This tool collects information and sends reports to PTC on the
performance and usage of Creo applications. It also reports the system information
of a user. It serves as a medium to help PTC improve the quality of its products.
Installing Diagnostic Tools
The Diagnostic Tools utility is installed by default when you install any of the
Creo applications. The diagnostic reporting is enabled by default for all the Creo
applications. Clear the check box at the bottom of the Application Selection screen
to disable this process. A single installation of Diagnostic Tools can be used with
all the Creo applications for which you have enabled diagnostic reporting.

Note
When customizing a Creo application, if you clear the Enable PTC Diagnostic
reporting check box on the Application Custom Setting screen , this selection
supersedes the selection that you made on the Application Selection screen. As
a result, the diagnostic reporting is not enabled in this case.

You can install Diagnostic Tools utility on a host computer or a network location
depending on where you are installing your Creo application. If you are running a
Creo application from a remote host computer or a network location, set the
quality_agent_path configuration option in your config.pro to access
Diagnostic Tools. Specify the complete installation path of Diagnostic Tools as the
value of the configuration option. For example, C:\Program Files\PTC\
DiagnosticTools\%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\obj\qualityagent.exe

Note
Note that setting the quality_agent_path configuration option
supersedes any setting that you made during installation—Diagnostic
reporting is enabled regardless of the setting on the Application Selection and
Application Custom Setting screens.

Configuring Diagnostic Tools

After installing Diagnostic Tools, you can configure it as per your company’s
requirements. To open the Diagnostic Tools dialog box, browse to the installation
path or use a previously created shortcut.

132 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

The tabs on the above dialog box show the configurable settings.

Preferences
If you have write permissions to the Diagnostic Tools installation folder and files,
specify the frequency for the collection and transfer of the product and system
information to PTC using the Preferences tab. Set the frequency to Daily, Weekly,
Monthly, Quarterly, or Biannually.

Note
A user who does not have write permissions to the installation folder can view
the preferences but cannot change the settings.

Data Filters
If you have write permissions to the Diagnostic Tools installation folder and files,
click the Data Filters tab. Select specific information that you do not want to send
to PTC.

Installing and Configuring Diagnostic Tools 133

 Note
You cannot filter information that PTC considers mandatory. Those check
boxes are unavailable.

The customized preferences and data filters are stored at C:\Program Files\
PTC\DiagnosticTools\text\xml\.

Pending Data
For each Creo application you have installed, you can view the collected product
and system information on the Pending Data tab.

134 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

On the active application tab, click a button to perform the following actions:
• Send Now—Sends the product and system information to the database via an
https secure communication protocol. For example, if the Creo Direct tab is
active, the product and system information for Creo Direct is sent to the
database.
• Send via e-mail—Sends a report in ASCII format as an e-mail attachment to a
designated PTC Technical Support Engineer. For example, if the Creo Direct
tab is active, you can send a report for Creo Direct to a PTC Technical Support
Engineer or to your e-mail address.

Last Sent
For each Creo application that you have installed, you can view the product and
system information that was last collected and transferred to PTC on the Last Sent
tab

Installing and Configuring Diagnostic Tools 135

Click Send via e-mail to send an aggregated report in ASCII format. The report is
sent as an e-mail attachment to a designated PTC Technical Support Engineer or
to your e-mail address.
Using Diagnostic Tools
The Diagnostic Tools utility automatically collects information related to the
application and system information and transfers it to PTC. The information
transfer is based on the filter settings in the Data Filters tab and the frequency
settings in the Preferences tab. For each session, Diagnostic Tools checks for new
data before the transfer. The information is automatically encrypted and
transferred using the SSL methodology.
As a user of a Creo application, you can open the Diagnostic Tools dialog box to
view the pending data to be transferred to PTC on the Pending Data tab. You can
click the Send via e-mail button to send the Creo application-related and system
information report in ASCII format as an e-mail attachment to a designated PTC
Technical Support Engineer and to your e-mail address. Both you and PTC
Technical Support can then review the information simultaneously.

136 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Session Log
When a session of an installed Creo application ends, a session log for that
application is created. Click the Pending Data or Last Sent tab on the Diagnostic
Tools dialog box, and select an application tab to view the session log for that
application. A session log is a list of entries that provide information about a
specific session.
The session log lists information related to the session ID, start and end time of
the session, idle time within that session, exit type, locale, license server used,
browser information, Java version, and so on for a session.

Uninstalling Diagnostic Tools

You can remove Diagnostic Tools independent of a Creo application using the
following steps:
1. Click Start ▶ Control Panel ▶ Programs and Features. The Uninstall or change a
program screen appears.
2. In the application list, click Diagnostic Tools.
3. Click Uninstall. A confirmation dialog box opens.
4. Click Yes to remove Diagnostic Tools.

Installing and Configuring Diagnostic Tools 137

 E
Installing MKS Platform
Components

Overview ................................................................................................................ 139

Installing MKS Platform Components ........................................................................ 139

This appendix contains information on how to install MKS platform components

to work with CADDS 5 models.

138 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Overview
You must install MKS Platform Components 9.x along with the Creo Parametric
Interface for CADDS 5 component during Creo Parametric installation to work with
CADDS 5 parts and assemblies within Creo Parametric. MKS Platform
Components 9.x is a third-party application that supports the following functions:

• Simulates a UNIX environment on the 64-bit Windows operating systems.

• Emulates UNIX commands on the Windows operating systems.
• Installs the Portmapper service for interoperability between CADDS 5 and
Creo Parametric.
• Copies the necessary startup files and libraries required to work with CADDS
5 files into a separate installation directory.

Installing MKS Platform Components

Install MKS Platform components using the following instructions:
1. Perform steps 1 through 7 as described in the section Installing the Creo
Applications: Simple Installation Process on page 33.
2. Click the MKS Platform Components 9.x check box on the Application
Selection screen.
3. Click Install. The Installation Progress screen indicates the progress of the
installation.
4. Click Finish to complete the installation and close the Assistant.
After the installation is complete, see Working with CADDS 5 Models in Creo
Parametric on page 57 before you start.

Note
If you want to install updated packages of MKS Platform components, you
must first uninstall its existing instance. Follow the steps below to uninstall
MKS Platform components:
Navigate to the /cadds5_mks folder of the installation media image and run
the following command:
For a 64–bit system — msiexec /X cadds5_mks_for_
windows64.msi /q

Installing MKS Platform Components 139

 F
Installing the Creo Applications in
Silent Mode

Guidelines and Advantages of a Silent Installation ..................................................... 141

Strategies for the Mass Deployment of Creo Applications ........................................... 142
Workflow for a Silent Installation ............................................................................... 143
Command Syntax for a Silent Installation .................................................................. 145
Locating the XML Files ............................................................................................ 147
Editing the XML Files ............................................................................................... 147
Editing the PROPERTY Node .................................................................................. 147
Editing the SHORTCUT Node .................................................................................. 149
Editing the PSF Node .............................................................................................. 150
Editing the QUALITY_AGENT Node ......................................................................... 151
Editing the LANGUAGE Node .................................................................................. 151
Editing the PACKAGE Node ..................................................................................... 152
Editing the CDSECTION Nodes ............................................................................... 152
Uninstalling the Creo Applications in Silent Mode....................................................... 153
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode.............................. 153
Installing Diagnostic Tools and MKS Platform Components in Silent Mode................... 155
Updating the Registry File ........................................................................................ 155

This appendix for system administrators is applicable only for Windows. It

provides information on how to perform a silent installation of the following Creo
applications: Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, Creo Layout, Creo Simulate, and Creo
Options Modeler. The instructions for using command-line arguments are also
common for Creo Distributed Services Manager.

140 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Guidelines and Advantages of a Silent
Installation
The Creo applications installed for the first time using PTC Installation Assistant
can be reinstalled during subsequent installation sessions in silent (nongraphics
and noninteractive) mode. The silent installation process with command-line
arguments uses an XML file with application-specific configuration settings. An
independent XML file is stored for each of the Creo applications that you have
installed. To perform a silent installation, provide the path to the corresponding
XML file as an argument when running setup.exe from the root directory of
the installation media at the command prompt. See Command Syntax for a Silent
Installation on page 145 for more information.
Remember the following points for a silent installation:
• You cannot use the independent XML file of an earlier release or a
maintenance release for a silent installation in the following cases:
○ The major release to be installed and the release of the application for
generating the XML file are not the same.
○ The selected Creo application, language, platform, or package is not on the
installation media.
○ The prerequisites for installing the Creo application are not met.
• You must run the Assistant only from the installation media when installing
the Creo applications for the first time.
• You cannot generate and download a license or install PTC License Server in
silent mode. The installer cannot connect to PTC.com in silent mode. Hence,
the license sources must already be accessible to all the computers on which
the application software will subsequently be run. The silent installation
process will neither validate any license nor attempt to access the license
sources.
• You cannot copy an existing installation while performing a silent installation.

Note
If you change the installation folder structure of an installed Creo application,
“uninstall” or “reconfiguration” utilities may not work properly for that
installation of the Creo application.

Some of the advantages of a silent installation follow:

• You can efficiently mass-deploy Creo applications across a large enterprise.

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 141

• You can source all the configuration settings, such as installation location,
license source list, and startup commands, for installing a Creo application
from an XML file.

Strategies for the Mass Deployment of

Creo Applications
As an administrator you can adopt one of the following strategies to mass-deploy
Creo applications and client-side components such as Creo View Express, Creo
Thumbnail Viewer, and Creo Platform Services in a large enterprise:
• Perform a silent installation of Creo applications on all the client computers.
See Workflow for a Silent Installation on page 143 for details. You can then
choose to install the client-side components on each client computer. See
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode on page
153 for details.
• Provide the client computers access to the applications installed on a single
network-accessible machine. Perform the following steps for the client-side
configuration:
1. If required, install the client-side components on each client computer. See
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode on
page 153 for details.
2. Update the registry entry for each Creo application on each client
computer using the created.reg file. See Updating the Registry File
on page 155 for details.
3. Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2019 on
each client computer.
• Copy a single prototypical installation onto each client computer. Then
perform the following steps for the client-side configuration:
1. If required, install the client-side components on each client computer. See
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode on
page 153 for details.
2. Update the registry entry for each Creo application on each client
computer using the created.reg file. See Updating the Registry File
on page 155 for details.

142 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Note
○ If you have installed the Creo applications on your local computer and
have also run the silent installation process, you need not update the
registry file.
○ After the silent installation is complete, if you want to reconfigure the
installation using PTC Installation Assistant, you must explicitly
provide the license source information on the License Identification
screen.

3. Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2019 on

each client computer.

Workflow for a Silent Installation

A system administrator can follow the workflow described below for a silent
installation of one or more Creo applications on a network location or on a client
computer:
1. Perform a typical product installation with the configuration that you want to
use for future installations.
a. Open a command shell and run setup.exe from the root directory of the
installation media. PTC Installation Assistant starts.
b. On the Welcome screen click Install new software.
c. On the License Identification screen perform one of the following
operations:
• Drag a node-locked or floating license file into the License Summary
area.
• Enter the port@host address of the running license server.

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 143

 Note
• Downloading a license file or installing PTC License Server must be
done in a separate installation session.
• A license source is not validated during the silent installation process.
Hence, you must ensure the accuracy of the license source list that is
configured in the commands (.psf files) for starting the Creo
applications.
• The license source specification is designated in an XML file. It can be
overridden using a command-line argument during the silent
installation process. See Command Syntax for a Silent Installation on
page 145 for details.

d. Select the applications to install, customize your installation, and specify

any other site-specific configurations.
e. Click Install to begin the installation.
f. Click Finish to close the Assistant.
An independent XML file for each installed Creo application is stored with a
.p.xml extension at <creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin\pim\
xml. When installing Creo applications, the Common Files folder is
installed. The XML file for this folder is stored at the following location:
<creo_loadpoint>\Common Files\bin\pim\xml\
creobase.p.xml.
Additionally, Creo applications require XML files for the following
components:
• Diagnostic Tools — <dvd>:\pim\xml\qualityagent.xml
• MKS Platform Components — (Required only if installing CADDS 5
Adaptor) <dvd>:\pim\xml\mkscomponents.xml

Note
Edit the qualityagent.xml and mkscomponents.xml files, and
set the value of the install attribute to yes.

2. Copy one or more Creo application specific XML files, along with the
creobase.p.xml,qualityagent.xml, and mkscomponents.xml
files, to a temporary location on your disk; for example, D:\temp\ptc, and

144 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 edit it as required. See Editing the XML Files on page 147 for information on
how to edit the various nodes of an XML file.
3. Perform a silent installation of the desired Creo applications using the
command syntax as described in the next section.
4. Perform a silent installation of the required client-side components. See
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side Components in Silent Mode on page
153 for information on how to install Client-side components.

Command Syntax for a Silent Installation

To perform a silent installation of a Creo application, open a command shell, and
run setup.exe from the root directory of the installation media as follows:
<drive>:\setup.exe –xml “<path to the .xml file stored in a
temporary location>”
Where drive is the installation media drive letter or the location of the
downloaded installation image.
The arguments you can use with setup.exe during a silent installation follow:
Command Syntax Description
setup.exe <no arguments> Runs the installer interactively.
setup.exe –help Displays all the arguments to use with the
installer.
setup.exe –v Displays the version of the installer.
setup.exe –xml <file1> Performs a silent installation as per the
–xml <file2>.... directives in the specified XML files.
setup.exe –upgrade Performs a silent installation with the removal
–xml <file1> –xml of the highest version that already exists, and
<file2>.... installs the current version of a release,
according to the instructions in the specified
XML files.
setup.exe –upgrade When you use the –backup option along with
–xml <file1> –xml the –upgrade option, a number of existing
<file2> -backup customized files and folders from a predefined
list, are backed up and copied to the Custom
files directory. Use this option if you are not
sure if you have customized library files in your
existing version.
setup.exe –xmlall Performs a silent installation of all the
“<path to the.xml files applications as per the directives specified in the
stored in a common XML files that are all stored in a common
temporary location>” folder.

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 145

Command Syntax Description
setup.exe –xml <file1> [Optional] Overrides the destination specified in
[–destination the XML file.
<directory>]
setup.exe –xml <file1> [Optional] Overrides the license source
[-licensesource specified in the XML file.
<string>]
setup.exe –xml <file1> [Optional] Replaces the whitespace characters
[-translate_lp_ in the installation path in the XML file.
path_space
<character>]
setup.exe –xml <file1> [Optional] Overrides the license feature list
[-licfeat_regen] specified in the XML file. The default list is
regenerated by checking the license source list
as it is originally generated from an initial
installation. Without this argument, the default
license feature list is taken from the XML file.
setup.exe –xml <file1> [Optional] Prepends the preferred license
[-licfeat_preference feature names to the default license feature list.
<string>] Specify the preferred names within quotes or as
a space-separated list without parentheses.
Without this argument, the default license
feature list is used as is.
setup.exe [Optional] Displays the indicative progress bar
–progressbar –xml during the installation using the XML file.
<file1>
Consider the example of performing a silent installation of Creo Parametric with
Common Files, and a required component Diagnostic Tools. Open a command
shell and enter the following command:
E:\setup.exe –xml “D:\temp\ptc\pma.p.xml” —xml “D:\temp\
ptc\creobase.p.xml”
• E—The installation media drive letter
• D:\temp\ptc\pma.p.xml—The location for the <app_name>.p.xml
file.
• D:\temp\ptc\creobase.p.xml—The location of the XML file for the
Common Files folder.
• D:\temp\ptc\qualityagent.xml—The location of the XML file for
the required component Diagnostic Tools.

146 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Locating the XML Files
On a successful installation of the Creo applications, XML files for each of the
installed Creo applications are created. The file location and file name is as
shown:
Application Files File Name File Location
Creo application files <app_name>.p.xml <creo_loadpoint>\

<app_name>\bin\
pim\xml
Common Files folder creobase.p.xml <creo_loadpoint>\

Common Files\
bin\pim\xml

For example, if you have installed Creo Parametric, the XML file pma.p.xml is
stored at <creo_loadpoint>\Parametric\bin\pim\xml. The XML
file for the Common Files folder is stored at <creo_loadpoint>\Common
Files\bin\pim\xml\creobase.p.xml.
Editing the XML Files
You can edit and customize only those XML files listed in the table in the
previous section with the settings required for future installations. In such cases,
copy the XML files to a temporary location and edit the nodes in the XML files
using a text editor or an XML editor. The following sections describe the various
nodes in the XML file that can be edited.

Note
• PTC recommends you not to edit the XML files unless there is a specific need
to do so.
• You can edit only those nodes that are documented in the subsequent sections.
• The nodes in the XML file may differ for various Creo applications.

Editing the PROPERTY Node

You can edit the following name attributes of the PROPERTY node:

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 147

INSTALLBASE
Use the INSTALLBASE name attribute to change the root path for installing the
Creo applications in the current session. You can change the INSTALLBASE
name attribute in the Creo applications (<app_name>.p.xml) and Common
Files (creobase.p.xml) XML files. The default value is usually the PTC
folder under the Program Files folder.

Note
Ensure that you specify same root path in the Creo applications (<app_
name>.p.xml) and Common Files (creobase.p.xml) XML files.

• Before editing the INSTALLBASE name attribute, the PROPERTY node

appears as shown:
<PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">"F:Program Files\PTC"</PROPERTY>
• After editing the INSTALLBASE name attribute, the PROPERTY node
appears as shown:
<PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">"[PROGRAMFILES]\PTC"</PROPERTY>

The [PROGRAMFILES] variable in the above example represents the default

program location on a local computer. You can use this variable instead of the
absolute path F:\Program Files to make the default program location
accessible on all the computers. For a 32-bit application running on a 64-bit
computer, you can also use the [PROGRAMFILESx86] variable as shown in
the following example:
<PROPERTY name="[INSTALLBASE]">"[PROGRAMFILESx86]\PTC"</
PROPERTY>

The [PROGRAMFILESx86 variable represents the default program location

for a 32-bit application on a 64-bit computer.

NoRegistryActions
You can add the NoRegistryActions name attribute to skip processing of the
REGISTRY nodes. REGISTRY nodes define file associations.
<PROPERTY name="NoRegistryActions"</PROPERTY>

LP and CREOCOMMONFILES
The permitted editing of the LP and CREOCOMMONFILES property values is
limited to changing or removing the whitespace characters. For example, you can
change Creo [VERSION] to Creo_[VERSION]. Similarly, you can change

148 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Common Files to Common_Files or CommonFiles. You must not modify
any other aspects of the LP or CREOCOMMONFILES paths. Before editing these
property values, the PROPERTY node appears as shown:
<PROPERTY name="[CREOCOMMONFILES]"[INSTALLBASE]/Creo [VERSION]/
[COMMONFILESNAME]</PROPERTY>
<PROPERTY name="[LP]">[CREOCOMMONFILES]</PROPERTY>
After editing the LP and CREOCOMMONFILES property values, the PROPERTY
node appears as shown:
<PROPERTY name="[CREOCOMMONFILES]"[INSTALLBASE]/Creo_[VERSION]/
[COMMONFILESNAME]</PROPERTY>
<PROPERTY name="[LP]">[CREOCOMMONFILES]</PROPERTY>

Note
• The CREOCOMMONFILES attribute is used by all the Creo applications that
are installed at the common loadpoint. When editing this attribute in an XML
file, make sure to edit the value of this attribute in the XML files of all the
individual applications installed at the same loadpoint.
• You can use the command line argument translate_lp_path_space to
remove whitespace characters instead of manually editing the LP and
CREOCOMMONFILES name attributes. See Command Syntax for a Silent
Installation on page 145 for more information on translate_lp_path_
space.

Editing the SHORTCUT Node

A SHORTCUT node represents shortcut definitions associated with certain
package nodes. A SHORTCUT node is processed in order to create the shortcuts
for a package that is being installed. In a SHORTCUT node, you must edit only the
create attribute for each of the PROGRAMSMENU, STARTMENU, DESKTOP,
and QUICKLAUNCH subnodes. A value Y set for the create attribute creates the
shortcuts.
A sample SHORTCUT node in an XML file that creates a shortcut only in the
Programs menu is as shown:
<SHORTCUT allusers="Y" id="pma_shortcut">
<NAME>Creo Parametric [VERSION]</NAME>
<ICON>[LP]/install/nt/parametric.ico</ICON>
<INDEX>0</INDEX>
<PATH>[LP]/bin/parametric.exe</PATH>
<WIN7APPID>PTC.Creo_Parametric</WIN7APPID>
<PROGRAMSMENU create="Y" installed="Y">PTC Creo</PROGRAMSMENU>
<STARTMENU create="N"/>
<DESKTOP create="N"/>

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 149

 <QUICKLAUNCH create="N"/>
</SHORTCUT>

Editing the PSF Node

A PSF node represents the license configurations created in the Customize dialog
box of the Assistant. Individual PSF nodes are created in the XML file for each of
the configurations created in this dialog box. The resultant *.psf file is used for
setting up the appropriate environment variables and for indicating the executables
to be run. You can edit the following subnodes of the PSF node:
Subnode Value
LICENSE_IDENTIFIERS Provide a list of license sources separated
by semicolons. The license sources can be
node-locked license files or server-based
port@host identifiers.
FEATURE_NAME Provide a list of FLEXnet license-to-run
features separated by spaces. The feature list
is followed by a list of additional options
within parentheses. Choose the options to
acquire at startup.
DESCRIPTION Identify the PSF run definition to be used by
the software wrapper program (for example,
parametric.exe) in case multiple PSF
run definitions exist. The software wrapper
program then opens a dialog box with a list
of descriptions for launching the startup
definition profile.

A sample PSF node and its subnodes in an XML file are as shown:
<PSF dest="[LP]/bin/parametric.psf" id="parametric" installed="Y"
name="parametric" source="psf_templates.xml>
<EXE>parametric.exe</EXE>
<LICTYPE name="CreoPma"><Creo Parametric</LICTYPE>
<PREFIX>CREOPMA PROE</PREFIX>
<DESCRIPTION>Creo Parametric (default)</DESCRIPTION>
<LICENSE_IDENTIFIERS>7788@localhost</LICENSE_IDENTIFIERS>
<FEATURE_NAME>CREOPMA_CUSTOMER ()</FEATURE_NAME>
<DFOR_PATH>%PRO_DIRECTORY%\libs\dfor\lib</DFOR_PATH>
<CV_ENV_HOME>%PRO_DIRECTORY%\%PRO_MACHINE_TYPE%\CV140</CV_ENV_
HOME>
</PSF>

150 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Editing the QUALITY_AGENT Node
The QUALITY_AGENT node represents the Diagnostic Tools settings for an
installed Creo application. You can edit the following attribute of the QUALITY_
AGENT node:
Attribute Value
enable Enables or disables the diagnostic reporting
for a Creo application. For example, if this
attribute is set to Y, diagnostic reporting is
enabled.

Note
If the required attribute is set to Y,
you must not change the value of the
enable attribute to N. If you do so, the
Creo application will not run because of
conflicting settings.

A sample QUALITY_AGENT node in an XML file is as shown:

<QUALITY_AGENT enable="Y" keyname="QualityAgentOptIn" required=
"N"/>

Editing the LANGUAGE Node

Note
Editing the LANGUAGE, PLATFORM, and PACKAGE nodes is not trivial. For
editing these nodes you must manually edit the CDSECTION nodes. Instead,
PTC recommends that you perform a template-based installation graphically
with the required language, platform, and package settings.

A LANGUAGE node represents the languages supported on the installation media

for the installation of a Creo application. Individual LANGUAGE nodes are created
in the XML file for each of the supported languages. You can edit the following
attribute of the LANGUAGE node:
Attribute Value
install Set this attribute to Y or N depending on
whether you want to install the Creo
application in that language. If the
required attribute is set to Y do not
change the install attribute.

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 151

A sample LANGUAGE node in an XML file follows:
<LANGUAGE install="Y" installed="N" name="usascii"
required="Y">English</LANGUAGE>
<LANGUAGE install="N" installed="N" name="japanese">Japanese</
LANGUAGE>

Editing the PACKAGE Node

PACKAGE nodes in an XML file represent the required and the optional packages
selected for a Creo application on the Customize dialog box of the Assistant.
There may be many PACKAGE nodes in an XML file. You can edit the following
attribute of the PACKAGE node:
Attribute Value
install For a specific PACKAGE node, set this
attribute to Y or N depending on whether you
want to install the package with the Creo
application. For a parent package with
multiple child packages, set the install
attribute of the parent package to Y to install
any of its child packages.

A sample PACKAGE node in an XML file follows:

<PACKAGE hidden="N" install="Y" label="ModelCHECK name=
"modelcheck"
parent="creooptions" required="N">
</PACKAGE>

Editing the CDSECTION Nodes

Edit the CDSECTION node only if you want to edit the LANGUAGE, PLATFORM,
or the PACKAGE nodes. Check for the following attributes before you edit the
CDSECTION nodes:
• For each LANGUAGE node, locate the CDSECTION nodes with the language
attribute reflecting the appropriate language.
• Then locate the CDSECTION nodes with the platform attribute reflecting the
appropriate operating system.
• Finally locate the CDSECTION nodes with the name attribute reflecting the
package to be installed with the Creo application.
If all the attributes for the above nodes are to be considered for the installation, set
the install attribute of the CDSECTION node to Y. Otherwise, set the attribute
to N.
A sample CDSECTION node in an XML file follows:

152 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

<CDSECTION install="Y" installed="Y" location="[CREOCOMMONFILES]/
[SHIPCODE]"
name="ModelCHECK" size="7126314>

Uninstalling the Creo Applications in

Silent Mode
You can uninstall the Creo applications in silent mode by entering the following
command for each of the applications in a command shell:
<creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin\uninstall.lnk -quiet
For example, to uninstall Creo Parametric in silent mode, enter the following
command:
C:\>"C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo <version number>Parametric\bin
\uninstall.lnk" -quiet
You must navigate to the installation directory of each Creo application to silently
uninstall it. In case the Common Files folder is installed, uninstalling the last
Creo application referencing the Common Files folder removes this folder
automatically.

Uninstalling All Creo Applications

You can uninstall all the installed Creo applications and utilities of a release as a
group in silent mode by running the batch file silent_Group_
Uninstall.bat from a command shell:
<creo_loadpoint>\InstallManager\silent_Group_Uninstall.bat
The group of all the installed Creo applications of the same release or datecode are
uninstalled. This command does not impact other installed applications or utilities.

Uninstalling All Utilities

You can uninstall all the installed utilities of a release as a group in silent mode by
running the batch file Uninstall_all_utilities.bat from a command
shell:
<creo_loadpoint>\InstallManager\Uninstall_all_utilities.bat
The group of all the installed utilities of the same release or version are
uninstalled.
Installing and Uninstalling Client-Side
Components in Silent Mode
The installers (MSIs) of the following client-side components reside on the
installation media, at path <drive>:\install\addon\:
• Creo Platform Services
• Creo Thumbnail Viewer
• Creo View Express

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 153

Only the Creo Platform Services component get installed when you perform
installation of any of the Creo applications on a client computer. Refer to the
following sections for the command-line syntax to run the installers for each of
these components.

Creo Platform Services

Open a command shell and enter a command to install or uninstall Creo Platform
Services in silent mode:
• Install Creo Platform Services at the default location, in silent mode using the
following command:
"<dvd>:\install\addon\creosvcs_64.exe" /quiet
• Uninstall Creo Platform Services installed at the default location, in silent
mode using the following command:
<dvd>:\install\addon\creosvcs_64.exe" /quiet /uninstall

Creo Thumbnail Viewer

Open a command shell and enter a command to install or uninstall Creo
Thumbnail Viewer in silent mode:
• Install Creo Thumbnail Viewer using the following command:
"<dvd>:\install\addon\Thumbviewer_32_64.msi" /passive
• Uninstall Creo Thumbnail Viewer using the following command:
msiexec /uninstall "<dvd>:\install\addon\Thumbviewer_32_64.msi"
/passive

Creo View Express

To perform a silent installation of Creo View Express, follow these steps:
1. Deploy the application using the Creo View Express executable as shown in
the following example:
start /w <dvd>:\install\addon\pvx32_64\CreoSetup.exe
/vADDLOCAL="ALL" /qn

In the previous example:

• /qn installs the application in silent mode
• start /w starts the application from the command prompt and waits for
the application to terminate
If you have not specified the APPLICATIONFOLDER property, the default
installation path is used. To override this path, specify the
APPLICATIONFOLDER property at the command prompt as shown in the
following example:
“start /w <dvd>:\install\addon\pvx32_64\CreoSetup.exe
/vADDLOCAL=”ALL” APPLICATIONFOLDER=”c:\ptc\CreoViewExpress” /qn”

154 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

To uninstall Creo View Express in silent mode, enter the following command in a
command shell:
msiexec.exe /x <dvd>:\install\addon\pvx32_64\pvexpress\
CreoView_Express_32_64.msi /qn

Note
Running the CreoView_Express_32_64.msi file alone does not completely
install Creo View Express unless certain software prerequisites are met.
Microsoft C++ Runtimes, OpenGL 1.1 or later, and Arbortext IsoView
(optional) are required for installing and running Creo View Express directly
using the MSI file.

For more information on installing and uninstalling Creo View Express in silent
mode, see the chapter “Deploying Creo View and Customizing the Installation” in
the “Creo®View Installation and Configuration Guide” that can be downloaded
from here.
Installing Diagnostic Tools and MKS
Platform Components in Silent Mode
To silently install Diagnostic Tools and MKS Platform Components, you must
copy the qualityagent.xml and the mkscomponents.xml files found at
<dvd>:\pim\xml\ to your local computer. Edit the "install=" attribute of
the MSI entry to be "Y" and then perform the silent installation at the command
prompt.
Updating the Registry File
A list of registry changes made by PTC Installation Assistant during the
prototypical installation is recorded on the computer where the Creo applications
are installed. The file resides at the following location:
<creo_loadpoint>\<app_name>\bin\pim\xml\created.reg

The created.reg file enables the seamless opening of the appropriate Creo
application when you click a Creo part, assembly, or drawing file. When you
upgrade the version of the Creo application or make a copy of the installation of
the Creo application, you must rerun created.reg file to update the registry
with the latest settings.

Note
If you are using Windchill and do not have Creo files outside of that network,
you do not need to run the created.reg file.

Installing the Creo Applications in Silent Mode 155

Use this file to perform client configuration changes (registry edits) on a client
computer on which you did not run the silent installation process. For example,
the client computer can be the one that runs the software from a network
installation. It can also be the one that received a copy of the installation.
The default location of the registry file for some of the Creo applications is as
shown:
C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo <version number>\Parametric\bin\pim\xml\
created.reg
(Creo Parametric)
C:\Program Files\PTC\Creo <version number>\Direct\bin\pim\xml\created.reg
(Creo Direct)
To make configuration changes on the client computer, open the created.reg
file stored on the computer where the Creo applications are installed. Then
perform one of the following steps:
• Merge the entries of this file with another file you are using on the client
computer.
• Open the Registry Editor dialog box and click File ▶ Import to import the
entries of the file to the client computer.

156 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 G
Port Usage by Creo Applications

Using Communication Ports ..................................................................................... 158

Port Usage for PTC License Server .......................................................................... 160

This appendix provides information on the communication ports used by various

Creo applications and the related client applications.

157
Using Communication Ports
Many of the Creo applications communicate with one another and with the other
client applications through a TCP/IP communication protocol. Such applications
must be registered in the firewall. The TCP/IP protocol uses a port as a
communication endpoint in the operating system of the host computer. A port is
associated with the IP address of the host computer. It is identified for each IP
address and protocol by a 16-bit number commonly known as the port number.
The port number for a TCP/IP communication can be allocated by a Creo
application. In such cases you can configure the port number using an
environment variable. If a port number is allocated dynamically by the operating
system on the host computer, you cannot change the value.
The port allocation for various Creo and client applications follow:
Application Environment Variable Setting
Nmsd—PTC name service used by Set PTCNMSPORT using Control Panel ▶
System ▶ Advanced system settings ▶
asynchronous Pro/TOOLKIT
Environment Variables.
applications and Creo Distributed
Services Manager to connect to Note
Creo Parametric. This application You cannot set this environment
runs on the client workstation and variable in your .psf file.
uses the same host TCP/IP
communication protocol for all the
processes on that workstation. The
default port number is 1239.
pro_comm_msg.exe A port number can be allocated by a Creo
—Facilitates communication application or it can be set dynamically.
between the executable • 6000–Change this value by specifying a
xtop.exe and asynchronous Pro/ value to the PRO_COMM_
TOOLKIT applications. MSG_COMPAT_PORT environment
Note variable. Either the first unused port
starting with the value of PRO_COMM_
The executable xtop.exe
MSG_COMPAT_
refers to all the desktop-based
PORT or of 6001, whichever is bigger,
Creo applications.
is allocated.
• 2 dynamic ports—Cannot configure
assigned port values after their
allocation.
PTC Portmapper—If installed, Not supported.
communicates port information
between Pro/TOOLKIT and a Creo
application. If it is not installed,
Windows registry is used to store

158 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Application Environment Variable Setting
the port values. This application
runs on the client workstation and
uses the same host TCP/IP
communication protocol for all the
processes on that workstation.
xtop.exe—Connects to Not supported.
creoagent, nmsd, and pro_
comm_msg to open a few
dynamically allocated ports. This
application uses the same host
TCP/IP communication protocol
for all the processes on a
workstation.
creoagent.exe Not supported.
—Uses dynamically allocated ports
to connect to all the Creo
applications. This application uses
the same host TCP/IP
communication protocol for all the
processes on a client workstation.
Async TK Apps—Use dynamically Not supported.
allocated ports to connect to pro_
comm_msg.exe on a client
workstation.
Converters—Use dynamically Not supported.
allocated ports to connect to
desktop-based Creo applications on
a client workstation.
Creo View—Uses dynamically Not supported.
allocated ports to communicate
with browser plugins, nmsd, and
comm_brk_svc.exe on a client
workstation.

Port Usage by Creo Applications 159

Application Environment Variable Setting
comm_brk_svc.exe Not supported.
—Uses dynamically allocated ports
to support communication between
xtop.exe, third-party CAD
software, and Creo View sessions.
Creo Distributed Services Set PTCNMSPORT using Control Panel ▶
System ▶ Advanced system settings ▶
Manager—Uses the TCP/IP
Environment Variables to configure the
communication protocols between
default port number. Make sure that you set
multiple workstations.
the same port number value on all the
• The executable
service workstations.
dbatchc.exe is the dbatch
client interface that runs on a
client workstation. This
interface communicates with
the Service Manager dsq.exe
located on a different
workstation.
• The dbatch service executable
dbatchs.exe runs on a
service workstation.
• The executable dsq.exe uses
a dynamic port to communicate
with dbatchc.exe and
multiple dbatchs.exe
processes. Each service
workstation runs nmsd.exe.

Port Usage for PTC License Server

PTC License Server runs on a designated server and requires a two-way TCP/IP
communication between the client workstation and the server. The default port
7788 is used by the lmgrd and the lmadamin license server managers. The
vendor daemon ptc_d dynamically selects an available port. You can designate a
port value other than the default value for lmgrd, lmadamin, and ptc_d using
the procedures given in the subsequent sections. After designating appropriate
port values for these applications, you must register the values in the firewall.
Otherwise license transactions will not happen.

160 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Changing the Default Port on the Server
Different procedures for changing the default port on the designated server for
lmgrd and the lmadmin follow. If you are running lmgrd as the license server
manager, use the following procedure:
1. Navigate to the <license_server_manager_loadpoint
>\licensing folder.
2. Open the license.dat file in a text editor.
3. At the end of the line beginning with SERVER, change the port number 7788
to the desired open port.
4. Save and close the file.
5. Stop and restart the license server process using the lmtools utility.
6. Edit the <Creo loadpoint>\app\bin\*.psf and the <Creo
loadpoint>\app\bin\*.bat files to change the reference of LM_
LICENSE_FILE= or PTC_D_LICENSE_FILE = to reflect the new
port@hostname for the server.
If you are running lmadmin as the license server manager, use the following
procedure to change the default port on the designated server:
1. Perform the previous steps 1 through 4.
2. Stop the lmadmin_ptc service.
3. Navigate to the <license_server_manager_loadpoint>\conf
folder.
4. Open the server.xml file in a text editor.
5. In the line beginning with licenseServer, change the reference port
7788 to the desired port matching the SERVER line in the license.dat
file.
6. Navigate to the <license_server_manager_loadpoint>\bin
folder.
7. Restart the lmadmin_ptc service.
8. Edit the <Creo loadpoint>\app\bin\*.psf and the <Creo
loadpoint>\app\bin\*.bat files to change the reference of LM_
LICENSE_FILE= or PTC_D_LICENSE_FILE = to reflect the new
port@hostname for the server.

Setting a Nondefault Vendor Daemon Port

Different procedures for setting a nondefault vendor daemon port on the lmgrd
and lmadmin follow. If you are running lmgrd as the license server manager,
use the following procedure:

Port Usage by Creo Applications 161

1. Navigate to the <license_server_manager_loadpoint
>\licensing folder.
2. Open the license.dat file in a text editor.
3. Add the keyword port=52727 (or any number > 2000) at the end of the line
beginning with DAEMON. This designates the desired listening port for the
ptc_d daemon.
4. Save and close the file.
5. Stop and restart the license server process using the lmtools utility.
If you are running lmadmin as the license server manager, use the following
procedure to set a nondefault vendor daemon port:
1. Perform steps 1 through 4 explained previously.
2. Stop the lmadmin_ptc service.
3. Navigate to the <license_server_manager_loadpoint>\conf
folder.
4. Open the server.xml file in a text editor.
5. In the line beginning with DAEMON, change port=0 to the desired port
matching the DAEMON line in the license.dat file.
6. Restart the lmadmin_ptc service.

Updating the Client Computers for the New License Server

Port
If you have changed the license server manager port for lmgrd or lmadmin, you
must update the client computers to obtain a license:
1. For each installed Creo application, navigate to the bin folder in the Creo
load point. For example, if Creo Parametric is one of the installed applications,
navigate to the <creo_loadpoint>\Parametric\bin folder.
2. Run reconfigure.exe to open PTC Installation Assistant. The option
Reconfigure existing software is selected by default.
3. Click Next. The License Identification screen appears.

4. Click in the License Summary area to remove the old server reference.
5. Type the port@hostname value corresponding to the new server under the
Source column. For example, the port and the host name can be
7788@myhostname. Click to add any new license sources.
6. Click Next.
7. Click Install and then click Exit.

162 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 H
Distributed Computing
Technology for Creo Parametric

Overview of Distributed Computing ........................................................................... 164

Interactions between the Controller and the Agent ..................................................... 164
Supported Functions ............................................................................................... 164
Configuring Workstations for Distributed Computing................................................... 165

This appendix contains information on the Distributed Computing technology that

is used by Creo Parametric to augment your existing hardware.

163
Overview of Distributed Computing
Creo Parametric uses Distributed Computing technology to perform
computationally intensive tasks by augmenting your existing hardware.
Distributed Computing technology includes the following elements:
• A Creo Parametric session or the controller.
• Participating networked workstations.
• A daemon running on each participating workstation.
• One or more agents running on the workstations. These agents could be the
Creo Parametric sessions running as server processes.
• A task or a collection of jobs.

Note
Distributed Computing is suitable only for multiobject design studies.

Interactions between the Controller and the Agent

With Creo Parametric you can optimize the distribution of tasks using Distributed
Computing technology. The controller communicates with the daemon on each
workstation and determines load averages. Agent sessions are automatically
started depending on load averages and the number of processors. These agents
are started only once for every distributed computing task and not for every job.
Communication of data is also optimized. Data, that is, models, information, and
instructions, are efficiently streamed directly to each agent through the daemon.
No files are copied to a workstation before a job is carried out. As subsequent jobs
are dispatched to the same agent, only data that is different between the jobs is
streamed. If the data involved is the same, it is not streamed again.
Supported Functions
Distributed Computing technology supports the following functions:
• Workstations with multiple CPUs are leveraged so that an agent process exists
for every CPU (depending on the system load average).
• Workstations are engaged in distributed computing unless the load on a CPU
exceeds 20 percent.
• Tasks are dispatched to workstations based on the following real-time
conditions:
○ The workstations must be online.

164 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 ○ The load average on the workstations must be within permissible limits.
The load average is calculated over time, not with a single measurement at
a specific point in time.
○ If a workstation shuts down during distributed computing, the active task
is not interrupted. The controller detects the shutdown and routes the job to
another agent.
○ If multiple users are performing distributed computing tasks, workstations
are engaged on a first-come, first-served basis. While a workstation is
processing jobs dispatched by a certain controller, it is unavailable to other
controller sessions.
After the controller completes its task, any active controller can then
engage the workstation.

Note
Avoid using distributed computing when dispatching jobs across fire
walls.

Configuring Workstations for Distributed

Computing
System administrators can configure the workstations after installing Creo
Parametric as follows:
1. From the available workstations, choose the ones to participate in distributed
computing sessions.
2. Run the dcadsetup script on each participating workstation. This script
starts a required daemon process for distributed computing. No other setup
task is required.
3. To shut down the daemon process and thus disable a workstation from
participating in distributed computing sessions, run the dcadshutdown
script.
4. Optionally, register the dcadsetup command within the boot script of a
workstation. This command enables the workstation for distributed computing
after it is shut down and restarted.

Distributed Computing Technology for Creo Parametric 165

 I
Troubleshooting Tips

General Debugging Hints......................................................................................... 167

Online Information ................................................................................................... 167
Troubleshooting List ................................................................................................ 167
Failure to Start the Software ..................................................................................... 167
Xtop Icon Disappears from the Taskbar ..................................................................... 167
Inaccurate Ptcstatus Command Information .............................................................. 168
Invalid Licenses ...................................................................................................... 168
FlexNet Publisher Fails to Start (Triad Configurations)................................................ 169

This appendix documents common problems that occur when you install PTC
software and PTC License Server. This appendix also provides general debugging
techniques and cites other sources of information available from the PTC Web
site.

166 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

General Debugging Hints
The ptc_d.log file records license server activities and can be found in
“\FLEXnet Admin License Server\logs\”. This file has useful
information that you should check when you have a problem.
Online Information
See https://www.ptc.com/en/support for a wealth of how-to information for new
and experienced users, including order and license support. The Technical Support
page provides online tools and other support services. You can search the
Knowledge Base of over 14,000 technical documents or download reference
documents. For information on FlexNet Publisher diagnostic environment
variables, consult the FlexNet Publisher License Administration Guide that can be
downloaded from here.
Troubleshooting List
Skim through the following list of problems to find any that appear to be the same
as the one you are experiencing. The information is presented in the following
format.
Symptom: Describes the problem.
Cause: Lists the cause of the problem.
Solution: Provides steps to resolve the problem.

Failure to Start the Software

Symptom: When you attempt to start your PTC software, you see an MS-DOS
window that contains the message: Cannot find <Installation_
Directory>\<mc_type>\filename.
Cause: The system PATH, an environment variable, is either not set to the
<Installation_Directory>\bin or it is improperly set due to a syntax or
spelling error.
Solution: Check the system PATH.

Xtop Icon Disappears from the Taskbar

Symptom: An Xtop icon appears for a few seconds in the taskbar and quickly
disappears.
Cause: Network configuration settings are not properly set.
Solution: Make sure that the network settings are in accordance with the
Suggested Technique for Configuration of a workstation for executing the Creo
application.

Troubleshooting Tips 167

Look for a file in the startup location called std.out and see if there are
references to network errors. If there is a line that states Exception Code Was
-1073741819, make sure the latest graphics driver is installed. The most recent
graphics driver can be downloaded from the manufacturer's Web site. An
alternative is to set the config.pro option graphics win32_gdi.

Inaccurate Ptcstatus Command Information

Symptom: On Windows systems for Pro/ENGINEER Release 20 and later, the
ptcstatus command returns the following message,
Displaying status for license file 7788@ptc Warning(-15):
Cannot connect to license servers (-15, 10; 10061).
Cause: The license server is not running or the license client cannot reach the
server.
Solution: Verify that the license server manager and ptc_d daemons are running.
A network problem exists if a license client attempts to ping the server by host
name and the ping fails.

Invalid Licenses
Symptom: You receive the error message Invalid license.
Cause: Licensing information is inaccurate.
Solution: Return to the FLEXnet license editor and verify that the information
entered is exactly as it appears in your License Pack. If no licenses are listed,
return to the FLEXnet license editor and ensure no text is highlighted.
If all licenses are listed as invalid, verify that the PTC Host_ID in the
License Pack corresponds with what you see in the FLEXnet license editor. For
example, one server line and one daemon line represent a single server. Three
server lines and one daemon line represent a fault-tolerant or Triad configuration.
Remove all the lines that do not pertain to the PTC HOST_ID.
Your incremental lines must have no blank lines. Verify that all continuation
characters (\) are at the end of each line, except for the last line. If some licenses
are valid while others are invalid, find the invalid feature name lines in the
License File window and correct the text.
If you received your license codes via e-mail, remove any extraneous text such as
the header and footer. Another option is to delete the invalid license in the
FLEXnet license editor window.

168 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

FlexNet Publisher Fails to Start (Triad
Configurations)
Symptom: PTC License Server does not start after a Triad server is installed and
configured.
Cause: The following requirement has not been met: two of the three partners of
the Triad configuration must be running (Quorum) before licenses can be
distributed.
Solution: Go to a shell window or a command prompt and change into the
<FLEXnet_Installation_Directory>\bin. Type in ptcstartserver.

Troubleshooting Tips 169

 J
Workflow for Installation and
Configuration

Workflow for Generating Licenses for the Creo Applications ....................................... 171
Workflow for Installing the Creo Applications ............................................................. 172
Workflow for Reconfiguring the Creo Applications ...................................................... 173

This chapter provides simple workflows for generating licenses and installing and
reconfiguring the Creo applications. The workflow is presented as a flowchart for
each of these processes. If you have received a license file via e-mail from PTC
License Management, use that license file instead of the product codes for
licensing. After the installation, you can configure the installation of applications
like Creo Parametric for units of measurement or drawing standards.

170 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Workflow for Generating Licenses for the
Creo Applications

Workflow for Installation and Configuration 171

Workflow for Installing the Creo
Applications

172 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Workflow for Reconfiguring the Creo
Applications

Workflow for Installation and Configuration 173

 Glossary

Term Definition
Application Program A set of standards or conventions by which
Interface (API) programs can call specific operating system or
network services.
authentication A process of logging in to a secure server to verify
your identity.
commercial license The license you get when you purchase PTC
software for commercial purposes.
counted locked license Although a locked license is managed by a
FlexNet Publisher license server, its usage is
restricted to a machine for which it is licensed.
The license server allows the use of up to the
number of licenses purchased.
Creo Direct A 3D mechanical design automation application
that helps you create and modify 3D designs
quickly and easily through direct interaction with
their geometry.
Creo Layout A 2D mechanical design application for
developing concepts from scratch using existing
2D data or 3D cross sections. A native data
connection to Creo Parametric allows rapid
transition from 2D concept to 3D design.
Creo Options Modeler An application that includes limited parametric
modeling and configuration modeling features.
Creo Parametric A 3D mechanical design automation application,
Creo Parametric provides associative and
interoperable product design and an engineering
modeling system.
Creo Parametric J-Link A Java-based toolkit, J-Link allows developers to
create Java applications to access a Creo
Parametric session.
Creo Parametric Pro/Web. Creo Parametric Web.Link lets you interact with
Link Creo Parametric through a Web browser. With this
feature, you can create a customized Web page,

174 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Term Definition
which you can then use to automate and
streamline aspects of your engineering process.
Creo Parametric TOOLKIT An API that enables adding of functionality to
Creo Parametric using the C programming
language.
Creo Parametric VB API A visual basic toolkit, Visual Basic API allows
developers to create VB.NET or VBA applications
to access a Creo Parametric session.
Creo Plastic Advisor Creo Plastic Advisor simulates mold filling for
injection molded plastic parts and provides
designers with immediate, easy access to reliable
manufacturing feedback and advice.
Creo Simulate A Computer Aided Engineering application. It
helps you simulate the physical behavior of a
model and understand and improve the mechanical
performance of your design. You can directly
calculate stresses, deflections, frequencies, heat
transfer paths, and other factors, showing you how
your model will behave in a test lab or in the real
world using this application.
Creo View Express A PTC application used to view, mark up, interact,
and collaborate on all forms of digital product
data. It is a scaled-down version of Creo View.
Diagnostic Tools A PTC utility that collects information and sends
reports to PTC on the performance and usage of
Creo applications. It also reports the system
information of a user. It serves as a medium to
help PTC improve the quality of its products.
datecode A unique number to identify a specific version of
PTC software. The datecode can be found printed
on the jacket of the installation media.
daemon line An entry in the license file that defines
• The name of the PTC daemon, which is a
customized software program that grants and
denies floating PTC licenses by reading the
license file
• The path where this executable resides, that is
in the FlexNet Publisher installation directory
• The path to the FlexNet Publisher options file,

Glossary 175
Term Definition
which contains various operating parameters
educational license A license used at educational institutes to run PTC
software, also known as a students license. This is
a time-bound license.
evaluation license An evaluation license allows use of a software
product for a trial period.
feature line The feature or increment line is an entry in the
license file that describes the product that the user
is allowed to use, as well as any optional software
products that are associated with that license.
Following is a sample of the feature line:
INCREMENT PROE_Engineer ptc_d 33.0 01-jan-
2011
1\
BC24AFC5B76BB74C9366
VENDOR_STRING="VSVER=2.0 \
LO=(0,3,6,7,10,17,32,34,40,45,
48,51,55,\
61,62,66,69,71,73,77,97,106,108,115,126,\
127,128,133,135,137,158,163,188,191,210)"\
SUPERSEDE vendor_info="VIVER=1.0 \
EXTERNAL_NAME=" \
ISSUER=PTC ISSUED=01-sep-2006 \
NOTICE="PTC_customer" SN=SCN12344,SCN765431\
SIGN2="169C A28A E97F E96E 0A3E
563B FDEB\
4510 829E 4BF4 25D3 2394 0444 2FD4 6C23
0168\
A8A5 AEBE 54B0 1FF6 B79B DC75 2014 A278
33CC\
1B90 8647 6A12 F4D6 45BF"\
feature name The feature name is the name of the license that
the application requests. It is composed of a
product prefix and a configuration ID (for
example, PROE_Engineer).
FlexNet Publisher The license management software that is used to
distribute licenses
floating license A floating license can be used on more than one
system. Floating licenses are distributed by a
license server process that runs on a machine. This
machine is also called the license server. See
license-to-run.
hardware reconfiguration The process of changing any aspect of the
machines currently mapped to the Configuration
ID.

176 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Term Definition
increment line See feature line.
installation directory The directory in which PTC software is installed.
Also called the load point.
intellectual property Proprietary information stored within Creo data
files.
install number A number used by the PTC order management
system before October 20, 1997, to identify a
single software installation.
license A license grants a user permission to run a PTC
product.
license borrowing A functionality of FlexNet Publisher. You can
borrow licenses from a license server and run a
licensed application on a remote client without
being connected to the license server.
license client A machine or software session that requests a
license from another machine or software session.
license file The license.txt file on each user's disk drive
when FlexNet Publisher is installed and
configured. This file contains the information used
by FlexNet Publisher to authorize the use of
software.
license information The data from the PTC License Pack that is used
by FlexNet to authorize the use of software.
license-locked Refers to an optional module for use with a
specific licensed product, which may be either
floating or node-locked. If an optional module is
license-locked to a node-locked license, it may
only be used on the specifically authorized
machine. If an optional module is license-locked
to a floating license, it may be used on any
machine in the network (in conjunction with that
license).
license-locked option An optional module of PTC software that is
locked to a license of PTC software. When the
license is successfully started, all license-locked
options associated to the licenses are available.
license management The PTC organization responsible for all
installation-based activities.
license management See FlexNet Publisher.
software

Glossary 177
Term Definition
license server A machine or system process that distributes
licenses to license clients. For example, if you
start Creo Parametric on machine A and it requests
a license from machine B, then machine B is the
license server. The license server keeps track of
the number of licenses in use. A system
administrator can use a license server to control
licenses by placing restrictions on a particular
feature.
license-to-run A license-to-run invokes the license of a specific
PTC application, such as Creo Parametric.
Floating licenses are available for use on any host
machine on the network at any particular site. See
floating license.
lmgrd license server The FlexNet Publisher license server manager
manager daemon daemon (lmgrd or lmadmin) runs on the license
server and works with the PTC vendor daemon. It
does not manage license usage. The lmgrd or
lmadmin daemon starts vendor daemons, refers
applications to the appropriate vendor daemon,
and communicates with other license server
manager daemons on the network for Triad
installations.
load point Directory where the software is installed. An
example of the Creo Parametric load point is C:\
Program Files\PTC\Creo 7.0.0.0.
maintenance release request A request for postproduction PTC software, which
features enhancements after a major new revision.
maintenance shipment An update to the next major release of PTC
software.
ModelCHECK A software productivity tool for Creo Parametric,
ModelCHECK analyzes parts, drawings and
assemblies, and recommends proper Creo
Parametric modeling techniques.
ModelCHECK Metrics Tool A web-based utility for tracking data quality,
standards, and best practices. This tool uses the
metric file output from ModelCHECK to calculate
quality trends and enables you to represent the
ModelCHECK analysis results graphically.
name_service daemon This daemon process enables remote

178 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

Term Definition
(nmsd) communication between Creo Parametric and
other PTC applications.
node-locked license A license that can be used on only one specific
machine or node. Node-locked licenses are
restricted to a specific Host ID, or CPU ID. If the
node-locked license does not match the CPU ID of
the machine running the software, then the license
cannot be used on that machine. Node-locked
licenses can be counted or uncounted.
product prefix This standard prefix corresponds to a particular
product. This product prefix might be used as a
prefix within a feature name, such as PROE_
Engineer_12345, where 12345 is the
Configuration ID.
Pro/BUNDLE A type of floating optional module that is
comprised of several existing optional modules.
PTC licensing recognizes the bundled software as
a single licensed entity.
PTC Application Manager A utility that appears as a toolbar that enables the
user to start and close other applications during a
Creo Parametric session.
PTC daemon The PTC vendor daemon (ptc_d) runs on the
license server and works with the FlexNet
Publisher daemon. It manages license usage by
reading the PTC license file. The PTC daemon
also contains the authentication information for
PTC license security.
PTC Host ID The number used to uniquely identify your
machine. This is the same number used in PTClm,
called the CPU ID. Also referred to as the machine
address.
PTC Installation Assistant A utility with menus, dialog boxes, and screens for
obtaining licenses and installing Creo applications.
reconfigurations The process of modifying the configuration of
software (moving modules from one license to
another).
server line An entry in the license file that identifies the
server or servers that distribute the software.
silent mode A nongraphics mode for installing and uninstalling
software using command-line arguments.

Glossary 179
Term Definition
silent installation The process of installing software using
command-line arguments.
startup command The command that is used to start an installed
software product. The startup command is created
during installation and is associated with at least
one license from the license management
component. Modules that are in separate feature
lines can also be associated with the startup
command. When a startup command is executed,
the associated licenses and modules are
automatically licensed for use by the user who
executed the startup command.
Thumbnail viewer A Windows-only utility for viewing thumbnails of
objects outside Creo Parametric.
trail file A trail file records the procedures the end user
performed while running a Creo session.
triad servers A configuration of three license servers on the
same network that work together to manage a pool
of floating licenses.
uncounted node-locked A node-locked license whose permission to use
license the license is managed by the PTC application, not
the license server. Unlimited number of uncounted
node-locked license sessions can be run on a
single machine at one time.

180 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

 Index

A Creo
browser requirements, 125
ASCII font definition, 114
updating, 69-70
utilities, 100
B Creo applications
compatibility, 33
borrowed licenses, 75
completing installation, 48
browser requirements
customizing, 39
PTC Creo, 125
removing installation, 58
Windows, 125
specifying directory permissions, 53
starting, 48, 50
C uninstalling, 153
CDSECTION nodes Creo Unite wrapper files
editing, 152 recreating when corrupt, 128
character updating to synchronize with import
box, 112 profile, 128
definitions, 112 Creo View Express, 126
modifying, 112
parameters, 112 D
client-side components
defining components, 41
installing and uninstalling silently,
Diagnostic Tools, 132
153
configuring, 132
commands
session log, 136
PTC Installation Assistant, 70
setting filters, 133
ptcflush, 82, 86, 100
setting preferences, 133
ptchostid, 100
uninstalling, 137
ptcstatus, 100
uses, 136
communication ports
viewing information, 134
usage, 158
viewing last sent information, 135
compatibility
Distributed Computing technology,
file format, 33
163
Compression Codecs, 124
configuring
workstations for distributed E
computing, 165
extended licenses, 75
controller and agent interactions, 164

181
F interface tools, 41
Pro/CDT, 41
filled font definition, 115
Pro/FEM-POST, 41
FLEXnet License Administrator Web
TCP/IP on Windows requirements,
interface, 93
23
FlexNet Publisher
Verification Models, 41
benefits of using, 82
interactions
downward compatibility, 83
controller and agent, 164
restrictions, 83
interface for PDF, 124
FlexNet Publisher License
interface tools, installing, 41
Administration Guide, 82
floating licenses, 75
font definition J
ASCII font, 114
JavaScript bridge, 128
character parameters, 112
JavaScript security, 128
definition commands, 112
Latin font, 117
special font, 116 L
text parameters, 108 LANGUAGE node
fonts for Creo applications, 103 editing, 151
LATIN_1 font definition, 117
G license borrowing, 75, 86
determining status, 88
generating traceback log, 56
early return, 89
initiating, 87
H overview, 86
license simplification
Help Center
advantages, 78
enabling context-sensitive Help
general information, 78
from a custom location, 64
overview, 77
installing locally, 62
technical information, 78
license types, 75
I licenses
installation borrowed, 75
update installation, 69 extended, 75
installing floating, 75
API Toolkits, 41 refreshing, 84
Creo applications, 33 updating codes, 69
Creo Distributed Batch, 41 lmadmin
Creo Mold Analysis, 41 overview, 92
Creo Photo-Realistic Rendering, 41 lmgrd and lmadmin
Direct Modeling Converter, 41 differences, 92
lmtools utility, 101

182 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide

M R
mass-deployment registry file
installation strategy, 142 updating, 155
MKS Platform components requirements
installing, 139 Windows, 23
overview, 139 restrictions
modifying FlexNet Publisher, 83
Creo, 70
S
N SHORTCUT node
network connection editing, 149
troubleshooting, 86 shortcuts
node-locked license, 75 creating for Creo applications, 46
silent installation
command syntax, 145
O
guidelines and advantages, 141
Open Type font, 105 workflow, 143
symbols
special, 107
P
system management utilities, 100
PACKAGE node
editing, 152
Portable Document Format, 124 T
exporting, 124 TCP/IP, 86
program shortcuts on Windows for installation requirement, 23
Creo applications, 46 text
PROPERTY node base offset, 108
editing, 147 characters, 112
PSF node parameters, 108
editing, 150 modifying, 108
PTC Installation Assistant, 16 width, 108
PTC License Server text fonts
overview, 82 ASCII definition, 114
PTC licensing overview, 75 creating, 107
ptcflush utility definition, 107
usage, 86 LATIN_1 definition, 117
text parameters, 108
traceback log
Q
generating, 56
QUALITY_AGENT node troubleshooting
editing, 151 invalid licenses, 168

Index 183
 network connection failure, 86
ptcflush utility
syntax, 86
software execution, 167
tips, 166

U
uninstalling
Creo applications, 58
update installation, 69
utilities
Creo, 100
lmtools, 101
lmutil, 101
ptcflush, 86
ptcshutdown, 101
ptcstartserver, 101
system management, 100

W
Web browser requirements, 125
Windows
browser requirements, 125
creating program shortcuts for Creo
applications, 46
temporary directory, 100
workstations for distributed computing
configuring, 165

X
XML file
editing, 147
locating, 147
Xtop icon, 167

184 Creo® Installation and Administration Guide