Bentley Selectserver [repack] Jun 2026

If an administrator sets an idle timeout too aggressively (e.g., 5 minutes), an engineer walking to get coffee will lose their license and may lose unsaved work context (the app is still open, but when they return, they are in "read-only demo mode"). Conversely, a timeout too long (2 hours) wastes licenses. Tuning requires monitoring actual usage patterns.

Traditional floating licenses often had a "timeout" of hours (or never). Engineers would leave a session open overnight, blocking a colleague in another time zone. SelectServer’s client detects idle time (configurable, e.g., 30 minutes of no mouse/keyboard) and automatically checks the license back into the pool. Some organizations report needed after switching to SelectServer with aggressive idle reclamation.

Every Bentley application launched on an engineer’s workstation includes or is accompanied by the Bentley CONNECTION Client . This background service: bentley selectserver

SelectServer assumes a reliable connection to either the Bentley cloud or a local gateway. For organizations with highly restricted networks (e.g., defense, nuclear), the requirement to periodically phone home to Bentley’s cloud (even via gateway) can be a policy violation. Bentley offers an Air-Gap variant of SelectServer (manual license synchronization via USB drive), but it’s operationally heavy.

| Model | Description | Best For | |-------|-------------|----------| | | A specific person can install on up to 3 devices, but only use one at a time. | Dedicated power users, design leads. | | Concurrent (Flexible) | Pool of N licenses shared across M users (M > N). First-come, first-served. | Teams with shift work, occasional users, cost optimization. | | Term Subscription | Fixed number of licenses for a fixed period (monthly, annual). | Budget predictability, temporary project teams. | | Usage-Based (Micro-licensing) | Pay per hour or per compute unit (e.g., rendering, simulation). Launched in 2023 via SelectServer. | Cloud rendering, rare analysis runs, burst capacity. | | Enterprise Token System | A universal "token" that can activate any product, deducting variable token costs per hour. | Large EPCs needing access to entire Bentley portfolio. | If an administrator sets an idle timeout too aggressively (e

If SelectServer fails to contact the license server at application launch (e.g., VPN split-tunnel misconfiguration, firewall blocking port 443 to *.bentley.com ), the user sees a red banner: "No valid license found. You are now in read-only mode." Non-technical users often panic. The fix requires network diagnostics, not just restarting the app.

When the engineer closes the application, the license is immediately returned to the pool for another user. Traditional floating licenses often had a "timeout" of

Under Bentley’s Enterprise License Subscription (ELS) model, SelectServer is included at no additional line-item cost — but it enables the metering that drives the subscription fee.

SelectServer dynamically enforces the rules: for concurrent licenses, it checks check-in/check-out status; for usage-based, it tracks wall-clock time the application is in focus.