What It Means
This message will only appear if your Microvellum license is an FLA (Floating License Activation) type license. An FLA license can be installed on multiple machines, but only a specific number of people can have Microvellum open at the same time. Each instance of Microvellum that is open claims one active 'seat' from one's license.
This message means every concurrent seat on your license is currently claimed.
A seat is claimed the moment someone opens Microvellum, and it stays claimed until that session ends. The number of installations you have is not the limit; the number of people working at once is.
If Someone Else is Using the Seat
Ask a colleague to close Microvellum. The seat is released immediately on a normal close, and you will be able to start straight away.
If Nobody Else is Using the Seat
A session that ended abnormally can keep holding its seat for a short time.
This can happen after:
The software experiences a crash.
There is a forced shutdown or power loss.
The network connection is dropped unexpectedly.
Microvellum verifies open sessions every 10 minutes. A seat held by an abandoned session is released when that verification fails, so in most cases waiting around 10 minutes and trying again is enough.
If the Message Appeared Right After a Windows Update
A Windows update can reset permissions on the folder Microvellum uses to store licensing data, and can mark files inside it as blocked. When that happens the software cannot read or update its own session information, and may report that no seats are available even though seats are free.
On the affected computer:
Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microvellum.
Right-click the Microvellum folder and select Properties.
On the General tab, if a Security section appears at the bottom, tick Unblock.
Go to the Security tab and confirm your user has full permissions on this folder.
Click Apply, then OK. A progress window may appear while permissions are applied to the files inside - this is expected.
Reopen Microvellum.
This is worth trying before contacting support if the message started immediately after an update, a forced restart, or a change to the machine's user account.
Check Who Holds the Seats
Log in to the Microvellum Client Portal.
Go to Software Management.
Click the gear icon beside your license to open the License Portal.
Open Network Sessions at the bottom of the page.
Network Sessions lists the computers and users currently holding a seat. Account administrators can end a session from this page.
Network Sessions is inside the License Portal, not on the Software Management page itself - you reach it through the gear icon beside your license, as in step 3 above.
The License Portal page also shows your total seat count and how many seats are currently in use, which is worth checking before you assume the message is an error.
If No Sessions are Active
If the portal reports no sessions being active but the software still says no seats are available, submit a support request in the Client Portal, immediately asking for the assistance of a human agent. The license may need to be refreshed on the server side, which is not something you can do yourself.
If You Run Out of Seats Regularly
Running out of seats repeatedly is a capacity problem rather than an error. Your account manager can review your actual concurrent usage against your seat count and advise whether you need additional seats. Contact your account manager as soon as possible.
Related
Overview: Microvellum Licenses - how FLA, SLA, WRT, and Trial licenses differ, and what each requires.
The Microvellum Client Portal - finding your License ID, activation password, and Software Management pages.
Microvellum License Activation Troubleshooting (BSB, AC & OEM) - if the problem is activation failing rather than seats being unavailable.