Software Use and Licensing
What software does Geotech offer and how is it licensed.
To add licenses or change your type of license:
for the full Enviro Data suite (and not the Viewer Only option) follow the steps below.
Download and extract this utility that helps reset the license information.
On every user’s computer close ALL copies of Enviro Data.
Copy “ResetEDataLicenseInfo.accdb” to the desktop or any directory on the user computer and open the file.
Click “Clear Enviro Data License Info”. This step clears all Enviro Data license information from the computer.
Click “OK” when the confirmation message appears and then close this program.
Open Enviro Data and enter the new license codes at the top of this e-mail.
Navigate to the license database when prompted.
Connect to your database.
If your database in in SQL Server (only) you may also need to edit the EDatatables table. To do this, press F11 in the Editor to view the tables. Next find and open the table EDatatables. Locate the record for EDataLibraryDatabase and delete the word “Data” in the DataBaseName field. See screen shot below.
To add licenses or remove license for the Viewer Only program, follow the procedure below.
On every user’s computer close ALL copies of Enviro Data.
Navigate to the folder C:\Enviro\EData8Viewer.
Using a text editor like Notepad you can open the file GCS.lic in your Enviro Data Viewer directory.
In that file you will find the location of the license file there and record it as you will need it later.
Close the file GCS.lic then delete it.
Delete the file eKey.lck.
Open Enviro Data and enter the new license codes at the top of this e-mail.
Navigate to the license database when prompted.
Connect to your database.
If your database in in SQL Server (only) you may also need to edit the EDatatables table. To do this, press F11 in the Editor to view the tables. Next find and open the table EDatatables. Locate the record for EDataLibraryDatabase and delete the word “Data” in the DataBaseName field.
Enviro Data Single User is licensed on a per-user basis, meaning that a license is required for each computer on which the software is installed. However, with Concurrent Use licensing, the software can be installed on as many computers as you wish but can only be used concurrently by the number of users that you have purchased Concurrent Use licenses for.
To use Concurrent Use licensing, install the lock file in a folder (usually on a server) that is visible to all prospective users. This file, called GCSLicense.mde, keeps track of how many licenses are in use. For a Virtual Machine, depending on the configuration, it could be placed on the VM's local drive or on a shared drive. For a SQL back-end, either would be fine. You need to record where the file is located so if you need to add other users you will know the location.
If you cannot locate the license file you can open the file GCS.lic in another computer’s Enviro Data directory, C:\Enviro\Edata8, using a text editor like Notepad and you will find the path to the license file there. However, when doing this be careful not to make any changes and close this file without saving it.
From this point on, when you open Enviro Data, a record will be written to the license file indicating that one license is in use. When you close the program, that record is marked returned. If you need to use Enviro Data away from the office, you can “check out” a license so you can use Enviro Data while not connected to the network but until this license is checked back in, it will not be available to any other users.
The lock allows for occasional overuse of your licenses for emergency situations. However, if you abuse this privilege, this will no longer be available.
If you have purchased or upgraded to Concurrent Use licensing, contact Geotech technical support if you need help in installing and setting up the lock file.
To setup a user, or after installing Enviro Data on a new computer, close both the Editor and Viewer, then in the C:\Enviro/EData8 folder, find and delete the file named “eKey.lck”. Re-open the Editor or Viewer and the setup license form will open. Use this form to point the computer to the lock file installed above.
If you need to add or change licenses, see the documentation under Concurrent Use Licensing.
Enviro Data has a number of tools for reviewing and validating your data, up to and including calculation support for EPA CLP Level III data validation and a tool to track lab samples and cost. Contact Geotech for more information.
Enviro Spase is provided under a perpetual, Single-Use license, for installation on one computer for one user.
Enviro Data can be run on the desktop PC or MAC, from an on-premises Remote Desktop Servers (RDS) or individual VMs, in the cloud using Azure, Windows 365 Cloud PC, or in a web browser.
Enviro Data has more implementation options than any comparable system. And now you can take the power of Enviro Data and run it in the cloud. Using the robust Microsoft Windows Azure, Geotech can help you set up your whole database system in the cloud.
Geotech Computer Systems has been encouraging our clients to migrate their Enviro Data users from on-premises Remote Desktop Servers (RDS) or individual VMs to Azure Virtual Desktop. AVD can use either Windows 11 Enterprise Multi-Session or Windows Server. This is a cloud-based system that supports multiple users connecting at the same time. It is an alternative to configuring one or multiple RDS or individual VM systems. AVD can easily be scaled up or down based on your unique business requirements.
The connection to AVD is made using the free Azure Remote Desktop clients. This client uses a reverse connect transport for establishing remote sessions which provides a much more secure mechanism. This app is available for Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS and Android/Chrome OS. Additionally, an AVD instance can be initiated within a modern browser using portable devices like a table or smartphone.
Enviro Data is installed on the shared AVD “host pool.” Enviro Data databases can be in Access or SQL server, depending on your needs and access to the databases can be configured for security. Enviro Spase and GIS can also be installed on the host pool. Users are added to an Azure group that provides specific roles using Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory). Shared drives can also be configured in Entra.
Users connect via the Remote Desktop all with their unique Entra username and password. There is no need to figure out which VM to connect to since AVD is a shared system. Each user is provided their own Windows desktop and folders. Some advantages of using the Azure Remote Desktop clients to connect to Azure Virtual Desktop besides security are multiple monitor support; custom display resolutions., dynamic display resolutions and scaling; device redirection, such as webcams, storage devices, and printers; OneDrive; and Microsoft Teams optimizations.
A Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Microsoft 365 E3 (or higher) subscription is required to connect to AVD.
Please see the Enviro Spase page on this website for more. Also, visit the Enviro System Overpage page for how out products work together.