CentaMeter Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers for our most frequently asked questions are provided below. Please contact Product Support for more details or, of course, to ask other questions.

frequently asked questions

Q. I created a definition for a new application, but it isn't being metered. Why not?
A. The CentaMeter Agent must be aware of the new application definition. To add your new definition to the agent's list, do the following:

Open the CentaMeter Manager and select Save Settings from the File menu. (This will update the CentaMeter configuration files.)
Select Refresh Agent from the Tools menu. (This will inform CentaMeter agents that there is an updated configuration file.)

Within 15 minutes of refreshing the agents, the new application will be metered.

Q. Can I run the CentaMeter Manager on my Windows 2000 workstation?
A. CentaMeter 2.92, the current version, supports Windows 2000. The CentaMeter Manager and Agent may be run on Windows 2000 workstations. Older versions of CentaMeter do not support Windows 2000.

Q. Will CentaMeter run on MetaFrame, Citrix or Windows Terminal Server (WTS)?
A. No.

Q. Is the CentaMeter Agent slowing down client machines?
A. There are numerous ways to optimize the CentaMeter Agent's performance for your environment. Here are some suggestions:

If you do not meter any 16-bit applications, you may want to disable that feature. Adding the following lines to your CTM.INI file will do this:
```
Vxd95enabled=no
Wow16enabled=no
```
If you are not taking advantage of the AutoDiscover feature, turn it off. In the CentaMeter Manager, go to the Tools menu and select System Options. Click on the Server tab and de-select the option to Identify Unmonitored Applications.

Note: After making changes to the CTM.INI file, you must either restart or refresh the agents (select the Refresh Agents option from the Tools menu.)

For further assistance, contact Technical Support.

Q. Does CentaMeter generate a lot of network traffic?
A. No. When optimized to suit your metering needs, CentaMeter uses local workstation resources to perform most of its processing. See the previous question for some optimizing options.

Q. Can I use CentaMeter to prevent users from playing games and running programs that I don't want to run? If so, can they be restricted to certain times?
A. Yes! CentaMeter offers three monitoring modes:

Restricted applications cannot be run by any users. If you flag an application as Restricted, it is blocked from running on any machine on which the CentaMeter Agent is running (no exceptions).
For Metered applications, you may permit access to the application during certain times of day. For example, you may allow usage of Solitaire between noon and 1 P.M. and after 6 P.M., but not during any other time of the day.
Passive mode monitors use of applications but does not impose any restrictions.

Q. Is CentaMeter a "Service"?
A. The CentaMeter module that runs on client workstations is neither a Service nor TSR. CentaMeter uses Agent Technology to monitor and control application usage and is therefore referred to as the CentaMeter Agent.

Q. I cannot find a specific application in CentaMeter's predefined list of applications. Is there another way to define an application?
A. CentaMeter offers four easy and accurate ways to define a multitude of products:

Predefined
A list of commonly used applications is provided with the CentaMeter Manager.
AutoDiscover
With this optional feature activated, the Agent writes a "definition" file on the server whenever a user runs an undefined application. Later, you can use these definition files to define new applications.
Browse
Allows you to browse to the location of the EXE file on your local hard drive or network associated with the application.
Existing
Allows you to use an existing application definition from another CentaMeter server.

Q. The following error message keeps appearing on some client workstations:
"CentaMeter has been denied access to the CTM.LIC file"
A. Most likely, the CTM.LIC file contains a corrupt header or record. Contact Tally Systems Technical Support to resolve this problem. When you talk to a technician, ask about the new NT Service utility that fixes corrupt CTM.LIC files.

Q. The CentaMeter Agent does not start on any of my client workstations.
A. Check the following:

Make sure users have the proper permissions in the CentaMeter directory to launch the Agent.
In the Manager, go to the Tools menu and make sure the Stop Agents option is not selected. If there is a check next to Stop Agents, remove it.