Frequently Asked Questions


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Licensing and Maintenance

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Single User License: The software is installed in individual computers (not in shared computers over a network and not in servers) for employees of the licensed site. Only the computer that is carrying the proper "USB Key" (or "dongle") on a working USB port will be able to run the software in full mode.

Local Network License: With this type of license, the software is installed in local computers for employees of the licensed site, without the need of carrying the USB Key in each computer. Instead, a "Net USB Key" is installed on a designated License Manager (or Server, if so desired) which can be located in the local office or in a remote location. Access and usage can only be made available for employees of the licensed office site. With the Basic Local Network License, Up to 2 users can simultaneously access the software at any time (more can be added with additional fees).

The Basic Local Network License also has a limit on the range of IP addresses of local employees of the licensed site that can access the software. The smallest Local Network License for a specific site allows a white list of up to four /24 subnets (Class C equivalent, with four unique third octets) for employees of the licensed site. With additional fees, the smallest (Basic) Local Network License can be opened to a broader range of subnets for employees from the same licensed site.

Also, larger customers may purchase licenses for employees of multiple offices (discounts apply for additional licensed office sites). Local Network Licenses for multiple office sites can be managed from one License Manager/Server and shared between employees from all the licensed sites.

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You can continue to use the software beyond the maintenance expiration and without payment of the annual maintenance. However, free technical support will not be available and you will not be able to run maintenance updates or new software upgrades that are released after the expiration date on your USB Key(s). Also, please notice that compatibility with future operating systems will only be provided with the current maintenance releases. Our website allows users to download any previous releases of Ensoft software so you will always have access to the release/update that works with your maintenance expiration date. The pricing of maintenance renewals have small increases with time after expiration.

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Our policy allows for a one-time, free permanent transfer of each software license.

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You may find detailed installation notes for single user and network licenses in the links below
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Our software products may run in “Demonstration” mode in one of the following situations:
  • 1- When selected to be installed as “DEMO (No Key)” during software installation.
  • 2- When no USB Key (security key or dongle) is available in the computer in use.
  • 3- When the software release date is newer than the maintenance expiration date.

The “Demo” versions of our products are actually the full versions but without allowing saves or new computational runs (and no access to the Technical Manual since it is copyrighted).

For prospective users trying the “Demo” mode it is highly recommended to open any of the examples installed with the software so the users can see the type of input and output features of each sampled model. Additional insight can be gained by also opening and reading the accompanying notes that are accessible from the User's Manual (or the Examples Manual) for the opened example file.

The User’s Manual, which is accessible from “Demo” mode, has detailed explanation of each input parameter for each software product. The “Demo” mode will not allow for computational runs, but running time is only a few seconds in almost all cases.

Software

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Software manuals are installed with each program. The easiest way to access the manuals is from the "Help" menu. The manuals can alo be accessed from the Windows "Start Menu" (usually in lower left corner of the Windows Desktop screen). For instance, for LPILE, you can access the User's and Technical Manuals at:

Start Menu > All Programs > Ensoft > Lpile2022 > LP2022 Technical Manual

Start Menu > All Programs > Ensoft > Lpile2022 > LP2022 Users Manual

In all software releases prior to v2022 the Technical Manuals were copyrighted and only work when you have the proper USB Key connected to the computer in use. The User's Manual is a standard Adobe PDF file. In order to open either manual you will need Adobe Acrobat or Reader (free from adobe.com) v8 or newer.

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If the Technical Manual is not opening with Acrobat or Reader (while having the propper USB key connected to the computer in use) then perhaps the Adobe software is not configured correctly. Start Adobe Reader (or full Adobe Acrobat) then click on "Edit/Preferences" and "Internet" under "Categories". Make sure that a check mark is placed under "Display PDF in Browser" then click OK and exit Reader. You can then try to run the Technical Manual once again.

For Acrobat Reader 11 (or newer) you may check these additional notes.
Adobe Notes for Ensoft Technical Manuals

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By default the example files are installed on a folder in the root drive. For instance, for LPILE, you can see the example files in the following folder:


                  (root drive) \ Ensoft \ Lpile2022-Examples
                  
In most cases, the (root drive) is the c:\ drive so the default is:

                  c:\Ensoft\Lpile2022-Examples
                  
A chapter in the User's Manual for each program includes some additional information regarding each example problem.
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Users can download, install and run -free of additional charges- any release/update of our products that was made prior to the maintenance expiration date. Software releases can be accessed from the Downloads page.

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The most common causes are as follows:

  1. The correct USB Key is not connected (plugged) to the computer in use. Plug the appropriate USB Key for the desired program into a functioning USB port on the user’s computer.
  2. The USB Key is not associated to the correct Windows OS driver.
    • A small solid green LED light should be visible near the tip of the black plastic casing of the USB Key when it is recognized properly.
    • A blinking green light usually indicates that the USB Key was accidentally associated to an incorrect driver of the Windows OS.
    • A red light may indicate that the USB Key is not operating properly.
    • No light may indicate that the USB port or the USB Key may not be functional.
    • You can perform a simple check to determine if the USB Key is still working: Unplug from the current computer and plug it on a working USB port of a different computer (desktop or notebook). There is no need to have any of our software products in this other computer. After you plug the USB Key on a different computer, check for the solid green light embedded inside the black plastic casing near the tip.
    • If this does not solve the issue, then please contact Ensoft Technical Support.
  3. The USB key is plugged in and being recognized (green LED constantly visible) but the program still runs in Demo Mode, why? If this is the case, the maintenance on the user’s license may have expired, and the user is trying to run a version of the program released after the maintenance expiration. The user can check this from “Help” menu and Selecting “About”. The screen provides information about the software version, as well as the USB Key. If the Release Date of the program is newer than the Maintenance Expiration Date, then the user will be unable to run this program version. In order to do so the Maintenance must be renewed, and can be done so by contacting our Sales Department.
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Upon completion of your upgrade/renewal order you will receive an email from Ensoft (either from ' or from '') with instructions and the upgrade file.

To complete the upgrade you will need to run the "Ensoft Key Inquirer" utility (see further below how to run this utility). In the dialog window select the "Browse" button under "Upgrade File" section in lower right and point to the place where you saved the file attachment that Ensoft sent to your office for the maintenance upgrade (a file with the extension "filename.upd").

The "Ensoft Key Inquirer" utility is installed with the software. It can be accessed from the Windows Start Menu (usually in lower left corner of the Windows Desktop screen). For instance, for the LPILE software, you can access the 'Ensoft Key Inquirer' utillity as follows:
From Windows 11/10:


                      Windows Start Menu > All Apps > Ensoft > Ensoft Key Inquirer v5
                  
From older Windows:

                      Start Menu > All Programs > Ensoft > Lpile2022 > Ensoft Key Inquirer v5
                  
or from Windows File Explorer:

                      c:\Program Files (x86)\Ensoft\Lpile2022\ensoft_key_inquirer_v5.exe
                  

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Engineers would consider the purchase of both (LPILE &s; GROUP) when they have designs of foundations that involve single piles (under lateral loads) as well as other designs involving pile groups with large caps. The LPILE program is dedicated to the modeling of single piles and thus have several advanced features that are not present in the more general GROUP program. Some of those unique features in LPILE are the following: critical pile penetration, buckling analyses, push-over analyses, LRFD code compatibility and some ACI318 design aides for reinforced-concrete pile section(s). The GROUP program has a broader scope than LPILE since it covers load transfers in the lateral as well as axial directions, plus a 3D frame analysis for compatibility of deformations and equilibrium while assuming a rigid pile cap. It has most features from LPILE other than those specific missing items that were mentioned earlier. However, GROUP is not able to model a single pile since it will generate a singular matrix when it tracks compatibility of deformations and load equilibrium for the framed system.

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To use LPILE/ SHAFT/ PYWALL/ APILE/ TZPILE/ STABLPRO, the user needs the following minimum system configuration:
  • Any personal computer with an Intel™ Pentium™ or newer processor
  • A hard disk with at least 50 MB of free space.
  • Microsoft Windows™ 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, VISTA, XP, 2000 in either 32-bit or 64-bit releases. A release of the Microsoft Windows™ system that is newer than those listed will need a new update of the software.
  • Minimum of 640 KB of free RAM memory.
  • Open (available) USB port (v2 or newer).
  • Graphics card compatible to the Microsoft Windows™ operating system that is being used.
  • A mouse or similar pointing device.
  • (Optional) Any Windows-compatible printer.
In addition, GROUP & LPILE require the following:
  • Graphics card compatible to the Microsoft Windows™ operating system that is being used and that accepts OpenGL.
  • GROUP v2022 requires a 64-bit release of the Windows OS.
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Yes for products released after January 23, 2018. Detailed guidelines for 'silent' installations are included in the following memo: Silent installation on client computers. The document was prepared for LPILE installations but it is similar for all other products.
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The best recommendation is to open any of the previously-run example data files and also look at the associated notes in the User's Manual (or Example Manual) for the opened example file. Users can thus review the type of input and output of each example or at least check the example that may be most similar to their desired model.

Look in this FAQ for where to find the Example files.
Look in this FAQ for where to find the Manuals.

When you are ready to input your own data (either from a blank start or from an initial opened example file), it is suggested that you enter data sequentially from the top to the bottom of each allowed entry under the DATA menu. It is also important that you have the User's Manual opened at the section that corresponds with the data input that you are trying to enter.
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DynaN uses the improved Novak method which is based on the impedance function method and uses the model of soil-structure interaction with non-reflective boundary between the near field and the far field to account for the nonlinearity of soil. In some ways, this program is similar to LPILE, using discrete element approaches while focusing on the dynamic soil response in each discretized thin soil layers. The DynaN program was also calibrated based on some field test results. The user can enter the mass moment of inertia of the pile cap and weight of the table-top machine for analysis of the dynamic response (deflection amplitude) of the foundation as the user’s need for his/her project.

DynaPile was developed based on a more rigorous numerical approach (consistent boundary matrix method) and takes into account the whole soil medium in the analysis (continuum elasticity theory approach). It is a numerical solution without any empirical parameters for adjustment. DynaPile provides transformation functions (matrix) for the user to relate the foundation/structure motion to a seismic motion, which DynaN does not offer.

Usage of DynaPile can be made as backup checks for solutions from DynaN. They will not provide the same exact solutions but they should be within the same order of magnitude.

Links to Product Descriptions:
DynaN
DynaPile

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TZPILE asks the user to enter the unit side friction and unit tip resistance for each soil layer (calculated by the user based on his/her preferred method outside TZPILE). APILE can calculate internally the side friction and end bearing based on various computational methods that can be selected by the user.

APILE generates nonlinear t-z and Q-w curves based on existing t-z and Q-w criteria for driven piles, which are the same as those in TZPILE. However, APILE does not allow the user to enter site-specific t-z and/or Q-w curves (curves which may have been obtained from instrumented loading tests). TZPILE allows the input of any user-specified t-z and Q-w curves (nonlinear or linear elastic).

TZPILE is better suited than APILE for calibrating t-z curves based on pile loading tests. This is because in TZPILE the user can modify the t-z curves as needed (or enter modification factors). TZPILE is thus more flexible for calibrating curves from loading tests.

The user of TZPILE can specify any variation of AE (axial stiffness) and section diameter as a function of pile length.

TZPILE allows the user to specify any soil settlement caused from pile driving or from surcharge for consideration of downdrag forces.

Links to Product Descriptions:
TZPILE
APILE