ETABS Version 9.7.

3
Release Date: 2011-08-03


ETABS Version 9.7.3 is an update to Versions 9.5.0 to 9.7.2, and is distributed electronically by
download from the internet as a full installation or a patch.


PLEASE READ THIS FILE!
It contains important information that is more current than what is in the Manuals.
Contents

1. Installation Instructions for ETABS Version 9.7.3
2. Installation Instructions for License Manager 8.0.5
3. Trial License on Vista and Windows 7 for ETABS
4. File Compatibility
5. Significant Changes from Previous Version

1. Installation Instructions for ETABS Version 9.7.3

ETABS Version 9.7.3 is available electronically as a full installation downloaded from the web, as
a patch to v9.5.0 through v9.7.2 downloaded from the ftp, or as a full installation on CD by request.
Installing ETABS v9.7.3 will uninstall older versions of ETABS (Versions 9.0.0 through 9.7.2).
Versions prior to v9.0.0 will not be affected.

The installation instructions are available in three places:
By a separate link available on the web download page
By a link in the installation browser.
In the file ETABS_Install_Instructions.pdf in the root folder of the CD.

The instructions include information about the software protection system used and installation
options and instructions. You can choose between a Standalone or Network installation.

2. Installation Instructions for License Manager 8.0.5

The information in this section does not apply if you are using standalone licenses.

For new Network installations, see the System Administrator's Help for more detailed information
about the License Manager and the License Manager Administration program WlmAdmin.exe.

This installation contains Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.0.5.
If you are currently running Version 8.0.5 or higher of SentinelLM you do not need to re-
install License Manager.

If you are currently running a version that is older than 8.0.5 then you must install version
8.0.5. Uninstall the older version prior to installing this version. IMPORTANT! All
commuter licenses should be checked in before uninstalling the old version. Note that
Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.0.5 will recognize older licenses for Computer and
Structures products. Please refer to the ETABS Installation Card or the
ETABS_Install_Instructions file for information on how to do this.

If you are serving licenses on later versions of the Windows operating system (Vista,
Windows 7, etc.), you will need to use Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.3.0, which is
available from Computers and Structures, Licensing Department, upon request. This version
cannot be locked to a disk ID, but instead requires a computer ID key. Note that version
8.3.0 is not required when the license server is running on older versions of Windows. It
does not matter what operating system is used to run ETABS.

To speed up finding a network license when ETABS is launched, you can do either or both of the
following:
Create a text file, LEVEL.TXT, and enter the ProgramLevel in a single line. The
ProgramLevel should be one of the following:
ANY / PLUS / NONLINEAR / PLUSC / NONLINEARC / NONLINEARI
Save this file to the folder where ETABS is installed. This file will cause the program to
find the license faster. Note that this file will be included when a new license is sent.

Create a text file, LMHOST.INI, and enter the network name or IP address of the machine
that is running the License Manager. If you are serving licenses on more than one machine,
enter each name or IP address on a separate line of text. Save this file to the folder where
ETABS is installed.

As an alternative to using the LEVEL.TXT file, you can specify the program level as a command-
line option. To do this, use the Windows Run command or create a shortcut pointing to ETABS.exe
in the installation folder. Add the following text to the command line after ETABS.exe

/L ProgramLevel

where ProgramLevel is one of the values listed above for the LEVEL.TXT file. Specifying
ProgramLevel on the command line will supersede the value in the LEVEL.TXT file.

If you experience problems with the license please refer to the appropriate License Trouble
Shooting Guide... located in the ETABS program folder.

3. Trial License on Vista and Windows 7 for ETABS

ETABS Version 9.7.3 is installed with a 30-day trial license.

If you are running on Vista or Windows 7 and the trial license does not work for ETABS v9.7.3,
please run application file LSINIT.EXE located in the folder where you have installed ETABS
v9.7.3. This file runs quickly and silently with no feedback. The trial license should now work.
4. File Compatibility

ETABS Version 9.7.3 can open model files (*.EDB) from older versions of ETABS, as well as
import older ETABS text files (*.E2K and *.$ET). Note that once you save or run these models in
Version 9.7.3, they will not be usable by older versions of the program, so you may want to save
them under a new name after opening or importing them in Version 9.7.3.

5. Significant Changes from Previous Version

We have listed only significant changes here. For a complete list of changes, please see the separate
file ReleaseNotes.PDF located in the ETABS installation folder.

Changes from Version 9.7.2 to Version 9.7.3 (issued 08/03/2011)

Enhancements Implemented
Incident 31138 (Design): Concrete frame design has been added according to the code
"Hong Kong CP-04", including the 2007 supplement.

Incident 31139 (Design): Concrete shear-wall design has been added according to the code
"Hong Kong CP-04", including the 2007 supplement.

Incident 31140 (Design): Steel frame design has been added according to the Canadian
code "CSA S16-09".

Other minor enhancements as detailed in ReleaseNotes.PDF.

Incidents Resolved
Incident 30365 (Results Display and Output): An Incident was addressed in which an
exception (runtime error) was generated on certain machines when printing design results to
an .RTF file. This was caused by certain required system files having been removed by the
installation of another application. This was not a common problem. If this does occur, the
following procedure can be applied by the user to resolve the problem: (1) Find the zipped
file Richtx32.zip that is now provided in the ETABS installation folder. This contains the
four files Richtext.srg, Richtx32.dep, Richtx32.oca, and Richtx32.ocx. (2) Copy
these four files (not the zipped file) to folder Windows\System32 on 32-bit systems, or to
folder Windows\SysWOW64 on 64-bit systems. (3) Get an administrative command
prompt. To do this, use the Run As Administrator option to start cmd.exe. (4) In the
command prompt, change to the Windows\System 32 folder, and enter the command
Regsvr32 Richtx32.ocx. (5) Exit the command prompt. ETABS should now be ready to
run.

Incident 37030 (Database Tables): An incident was resolved where tables could not be
displayed on 64-bit systems.

Incident 37077 (External Import and Export): An incident was resolved where ETABS
models imported from Revit Structure 2011 (RS) were not properly calculating the section
properties of parametrically defined custom sections that were created in RS. The section
dimensions were being imported correctly, but not the section properties such as area and
moments of inertia. Custom sections are typically concrete and wood sections. Steel
sections obtained from tabulated values were not affected. For models originally created or
modified in ETABS for which the correct section properties were defined before exporting
the model to RS, the properties remained correct when the model was imported back into
ETABS. Similarly, sections imported from RS for which an existing section of the same
name already existed in an ETABS model would retain the properties already present in the
ETABS model. Only custom sections newly created in RS were affected. In a similar
manner, for concrete sections newly created in RS, the concrete cover to the rebar was not
properly imported. Again, this did not affect sections already present or previously defined
in the ETABS model.

Other minor Incidents as detailed in ReleaseNotes.PDF.