Autodesk has two different license types.  The first license type, Single user license, allows 1 user to use 1 licence on 1 machine.  It is the most often bought license and the most cost effective if you have designers who will be using the design software 24/7.

If you have designers who will be using the software intermittently then this is not always the best route to follow.  In comes the Network license.  This license allows your IT to install a copy of the software on as many computers as you have in your office.  The number of licenses that are allowed to be opened concurrently are how many Network licenses have been bought.

The licenses are downloaded from your Autodesk account and installed on a server or computer that will always be on so as to retrieve a license when needed.  If that server or computer is shut down and you try and acquire a license you will not be able to open the software as the license server is not able to communicate to your computer that a license is available for you to use.  Likewise if you are offsite and you need to open a license, if you are off your network there is a problem.

In the situation that you know you are going to be off the network and you need access to the license what can you do?

Well Autodesk has thought of that with the borrow license function.  The license manager allows a user to book out ie borrow a license for up to 6 months.  In this situation you do not need to be in communication with the server to use the license.   Please note that with this borrow of license there will be one less license in the pool of licenses to draw from in the office.