Kepware Activate License
Liv Flynt
An Emergency Activation ID is provided with each purchased Perpetual / Subscription Activation ID to be used in the event of a machine or system failure occurring outside of standard business hours. The emergency license is designed to be deployed over the top of a broken or missing license, and restore functionality for a limited amount of time (seven days).
The Emergency Activation ID is a one-time use license: one must be used for each product that requires emergency activation. After using an emergency license, it can be reset by returning it to the My Kepware site via the License Transfer option from the License Utility. If you are unable to return the EID to us, please contact Technical Support to discuss options for re-commissioning.
Hardware key certificates are digitally-signed files that contain a unique Hardware Key ID as well as a list of activated products. Although each hardware key certificate can be imported to many host machines, the physical hardware key associated with the hardware key certificate can only be attached to one machine at a time. The physical hardware key is necessary to use the hardware key certificate. For information on how to manage and transfer hardware key licenses, refer to the License Utility help file.
Q: Do I need to have a hardware key prior to starting the conversion process?
A: Yes. You must have a hardware key and the activation ID in hand prior to initiating the conversion to a hardware key.
Q: Do I have to submit a purchase order or contact a Kepware representative to have my license converted?
A: No. Once you have purchased both the software license and the hardware key, conversion to a hardware key is now 100% self-service.
Q: What if I do not have a hardware key? Can I still buy one?
A: Yes. You may purchase the hardware key using the same process usually followed, however you will still need to perform the conversion process in your My Kepware account. To purchase a hardware key, contact sa...@kepware.com.
Q: Can I assign my soft license to a hardware key if my license is not currently covered under a support agreement?
A: No. Hardware key conversion requires that each activation ID you wish to transfer to the key be under an active support agreement. If the activation ID is not under support, a support contract must be added to your software license (s) before it is eligible for conversion. Contact suppor...@kepware.com to renew expired support before attempting to convert your software license(s).
Q: What if I already have drivers on my hardware key?
A: Additional drivers may be added to your hardware key at anytime. It is ok to have old licensing (L- licenses) combined with the soft licenses on a single hardware key. However, placing two activation codes for the same driver on a single key is not permitted. After the conversion is confirmed, the new certification file will contain functionality for all drivers (existing and newly converted).
Q: What if the license I wish to transfer to the hardware key is still in use by the customer?
A: Currently active licenses may not be transferred to a hardware key without first transferring the license off the machine and to My Kepware. (In your My Kepware account, the activation ID will indicate whether the license activation is available.)
ThingWorx Kepware Edge software licenses are activated and transferred through a multi-step process that requires internet access and user access to the web-based My Kepware portal. For detailed instructions, expand the topics below. ThingWorx Kepware Edge should also be fully installed with the license server before following the steps below.
Before you start this process, copy your support renewal file to the machine hosting ThingWorx Kepware Server. You can download your support renewal file from your support verification email or at My Kepware.
The Emergency Activation ID is a one-time use license: one must be used for each product that requires emergency activation. After using an emergency license, it can be reset by returning it to the My Kepware site via the License Transfer option from the License Utility.
Q: Do I need to have a hardware key prior to starting the conversion process?
A: Yes. You must have a hardware key and the activation ID in hand prior to initiating the conversion to a hardware key.
Q: Do I have to submit a purchase order or contact a Kepware representative to have my license converted?
A: No. Once you have purchased both the software license and the hardware key, conversion to a hardware key is now 100% self-service.
Q: What if I do not have a hardware key? Can I still buy one?
A: Yes. You may purchase the hardware key using the same process usually followed, however you will still need to perform the conversion process in your My Kepware account. To purchase a hardware key, contact sa...@kepware.com.
Q: Can I assign my soft license to a hardware key if my license is not currently covered under a support agreement?
A: No. Hardware key conversion requires that each activation ID you wish to transfer to the key be under an active support agreement. If the activation ID is not under support, a support contract must be added to your software license (s) before it is eligible for conversion. Contact suppor...@kepware.com to renew expired support before attempting to convert your software license(s).
Q: What if I already have drivers on my hardware key?
A: Additional drivers may be added to your hardware key at any time. It is ok to have old licensing (L- licenses) combined with the soft licenses on a single hardware key. However, placing two activation codes for the same driver on a single key is not permitted. After the conversion is confirmed, the new certification file will contain functionality for all drivers (existing and newly converted).
Q: What if the license I wish to transfer to the hardware key is still in use by the customer?
A: Currently active licenses may not be transferred to a hardware key without first transferring the license off the machine and to My Kepware. (In your My Kepware account, the activation ID will indicate whether the license activation is available.)
KEPServerEX V5, LinkMaster, and RedundancyMaster software licenses are activated and transferred through a multi-step process that requires Internet and user access to the web-based My Kepware portal. For detailed instructions, expand the topics below.
Important: The transfer request file must be generated from the License Utility on the original host machine. An internet connection is required to complete the license transfer process. If the host machine that the active license is being transferred from does not have internet access, users must copy the transfer request file to a computer that does in order to log in to the My Kepware portal and upload the transfer request file.
Note: At this point, the transfer request file will be processed and a message will be displayed that indicates the license has been successfully stored in the online account. At this point, the transferred product is now available for activation on another machine.
Note: If the computer that the emergency license will be used on does not have Internet access, users must copy the activation request file to a computer that does in order to generate the activation response file. Both the activation request file and the activation response file must be processed on the target machine. For more information on license activation, refer to the License Utility product manual.
Important: It is important to discuss appropriate recovery procedures with all relevant personnel before a situation such as machine/system failure occurs. Furthermore, users can alleviate recovery by saving a copy of all current Activation IDs. It is also helpful to note the correct version of the server installation.
Hardware keys are used in conjunction with digitally-signed files generated by Kepware that contain a unique Hardware Key ID (Flex ID) in addition to a list of activated products. Each hardware key certificate can be imported to many host machines, but the physical hardware key that is associated with the hardware key certificate can only be attached to one machine at a time. The physical hardware key is necessary in order to use the hardware key certificate.
Important: An additional software feature must be installed in order for the hardware key to function properly. This can be done during the initial setup or at any time by re-running the product installation executable and selecting Modify. In Select Features, locate Hardware Key and then select Entire feature will be installed on the local hard drive. Then, continue through and complete the install. For more information, refer to Kepware Installation Guide.
The hardware key certificate must be imported into the License Utility in order for the physical hardware key to be recognized by the application's Runtime. For more information, refer to the instructions below.