Quick question about Rockwell activation

We're currently taking inventory on all our Rockwell software and to what host each activation is linked.

Some of the activations are hosted on dongles.

Question: Does an activation (a .lic file) on a dongle only work with one specific SERIAL NUMBER of software?

In other words when moving the dongle to a different pc, does that pc have to have the Rockwell product installed FROM THE EXACT SAME CD/PACKAGE?

Thanks so much for any help!

It's the other way around, fortunately; the hardware ID of the Dongle is what matters, not the serial number of the software, the hard drive ID of the computer, or the network interface card ID of the computer.

The *.LIC file ties the activation of a Rockwell Software product (or features of that product) to the specific hardware ID that was used to create the *.LIC file.

If the *.LIC file is created using a 'Dongle' as the hardware ID, then it will activate the RSI product using that *.LIC file and that dongle no matter how the software was installed.

..interesting. So I can take my dongle and a dongle-tied .lic file, then go anywhere in the world and make their software load, so long as it's the same software (eg RSLogix5k), BUT NOT the same serial number.

Thanks for the help.

HI

That is how I understand it but we dont have a dongle.
Now again someone ( Maybe Ken) will correct me but I understand after you remove the dongle you will have a 7 day grace peroid again.So when your 7 days are up use the dongle again and you will have 7 more days.
Now I may be wrong but this is how I read it.

Donnchadh

As for me, my activations (RSView and Factory Talk) do not work if the serial entered during installation do not match the serial in LIC File. (Open LIC with Notepad and you will see the product name and the serial this activation belongs to). By the way, I always tie them to Ethernet adapter, not to hard or ssd or flash drive (oops... that's because it's much harder to damage or steal built-in ethernet rather then external dongle ).

If you own a single license and want to run software occassionally, one instance at a time, on several PCs connected together in one network, you may use concurrent license which can be borrowed from license server when you start software and automatically returned back when you stop it. Info on which kind your license is, concurrent or node-locked, can be found in activation certificate.

I use the dongle to go from my desktop for development to my laptop for the in-the-field locations. Having to drag the LIC file around is a nuisance. Seems there woul be a more efficient way to handle that but alas.
I also need to give my dongle to a contractor when they don't have a contract for the latest version of rockwell stuff.

Once you add the lic file to the proper directory and activate it with FT, Rockwell will give you 7 days after you pull the dongle out before it needs it again. But it will nag the heck out of you.

I like the server based method where you can borrow a license for your portable computer if you can temporarily connect it to that server. I can see the dongle being quite handy for some applications, just none I have had to deal with yet.

TheWaterboy said:

I use the dongle to go from my desktop for development to my laptop for the in-the-field locations. Having to drag the LIC file around is a nuisance. Seems there woul be a more efficient way to handle that but alas.
I also need to give my dongle to a contractor when they don't have a contract for the latest version of rockwell stuff.

Once you add the lic file to the proper directory and activate it with FT, Rockwell will give you 7 days after you pull the dongle out before it needs it again. But it will nag the heck out of you.

Click to expand...

I use my activation dongle on multiple PCs, one desktop and 3 laptops, and I don't have to "...drag the LIC file around...".

Once you have activated the software(s) to the dongle, just take a copy of the LIC file and place it on all the machines you want to use the software on.

The key in the LIC file just ties together the software product, and the serial number of the dongle, so the LIC file will work anywhere.

I've got the larger of the activation dongles, a HASP HL drive, which has 2GB of standard USB storage (not sure if the smaller dongle has any memory), so it's easy enough to keep copies of LIC files on the dongle memory, ready to copy into the correct place on the target PC (which you only need to do once).

The LIC files should be copied into ..

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Rockwell Automation\Activations

... which is where FTActivation is set to look for the license. I suppose it would be possible to configure FTActivation to look on the USB drive for the LIC file, but the drive letter may be different on different machines, and might be different on the same machine if you use a portable HDD, for instance.

It's no big deal to have to put the LIC file in that directory on each machine one-time-only. It would be easy to create a Batch File on the dongle to copy the licenses for you, which would be good for your contractors.

But you ARE dragging the LIC file around in your flash drive and it's still an annoying requirement which is why they started using the dongle with the integrated flash drive in the first place.

I bought my dongles before those were available. I should be allowed to flash the dongle with a LIC file (or its equivalent in the HASP or ALADDIN systems) directly and then whatever software that dongle is then licensed for should work from it. The need for an additional LIC file IS a nuisance and doesn't use the intention of the dongle design.

Now for concurrent or node locked needs - fine, LIC file alone, but not for a dongle.