I absolutely despise this new activation scheme the RockSoft has started using... and I'm going to take every opportunity I can to dump on it!! Hopefully someone there will observe this and listen!
I provide tech support to >40 facilities. Very few, if any, have outside-access of any type out on the plant floor... Some don't have any type of outside-access other than phone line even in the office! So this new method is extremely difficult for me.
But I've been through all of this recently and can provide some guidance.
Cryogen said:
I recently purchased Allen Bradley RSLinx single node software. When I received it, I did not find a master disk I was used to but found a procedure for web activation. The computer I wish to install this does not have internet access. I see a procedure for such situations, but wondering if anyone of you have tried that?
It's a bit of a mess to do "offline" You'll go through the installation and activation process. It will get to the place where it's looking to activate it online, but can't. One of the options will be for no internet connection (I'm not in front of one where I can try it right now, so don't remember exactly what it says...) It will then generate the HostID that you'll need. You take that HostID, plus the 10-digit Product ID and the serial number from the package. Then call RockSoft Tech Supp with this information and they will generate the activation file and email it to you. Then you move that file from your email to the computer you're installing RSLinx on, using a floppy, flash drive, network connection, whatever... Again, I'm not in front of a computer with that software on it right now, so I can't remember the exact path to move it ... I can possibly check tomorrow if you can't find it. Reboot and you're done. Easy as pie... (yeah... right...)
Cryogen said:
Also, if I activate the software with the Host ID of a computer that would be using this, what if the computer fails and I need to install this software on another computer?
If you're lucky enough to be able to still access the computer, you can do what's called a rehost. You'll go through the process on the original computer to generate a rehost code, then during the reinstall, you'll take that rehost code and use that where prompted.
However, it never happens that way... so you get to call RockSoft and explain that your computer failed and you need to have that particular package released. They can do that, then you'll go through the above described, easy-as-pie routine to reinstall the package again into the new computer.
I've been through all of this lately when an HMI computer failed. I sent the computer back for repair -- they had to replace the motherboard. Unfortunately, I had used the HostID of the motherboard -- so even though it was the same computer, I had to go through all of this to reactivate the same package of RSLinx of the same computer...
It has been recommended now that we use the HardDrive as the HostID. But it's gonna be anybody's guess as to which will fail first, the HD or the Mother Board.