GE Digital. Licensing FAQs

Transcription

1 GE Digital GE Digital Licensing FAQs

2 Licensing FAQs Common Licensing Software... 4 How do I identify which version of Common Licensing I have?... 4 How do I get the latest version of Common Licensing?... 5 What operating systems does Common Licensing support?... 5 What products does Common Licensing work with?... 5 Do I need to reboot after installing Common Licensing?... 5 Do I need to install the License Server component?... 6 Can I install Common Licensing remotely?... 6 License Options... 7 How can I tell which type of hardware key I have?... 7 How can I tell which type of Software License I have?... 8 Can I have more than one license activated on my computer?... 8 Can I use a Software and a Hardware License on the same computer?... 8 Can I have keys or licenses from other manufacturers on the same machine?... 8 If multiple keys or licenses are found, which license takes precedence?... 9 How do I find out what options are on my license?... 9 What do I do if I received the wrong options on my license?... 9 How do I upgrade my license to a newer product version?... 9 I upgraded my license; can I use it on older versions of the product? I m an integrator or rep how do I use my license with a customer s computer? Using the GE Digital Cloud License Server What is the GE Digital Cloud License Server? When do I use it? Do I need to stay connected to the GE Digital Cloud License Server? Using a Local License Server What is a Local License Server? When do I use it? How do I use it? Do I need to stay connected to the Local License Server? What happens if my client is disconnected? Can I have more than one Local License Server? Can I use a hardware key as a client to a Local License Server? GE Digital Licensing FAQ 2

3 Licensing FAQs Using Virtual Machines Are Software Licenses supported on virtual machine images? Are hardware keys supported on virtual machines? What happens if I clone a virtual machine? Or if I copy a virtual machine? Moving Licenses & Machine Changes Can I move my license to a new computer? What do I do if my machine fails? How can I recover my activation? I need to rebuild a machine how do I move my licenses? What happens if I move my licensed computer or change the IP? What do I do if a client to a Local License Server fails? How do I get the licenses back? What do I do if my Local License Server fails? Troubleshooting Licensing Issues How can I troubleshoot technical issues with my license activation? How do I log in to the GE Digital Support website? What logs does License Client generate? What does the activation ID count exceeded error message mean? What does the storage binding break found error message mean? What does the activation ID ownership mis-match error message mean? Why am I getting an option is not enabled error message? How do I get an emergency activation code or license? Common Licensing Terms Legacy licensing terms More Resources GE Digital Licensing FAQ 3

4 Common Licensing Software How do I identify which version of Common Licensing I have? Common Licensing is the primary tool GE Digital uses to manage GE software product licensing. Open the License Client application from the Windows Start Menu. The bottom right of the welcome screen contains the version number. If you do not have the License Client application, you have an earlier version of Common Licensing. If you have an application called Proficy Common License Viewer or ikeydiag, you can find the version in the Help menu in the About section. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 4

5 Common Licensing Software How do I get the latest version of Common Licensing? Visit the GE Digital website to get the latest version of Common Licensing: Common Licensing is updated frequently, and it is recommended to get the latest version instead of relying on the version available on the original product media. To subscribe to receive updates when Common Licensing is updated, visit and follow the link for Auto-Notification. What operating systems does Common Licensing support? Common Licensing was tested on the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows 7 Microsoft Windows 8.1 Microsoft Windows 10 Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Standard Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Standard R2 Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard R2 Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 are no longer supported in Common Licensing 18.4 and higher. If using one of these operating systems, use Common Licensing See for more information. What products does Common Licensing work with? All currently shipping Common Licensing software products. Please note that some products require SIMs to work with Common Licensing. Visit and review the SIMs and Service Packs for your products. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 5

6 Common Licensing Software Do I need to reboot after installing Common Licensing? Only if you are prompted to do so. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 6

7 Common Licensing Software Do I need to install the License Server component? Only if you are going to use a Local License Server. (See the section on Local License Servers for more information.) Can I install Common Licensing remotely? Yes. The CommonLicensing.exe on the website is designed for interactive use You can extract the ProficyClientInstaller.exe from that package and run it remotely (or script it, or run it silently). GE Digital Licensing FAQ 7

8 License Options How can I tell which type of hardware key I have? There are two types of hardware keys: configurable and non-configurable. If your key looks like Key 1 pictured below (with the GE logo instead of the Sentinel one), you have a non-configurable USB hardware key, sometimes referred to as M5. The licensing contents on these USB keys cannot be managed by the user directly. If you want to make any changes to it, you will have to contact your representative or Sales Support. Key 1 Key 2 If your key looks like Key 2 pictured to the left, you have a configurable (Advantage) hardware key. These keys are shipped to you blank and need to have licenses activated on them before they will work. Download the latest version of Common Licensing available at product-authorization and follow the steps in the License Documentation to activate a license on this key. If you did not wish to receive a configurable (Advantage) hardware key and would like to use a computer-based license instead, contact Sales Support or your local representative. Visit to find contact information for your local representative. If your key does not look like one of the examples provided, you most likely have an older style of key. See the FAQ for M4 Max Hardware Keys for further assistance. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 8

9 License Options How can I tell which type of Software License I have? Open the License Client and review the License Source and License Type fields (see the glossary of this doc for more info on these fields). These will tell you what style of license you have. You can also go to View Licenses to see the options on the key. Can I have more than one license activated on my computer? Yes, you can have multiple licenses activated on a device, but only one license per product. Can I use a Software and a Hardware License on the same computer? Yes. However, if both are on the same device, licensing will only read from the configurable (Advantage) or non-configurable USB hardware key. Can I have keys or licenses from other manufacturers on the same machine? Yes. Only our own hardware or software licenses will be recognized by Common License software products. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 9

10 License Options If multiple keys or licenses are found, which license takes precedence? The software checks for licenses in the following order of precedence: 1) Non-configurable USB HW key 2) M4 hardware licenses 3) M4 Keyless Licenses 4) Configurable (Advantage) hardware keys 5) Configurable software licenses Once a license type is found, the search stops and license options will only be available for the highest license type found. For instance, if you have an M4 license key for ifix Runtime, and an configurable software license for ifix Developer, you will only be able to access the ifix Runtime features because the M4 key takes precedence. How do I find out what options are on my license? License Client, which is part of Common Licensing, can read the license and show what options are available. What do I do if I received the wrong options on my license? Contact Sales Support or your local representative. Visit to find contact information for your local representative. How do I upgrade my license to a newer product version? Visit and click on the Software Version Upgrade Request link on the right. Or contact your local representative or Sales Support to request an upgrade to a newer release. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 1

11 License Options I upgraded my license; can I use it on older versions of the product? Yes. Your license is backwards compatible and will work with older versions of your products, as long as they supported Common Licensing and are not obsolete. For example, a license for Proficy Historian 5.0 will work with Historian 4.5 or earlier. Please note that some products require a SIM to recognize configurable (Advantage) licenses. However, licenses are not forward compatible. For example a Proficy CIMPLICITY HMI 7.0 license will not work with CIMPLICITY HMI 8.0. You will need to contact Sales Support or your Local Representative to have your license upgraded to support the newer version, then refresh your activation. I m an integrator or rep how do I use my license with a customer s computer? You need to use your configurable (Advantage) hardware key or a demo license that was generated specifically with the customer s CSN. Do not use your activation codes or a sales demo key on a customer s computer, as this can lead to the Activation ID Ownership mis-match error. (See page 19 for more info on this error.) GE Digital Licensing FAQ 10

12 Using the GE Digital Cloud License Server What is the GE Digital Cloud License Server? When do I use it? The GE Digital Cloud License Server is the cloud-based server used to activate Common Licenses. You can choose to license your machine directly to the GE Digital Cloud License Server, or to use a Local License Server and have the Local License Server obtain the activations from the GE Digital Cloud License Server. When you license your machine directly to the GE Digital Cloud License Server, you make a one-time connection (either online or offline options are available) and your machine will have the license(s) activated on it. This is the simplest way to license your machines and is recommended unless central management or support for virtual machines is needed (in which case you would use a Local License Server). Do I need to stay connected to the GE Digital Cloud License Server? No; when you activate a license, it is a one-time connection to the GE Digital Cloud License Server. You will not connect again unless you choose to Return or Refresh your activation from the License Client. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 11

13 Using a Local License Server What is a Local License Server? When do I use it? How do I use it? You can choose to license your machine directly to the GE Digital Cloud License Server or to use a Local License Server. Local License Servers are a way to manage and distribute Common Licenses from a central machine on your network; they are also required to license virtual machines. When you license your machine directly to the GE Digital Cloud License Server you do not need to use a Local License Server. Instead, you make a one-time connection (either online or offline options are available) and your machine will have the license(s) activated on it. This is the simplest way to license your machines and is recommended unless central management or support for virtual machines is needed. With a Local License Server you make a one-time connection to the GE Digital Cloud License Server to load licenses onto the Local License Server. Client computers then connect to the Local License Server and lease their licenses. The clients need to remain connected to the Local License Server to regularly renew their leased licenses. Review the License Documentation that comes with Common Licensing for detailed information on how to install and configure Local License Servers. Do I need to stay connected to the Local License Server? What happens if my client is disconnected? Yes, clients to the Local License Server are expected to be on an intranet together. The client connects to the Local License Server every few hours to renew its activation lease. If it is unable to connect for several days, you will receive warning messages that say, This License is about to expire. Eventually you will lose your activation lease and be unable to run products on the client, and the activation will be automatically returned to the Local License Server. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 12

14 Using a Local License Server Can I have more than one Local License Server? We recommend configurations where there is one License Server for each customer location (e.g., one License Server for each customer facility). Since we expect that the License Server will communicate with each client periodically, we feel that this gives the best balance of performance and reliability. Some customers want to use a centrally managed server for their entire enterprise. As long as the server and the network are highly reliable, this will work. Can I use a hardware key as a client to a Local License Server? No, configurable (Advantage) hardware keys must be activated directly to the GE Digital Cloud License Server. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 13

15 Using Virtual Machines Are Software Licenses supported on virtual machine images? Yes. In order to use Licenses on a virtual machine, a Local License Server must be used. See the Licensing Documentation for more information on configuring Local Licenses Servers for use with VMWare or other virtual machines. Are hardware keys supported on virtual machines? Yes, with both configurable and non-configurable USB hardware keys. See the Licensing documentation for information on configuring configurable (Advantage) hardware keys. What happens if I clone a virtual machine? Or if I copy a virtual machine? If you clone a machine, it will try to communicate with the same License Server and fail because the License Server has no licenses with that same activation code to give it. The machine will generally have other problems if it shares a network with another machine with the same name or MAC address. If you copy a machine, then the machine VMID and probably the machine name and MAC address will also change, rendering the licenses invalid. As a best practice, if you know you are going to be making changes to your virtual machine (e.g., rebuilding, changing machine names, changing NICs, cloning, copying), we recommend using the Return feature in License Client to return your activation prior to making changes, then re-activating after the changes. Note that only configurable software licenses have the ability to use the Return feature. Hardware keys cannot use the Return feature and will continue to work. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 14

16 Moving Licenses & Machine Changes Can I move my license to a new computer? Yes. You are not limited to where your license is located on your site and can freely move your licenses from one computer to another. However, once removed from one computer, you can no longer run Licensing software on that machine, and you may receive warning messages from any Licensing software that is running, or it may go into demo mode. Follow the instructions in the License Documentation to return your activation on a computer. You can also move licenses from a computer to a configurable (Advantage) hardware key (and vice versa). If your company is sold or the license is going to be used by a company other than the original purchaser, you must contact GE Digital Sales Support or your local representative to transfer the license. Visit to find contact information for your local representative. What do I do if my machine fails? How can I recover my activation? If you activated your license to the GE Digital Server, you may be able to do a Refresh command in License Client to reacquire the activation(s), provided you rebuilt your machine with an identical configuration to the previous machine. If the Refresh is unsuccessful or if you need to move the activation to another machine, contact Technical Support and they can assist you in recovering your license. Visit to create a Technical Support case. As a best practice, if you know you are going to be making changes to your machine (e.g., rebuilding, changing machine names, changing NICs), we recommend using the Return feature in License Client to return your activation prior to making changes, then re-activating after the changes. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 15

17 Moving Licenses & Machine Changes I need to rebuild a machine how do I move my licenses? In License Client, use the Return function to return your licenses. Once returned, activations can be used on another machine. What happens if I move my licensed computer or change the IP? If you are going to be moving your machine and changing the machine name, hardware or NICs, we recommend using the Return function to return your licenses prior to making changes. Once changes are complete, you can re-enter the activations to re-license the machine. What do I do if a client to a Local License Server fails? How do I get the licenses back? If you are able to rebuild or reconnect the client, you may be able to use the Refresh command in License Client on the client to reacquire the license. If you are unable to refresh the license, or if a client to a Local License Server has a hard failure, contact Technical Support and they can assist you with instructions to revoke the license. Visit to create a Technical Support case. What do I do if my Local License Server fails? You may be able to do a Refresh data command in the License Server Configuration to reacquire the activation(s), provided you rebuilt your machine with an identical configuration to the previous machine. If the Refresh data is unsuccessful or if you need to move the activations to another machine, contact Technical Support and they can assist you in recovering your licenses. Visit to create a Technical Support case. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 16

18 Troubleshooting Licensing Issues How can I troubleshoot technical issues with my license activation? The following are suggestions you can try to resolve the issue or isolate the problem: Make sure you have the latest version of Common Licensing. Review the License Documentation and visit for more information. Use the Support Knowledge Base at to research the issue. Contact Technical Support at to create a technical support case. How do I log in to the GE Digital Support website? The GE Digital Support website is In order to download Common Licensing, you are required to log into the support site with an SSO (Single Sign On) ID. You need to register for an SSO account (click the Register link on webpage), or contact Sales Support to help set up your SSO account. Please note that this is a different login than the Customer Center ( where you log cases. What logs does License Client generate? License Client generates the ProficyLicenseClient.log file, which is located in the user s My Documents folder, by default. It also generates the ProficyLicenseClient_Audit.log, which keeps track of all the license activations, returns and refreshes performed on that computer. You can generate a.zip file containing all licensing logs by using the License Client. Navigate to Advanced>Update Application Settings, and selecting zip log files. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 17

19 Troubleshooting Licensing Issues The Local Server Configuration Tool generates a ProficyServerConfiguration.log file, which is located in the user s My Documents folder by default. The Configuration Tool also has the Server error log and access logs, which can be saved to files. Every time License Client or the Configuration tool are started, the log files will be appended. The logging level for both of these logs can be modified through the License Client, by selecting the Advanced tab and then selecting option 3, Update Application Settings. Lastly, more information might be available by checking the Windows Event log or debug files. Look for these files in the Common Licensing directory or in %Windows%SysWOW64. What does the activation ID count exceeded error message mean? You will receive this error if you try to use an activation code that is already in use on another computer. To resolve it, locate the computer that has the license in use and use License Client to Return the license. Then it will become available for use elsewhere. If you are unable to return the license because of a hard failure, contact Technical Support and they can assist you in recovering your licenses. Visit to create a Technical Support case. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 18

20 Troubleshooting Licensing Issues What does the storage binding break found error message mean? You will get this error message if you have changed the computer name, NIC, or copy-over files in the Common Licensing folders. To resolve this issue, contact Technical Support and they can assist you in recovering your licenses. Visit to create a Technical Support case. As a best practice, if you know you are going to be making changes to your machine (e.g., rebuilding, changing machine names, changing NICs), we recommend using the Return feature in License Client to return your activation prior to making changes, then re-activating after the changes. What does the activation ID ownership mis-match error message mean? Each activation code is associated with your CSN (Customer Service Number). Each machine can only be associated with one CSN. When you activate licenses to the GE Digital CloudLicense Server, your machine will get associated with that CSN (Customer Service Number). If you then try to use another activation code that is associated with a different CSN (even if you had returned the previous license), you will get this error message. To resolve this issue, contact Technical Support and they can assist you in associating your machine with the correct CSN. Visit to create a Technical Support case. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 19

21 Troubleshooting Licensing Issues Why am I getting an option is not enabled error message? The option is not enabled can occur for a few reasons: You are trying to use a feature or product and do not have that option enabled on your license. Use the License Client to verify the options available on your license. If you need to add options, contact Sales Support or your local representative. You do not have the latest version of Common Licensing. There may be discrepancies between the options on the license and how the older version of Common Licensing is interpreting them. Install the latest version of licensing from You have installed the latest licensing and verified that you have the option in License Client. There could be an issue with the license configuration that needs to be corrected by GE Digital. Contact GE Digital Technical Support for assistance. Visit to create a Technical Support case. How do I get an emergency activation code or license? If you have a plant-down situation, GE Digital can issue a temporary activation code or license that can be installed immediately on your computer. Contact Sales Support for assistance, or if the issue occurs outside of business hours, contact Technical Support (visit and click the Contact Us link for support phone numbers). GE Digital Licensing FAQ 20

22 Common Licensing Terms Advantage License (Advantage Licensing) Another name for configurable licensing options. Activation Code The sixteen-digit code you receive to activate an Common License. Activate To bind an Activation Code to a device (either a computer or a configurable (Advantage) Hardware Key). Configurable USB (Advantage) Hardware Keys Hardware keys that can be activated with Common Licensing and have usermanaged configuration options. Non-Configurable USB Hardware Keys Hardware keys that can be activated with Common Licensing, but do not have usermanaged configuration options. Configurable Software Key Software licenses that can be managed by customers directly. Common Licensing The software package required to work with configurable, non-configurable or legacy (M4) licensing. Common Licensing includes the License Client and License Server installation options. License Server The Common Licensing installation option that includes the Local License Server. GE Digital Cloud License Server The cloud-based server used to activate Common Licenses. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 21

23 Common Licensing Terms Local License Server A local intranet server used to centrally manage licenses for a site. Note: License activation does not require a Local License Server, unless you are activating licenses on virtual computers or you want to use this configuration in your environment. License Client The Common Licensing software program used to configure, manage, activate and return licenses. Online Activation The computer or Local License Server is connected to the internet and communicates directly with the GE Intelligent Platforms License Server to activate a Common License. Offline Activation (Activate by File) The computer or Local License Server is not connected to the internet and needs to manually transfer activation files with an online computer to activate Common License. Request File Used for Offline Activation. A file generated by License Client on the machine to be licensed. This file is brought to a computer with License Client that is connected to the internet. Response File Used for Offline Activation. A file generated by License Client on the online computer that will be brought back to the Offline machine to complete the activation. Activation Files Request Files and Response Files used for Offline Activations. Return A function in License Client to remove the association between a license and a device so that the license can be activated on another computer or device. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 22

24 Common Licensing Terms Refresh A function in License Client to refresh the activation information for the license and device information with the GE Digital Server or Local License Server. Refresh by File Used for Offline Activations. A function in License Client to refresh the activation information for the license and device information with the GE Intelligent Platforms Server. License Recovery If a computer has had an unrecoverable failure and the license cannot be returned, contact your local rep or GE Digital technical support to request a license recovery. Once recovered, the license can be activated on another computer or device. License Source A field in License Client which displays information about where the current license information is stored. Values for the license source may be Hardware, SW License, Evaluation, Unlicensed, Unknown or Error. Device ID A field in License Client that displays the unique ID of the computer that is to receive the license file. In the case where a hardware key will be used, it is the unique ID of the hardware key. The ID is generated automatically when the program is started. License Type A field in License Client that indicates how the license is maintained. Values for the license type may be Device Locked, Leased, Unlicensed, Evaluation, Not Initialized or Error. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 23

25 Common Licensing Terms Legacy licensing terms M4 USB Hardware Key Legacy hardware keys that have been activated with Siebel (Legacy CRM). Note: M4 Keys can be used with the latest version of Common Licensing and the License Client. M4 Key options can be viewed in License Client and can be updated using PFKeyUpdate.exe with a.plic file. M4 USB keys cannot be activated or updated through the Common Licensing software (License Client or Local License Server). Keyless License (M4 Keyless) Legacy software licenses that have been created using Siebel (Legacy CRM). These are installed on the machine via an.exe file and can be removed from Windows Add/Remove Programs. Note: Keyless Licenses can be used with the latest version of Common Licensing and the License Client. License options can be viewed in License Client, however cannot be activated or modified through the Common Licensing software (License Client or Local License Server). M1 Keys Legacy hardware keys that have been activated with Siebel (Legacy CRM). Note: M1 keys do not work with the current versions of Common Licensing. You must use an older 12.x version of Common Licensing or upgrade to an M4 or a configurable (Advantage) hardware key. GE Digital Licensing FAQ 24

26 More Resources Read the License Documentation that installs with Common Licensing. Visit the Licensing Webpage at Visit the GlobalCare Knowledge Base: Contact your local representative or Sales Support: Contact GE Digital Technical Support: GE Digital Licensing FAQ 25

27 About GE GE (NYSE: GE) is the world s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the GE Store, through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. Contact Information Americas: YOUR1GE ( ) gedigital@ge.com General Electric. All rights reserved. *Trademark of General Electric. All other brands or names are property of their respective holders. Specifications are subject to change without notice GE Digital Licensing FAQ 26