Some Rockwell Software products no longer ship with a physical “master disk” for activating software. Instead, these software products are activated by activation files, generated by Rockwell Software and distributed over the Internet.
As we phase in this new, streamlined activation process, some products will still require master disk activation, while others will use electronic activation. To know which type of activation to use, check the Activation Certificate document enclosed with your software CD.
An activation file is a digitally signed, plain-text file that activates a software product and “locks” the activation to a particular piece of hardware, such as a computer’s hard disk or Ethernet card. The contents of an activation file are protected by a signature, generated by Rockwell Software, which is based on machine-specific information that you provide when you install the software.
A Host ID is an internal code that uniquely identifies a hardware device. FactoryTalk® Activation™ uses the Host ID to “lock” each software activation file to a specific hardware device.
To prevent activations from failing unexpectedly at
runtime, do not lock activations to virtual network adapters, such as those
used for virtual private networks (VPN) or virtual machines. Instead, lock
activations to the Host IDs of fixed devices such as hardware network adapters
or hard disk serial numbers. If you need help determining which network adapters
are virtual adapters, contact your Information Technology department.
A “node-locked” activation file “locks” the software activation to a specific hardware ID, called a “Host ID,” that uniquely identifies a local computer or a hardware dongle:
§ Local, node-locked activations can activate software only on a single computer. If the activation file is copied to another computer, the software will not run on that other computer.
§ Mobile, node-locked activations are locked to hardware dongles. A dongle is a security or copy protection device that must be connected to the computer while the program runs. The activation files can be copied to multiple computers, but the software activates only on the computer where the dongle is connected.
A “concurrent” activation “locks” the software activation to an activation server computer. The server manages a pool of activations and shares them with client computers over a network connection. Client computers must be configured to search for activations on the activation server.
There are two kinds of concurrent activations:
§ Floating activations are automatically assigned to a client computer when the client runs software that requires activation and are automatically returned to the activation server when the client shuts down the software or loses its network connection. Floating activations require a continuous network connection.
§ Borrowed activations are also retrieved from a pool of available activations on an activation server; however, borrowed activations expire after a specified amount of time. Unlike a floating activation that requires a continuous network connection, once a borrowed activation is checked out to a particular computer, the computer can disconnect from the network.
To activate your new software electronically, you will need:
q a computer with an Internet connection
q FactoryTalk Activation software (included on your software product CD. The Activation Server software is on a separate CD.)
q the Host ID of the local computer, dongle, or activation server computer to which you want to lock the activation
q the software product’s Serial Number and Product Key (printed on the Activation Certificate document, enclosed with the software CD)
If the product you are activating supports node-locked
activations:
1. Install your new software product.
2. Install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
3. Follow the instructions to identify your computer’s Host ID.
4. Go to the Rockwell Software Activation website (http://licensing.software.rockwell.com).
5. Follow the instructions to download an activation file for your new software product to the activation directory.
The default activation directory is: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Rockwell\Activations. After you download the activation file, your new software will activate when you run your software.
If the product you are activating supports node-locked
activations for a dongle:
1. Install your new software product.
2. Install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
3. Attach the dongle to the computer where you are running the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
4. Follow the instructions to identify the dongle’s Host ID.
5. Go to the Rockwell Software Activation website (http://licensing.software.rockwell.com).
6. Follow the instructions to download an activation file for your new software product.
After you download the activation file, copy it to the activation directory on all of the computers to which you want to attach the dongle. The default activation directory is: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Rockwell\Activations. Your new software will activate when you attach the dongle.
If the product you are activating supports concurrent activations:
1. From the Activation Server CD, install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool on the Activation Server computer.
2. Follow the instructions to identify the activation server’s Host ID.
3. Go to the Rockwell Software Activation website (http://licensing.software.rockwell.com).
4. Follow the instructions to download an activation file for your new software product.
5. After you download the activation file, copy it to the activation directory on the activation server computer. The default activation directory is: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Rockwell\Activations.
6. Before you can use the new activations, restart the activation service running on the activation server computer. For details, see Help for the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
Tip:
Some products allow you to add activations to increase the capacity of the product (for example, tag count, workcell count, display count). This is called capacity activation. If the product you are using makes use of capacity activation, you might need to create an activation server options file to reserve activations for computers on the network. For details, see “About capacity activation” in Help for the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
If the product you are activating supports concurrent
activations:
1. On each client computer, install your new software product and then install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
2. Click the Settings tab, and then enter the path to the activation server. For details, click the Help button on the Settings tab.
After you enter the path to the activation server, if the activation server has enough activations available, your software will activate when you run it.
Tip:
To run your software while disconnected from the network, click the Current Activations tab and borrow a time-expiring activation.
If the computer where you want to activate your new software does not have Internet access, but Internet access is available in your facility, you can download an activation file to the computer with Internet access. You can then copy the activation file to the computer where the activation is needed.
For example, suppose you want to install a node-locked activation file on a stand-alone computer on a factory floor, but Internet access is not available from the stand-alone computer.
1. Install your new software product on the stand-alone computer.
2. Install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool on the stand-alone computer.
3. Write down the Host ID of this computer, and then close the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
4. On the computer with Internet access, install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool.
5. Follow the instructions and type in the Host ID copied from the stand-alone computer.
6. Go to the Rockwell Software Activation website (http://licensing.software.rockwell.com).
7. Follow the instructions to download an activation file for your new software product.
8. Copy the activation file to the stand-alone computer or activation server.
The default activation directory is: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Rockwell\Activations.
After you copy the activation file, your new software will activate when you run it on the stand-alone computer.
No. If multiple computers in your facility lack Internet access, you can use the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool to collect Host IDs from all of those computers. You can then use the FactoryTalk Activation Wizard to download activation files for all of the Host IDs on any computer with Internet access. Finally, use the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool to copy the activation files to the computers where the activations are needed.
For example, suppose you want to install node-locked activation files on several stand-alone computers on a factory floor, but Internet access is not available from the stand-alone computers.
1. Install your new software product on each stand-alone computer.
2. On one of the stand-alone computers, install and run the FactoryTalk Activation Tool. Click the Settings tab, and then click the Create Transfer Tool button. Save the Transfer Tool to removable media such as a floppy disk or USB drive.
3. Connect the removable media to the stand-alone computer, and then run the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool.
4. Record the Host ID of the stand-alone computer, and then close the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 on each stand-alone computer to capture its Host ID.
6. On the computer with Internet access, run the FactoryTalk Activation Wizard.
7. Import the Host IDs from the removable media where the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool is installed, and then follow the instructions to download all of the activations you need.
8. Use Windows Explorer to copy the activation files you downloaded to the removable media.
9. Use the FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool to copy the activation files to the appropriate stand-alone computers. The FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool automatically determines which activation files belong with which computers.
The FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool copies the activation files to the default activations directory: c:\Program Files\Common Files\Rockwell\Activations.
After you copy the activation file, your new software will activate when you run it on the stand-alone computer.
For help at any point,
click the Help button on any
FactoryTalk Activation Tool dialog or FactoryTalk Activation Transfer Tool dialog,
or click the Help link on the Rockwell Software Activation website: http://licensing.software.rockwell.com.
If you cannot connect to
the Internet, call Technical Support for help creating an activation file from
an e-mail or a fax.
Phone: 440-646-5800 in