Desktop licensing

This page relates to the software license you need to run the SolarFarmer desktop application.

Access to the Customer Portal Website

Note

If, when trying to access the Customer Portal website you get the message that you don't have a support agreement, please email solarfarmer@dnv.com and ask for a portal account to be created for you.

They will then create one for you, enabling you to access the site.

Activating Your Software License (online)

  1. First, make sure you have a unique Product Key for your machine by emailing the SolarFarmer support email address solarfarmer@dnv.com.

  2. Either (a):

    • Download and install the latest 'SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility' from the Customer Portal, or this direct download link
    • Open the 'SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility 8' from the Windows Start Menu under the 'SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility 8' folder. Software License Activation Utility

  3. Or (b):

    • Install the latest SolarFarmer installer (from the Customer Portal)
    • Open the 'SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility' from the Windows Start Menu under the SolarFarmer folder.

  4. Open your license text file and paste the Product Key into the text box. Software License Activation Utility

  5. Ensure you are connected to the Internet. Click on the 'Activate License' button and wait.

  6. After a few seconds SolarFarmer will be licensed to run on that machine.

  7. If successful, click on the 'View Installed Licenses' button (taking you to this page). You should be able to see the software license listed under the 'Local' location with a vendor ID of 35391 (the SolarFarmer vendor ID).

Activating a Network Software License

Note

Ignore this section unless you are installing and activating a Network Software License that will be available to multiple users.

The network license is hosted on a computer we call the “license server” that must be accessible from others that will use the license.

What is a license server?

To check you can use that you have a machine suitable for use as a license server you must be able to successfully contact (or ping) that license server from the machines that need to use the license. It’s usually a machine that’s always turned on. It could be a virtual machine.

To run ping, open command prompt (start menu, type cmd.exe) and write:

ping myLicenseServerMachineName

Where myLicenseServerMachineName is the machine name or IP address.

Hit enter and you should see replies.

License server setup steps

You must install the license framework (not necessarily SolarFarmer) and configure some settings to broadcast the license on your network:

  • Log on / remote connect to the license server. All clients (users) must be able to contact this machine over the network.

  • Download and install the latest 'SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility’ from the Customer Portal on the licence server

    License Activation Download Software License Utility

  • Activate the license

    • Open the "SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility 8" from the start menu. License Activation Utility8

    • Open the software license text file and copy-paste the key into the Product Key text box of the activation utility.

    • Click on Activate License and wait.

  • Check the activation was successful

    • Browse to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html. It should show the network software license that was just installed. The license should be listed under the ‘Local’ location with a Vendor ID of 35391 (the SolarFarmer vendor ID).
    • Click the Features link to view available software features enabled by the license.

  • Configure the license server to share the license

    • Browse to http://localhost:1947/_int_/config_from.html and select the following options:

      Options Values
      Allow Access from Remote Clients "All licenses are accessible without need of identity"

    • Browse to http://localhost:1947/_int_/config.html and select the following options:

      Options Values
      Allow Remote Access To ACC HTTP
      Allow Remote Access to Admin API HTTP
      Note

      Older versions of the license manager combine these two options into a single option Allow Remote Access to ACC and Admin API – this option should be ticked if it is present.

    • Click Submit and close the web page.

Important

When you come to perform maintenance on the license server, care must be taken to temporarily transfer the license to another machine so that you do not lose the license.

Be particularly careful if you use a virtual machine as a license server. The license system has protection against being copied, and this can disable the license when running some virtual machine maintenance procedures if you do not first transfer the license.

Connecting to a Network License

If, as a SolarFarmer user, you have been instructed to use a network license rather than have your own personal license, follow these steps to connect to the network license:

  1. Install SolarFarmer on the client's (software user's) machine
  2. Connect to the network license
    • Open http://localhost:1947/_int_/config_to.html
    • Tick the Allow Access to Remote Licenses option.
    • Untick the Broadcast and Aggressive Search options option.
    • Enter the license server machine name (or its IP address) in the Remote License Search Parameters field and click Submit.
  3. Check access to the network license
Note

When SolarFarmer is run on the client it can now make use of the network license. Launch SolarFarmer to confirm your installation and licence activation was successful.

Updating Your Software License

If your license needs updating you will be supplied with a .v2c file from SolarFarmer support, or you can generate a .c2v file to send to them.

Acquire a .c2v file for update

The .c2v file describes the state of your license and allows us to synchronize this with our database. It is very helpful if you provide a .c2v file for license support cases.

To obtain the .c2v file from your machine:

  1. Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html (Sentinel Admin Control Center).

  2. Identify your Local SolarFarmer license. It has a vendor ID of 35391.

  3. Click the C2V button corresponding to your Local SolarFarmer license. It should save the .c2v file to your Downloads folder.
    C2V Button

Apply a license update (from a supplied .v2c file)

A license update will be provided to you as a .v2c file that should be applied on the machine that holds the existing license.

  1. Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/checkin.html

  2. Click 'Select File...' and select the .v2c file you were provided with.

  3. Click 'Apply File' and wait for the license to update. Apply Update

  4. Now check http://localhost:1947/_int_/features.html to see that your license has been updated.

Transferring a Software License

Once a SolarFarmer software license is installed onto a machine it is only valid for that specific machine.

You may transfer it to another machine by using a utility (the RUS application) as described below.

Terms Definition
Source machine The computer the license is to be transferred from.
Recipient machine The computer the license is to be transferred to.

On the Recipient Machine:

  1. Open the 'Software License Remote Update Tool' in the SolarFarmer program folder in the Windows Start Menu.

  2. Select the 'Transfer License' tab R U S Transfer License Tab

  3. Click the '...' button next to the 'Save recipient information to' field. R U S Transfer License Tab Collect Information

  4. Enter a filename to save the recipient information (ideally on a network drive that the source machine can also see).

  5. Click the 'Collect and Save Information' button to generate the recipient .id file. Clicking OK to confirm. R U S Transfer License Tab Collect Information Confirm

On the Source Machine:

  1. Open the RUS application (the 'Software License Remote Update Tool' in the SolarFarmer program folder in the Windows Start Menu) and click on the 'Transfer License' tab R U S Transfer License Tab

  2. Click the '...' button next to the 'Read the recipient information file from' field and choose the .id file that was generated on the recipient machine above. R U S Transfer License Tab Read Recipient Information File

  3. Click the '...' button next to the 'Generate the license transfer file to' field and enter a transfer .h2h filename (choose any filename you want, and save it ideally in the same network folder). R U S Transfer License Tab Generate the License Transfer File

  4. Click the 'Generate License Transfer File' button to generate the .h2h file. At this point, the license will no longer be available on the source machine.

  5. Click ‘Yes’ to confirm.
    R U S Transfer License Tab Generate License Transfer File Confirm

  6. Click ‘OK’ to accept the result.
    R U S Transfer License Tab Generate License Transfer File Success

  7. Copy the .h2h file to recipient computer.

On the Recipient Machine:

  1. Open the RUS application again and click on the 'Apply License File' tab. R U S Apply License File Tab

  2. Click the '...' button next to the 'Update File' field and choose the .h2h file generated above.

  3. Click the 'Apply Update' button to apply the transferred license to the recipient machine.

    Tip

    Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html (Sentinel Control Center). You should be able to see the software license listed under the ‘Local’ location, with a Vendor ID of 35391.

Forceful License Removal

Warning

This procedure should only be followed if recommended by our support team.

  1. Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html (Sentinel Control Center) to see your currently available licenses and make a note of the Key ID you wish to remove. Available licenses

  2. Stop the license manager service:

    • In the Windows start menu type services and open the Services app that appears. Services app

    • Find ‘Sentinel LDK License Manager’ and click ‘Stop the service’ Services app

  3. Open File Explorer and navigate to
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel LDK\installed\35391
    This is where the SolarFarmer license files are stored on your computer.

  4. Remove all files that are named with the key ID.

  5. Start the ‘Sentinel LDK License Manager’ service by clicking ‘Start the service’ Services app

    Tip

    Rebooting your machine will also restart the license manager.

  6. Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html again and check that the unwanted license has been removed.

Activating Your Software License (offline)

Ideally activate your software license online with the Activating Your Software License (online) instructions above. If not possible to do this online, follow the instructions below to do it offline.

  • Install SolarFarmer or the SolarFarmer Software License Activation Utility.
  • Open the 'SolarFarmer License Update and Transfer Utility’ from the SolarFarmer or SolarFarmer License Activation Utility program folder in the Windows Start Menu.
  • Select the 'Collect Status Information' tab.
  • Ensure the 'Installation of new protection key' is checked

  • Click 'Collect Information'

    Offline Activate Collect Information New

    Note

    If ‘Installation of new protection key’ is unavailable, this means there is already a software license for our software installed on the machine. In this case

    • Select “update of existing protection key” instead and click Collect information to create a .c2v file.
    • Check http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html and take a screen shot.
    • Send the screenshot and .c2v to solarfarmer@dnv.com

    solarfarmer@dnv.com may advise you remove the old software license in some cases but in most cases an update can be applied. See the procedure for removing a software license if needed.

  • Send the .c2v file to solarfarmer@dnv.com requesting an offline activation of the license.
  • solarfarmer@dnv.com will send you a .v2c file.
  • Open the 'License Update and Transfer Utility’ in the SolarFarmer program folder.
  • Select the 'Apply License File' tab.
  • Select your .v2c file and click 'Apply Update'.
  • Check the activation was successful
    • Navigate to http://localhost:1947/_int_/devices.html - it should show the license that was just installed. You should be able to see the software license listed under the ‘Local’ location, with a Vendor ID of 35391.