Once you have successfully installed and set up your Local Network Licence Service, you need to ensure your client workstations know how to contact this server when requesting a licence. This is done by placing a copy of the same Licence File as used by the Licence Service in the installation directory of the software on the client workstation.

You can do this in two different ways:

1. Using the Activation Wizard
   This is the simplest way with the wizard stepping you through the process. Once complete, the wizard automatically creates the licence file in the right location and requests a licence from the local service. The rest of this topic explains this process in detail.
2. Manually Copying the Licence File
   This means physically copying the licence file from the directory of the local network licence service and pasting it into the installation directory of the software on the client. If the software is installed locally on the client workstation, this directory is usually C:\Program Files\Square One. If it is installed on a shared disk or on an application server, you will need to find out the exact UNC path and paste it there. Once the file is copied to the right location, restart the software and it should automatically connect to the licence service and obtain a licence.

Step-by-step guide

Please read through the numbered steps below to familiarise yourself with the process of connecting a workstation to a local network licence service using the Activation Wizard.

1. Starting the Activation Wizard

To begin activation, go to Help » Activate Software... menu item from within the main menu of the software you want to activate, or choose Activate Software link from the About dialog. This will display the following wizard:

Using the Activation Wizard to connect to a local network licence server

As shown in the above image, select the Connect to local network for activation option and click Next >>.

2. Entering the Server's IP Address

The next stage is to enter the IP address of the local network licence service so that the Activation Wizard can communicate with it and validate the licence. This is done on the following wizard page.

Entering your network licence service IP address

IP addresses comprise 4 numbers separated by full stops (periods). Each number is in the range 0-255. To help you get this information correct, as you type, the colour of the data entry box will change to indicate if the number is valid or invalid. If you hover your mouse cursor over the cross or tick immediately to the left of this box, a tool-tip explaining any problems will be displayed. The images below show how this looks as you type (left) and when you have entered a valid address.

An invalid address as you type.

A valid address when complete.

If you know the actual local area network name of the computer running the licence service, you can use the Search button to find out its IP address. As shown in the following images, enter the name in the dialog box that appears and click Ok. If the search is successful, you can click Ok in the results dialog to automatically enter the found IP address. If more than one address is displayed, use the normal Windows text copy/paste functions to copy the right address and paste it into the text box.

Searching for the IP address of a known computer.

Once the address is found, it can be automatically entered.

3. Checking Access to the Server

Once you have entered a valid IP address, you can use the Check Access to Service button. This will contact the local licence service and request the status of network licences for the software you are trying to activate. At the same time, the service will check your IP address to ensure that it is within the valid range specified for your local area network. If it is successful, the following information will be displayed in the DIAGNOSTICS section immediately beneath.

A successful connection to the local network licence service.

If the IP address is incorrect, or the service is not yet up and running, the following information will be displayed. You may need to wait for up to a minute for this information to be displayed if the IP address does not match any computers on your network - depending on the network request time-out settings on your computer.

This message indicates that either the IP address does not match a computer on your local area network or that the computer is not running the licence service and therefore does not know how to reply.

Alternatively, if a licence service is running on the contacted computer, but you have not yet activated any network licences for software you are using, the following message will appear.

This message indicates thet the licence service is running but it does not yet have any network licences for the software you are trying to activate.

4. Connecting to the Service

Once you have checked your access and received all four green ticks, you can click Next >> to generate your client's licence file.

You have to have obtained all four green ticks in order to proceeed to the next page.

Important Note: If you already have a licence file on your computer for the software you are activating, the following prompt will be displayed. If you overwrite a valid desktop licence file with a network licence, you will lose the desktop licence until you re-activate it on this same computer. If you do not want to loose your desktop licence, you will need to transfer it first.

If a licence file already exists for this software, you will be prompted to overwrite it. Be careful to transfer any desktop licences first that you do not want to lose.

If the process is successful, you should now see the following page. This indicates that the licence file has been successfully generated and you are now ready to use it for the first time.

This page indicates that your new licence file has been generated and you are ready to use if for the first time.

5. Obtaining a Licence

The next step is to click the Finish button. This will close the Activation Wizard and attempt to obtain a licence using the new licence file. If all goes well you should see absolutely nothing - you are now successfully up and running using a network licence.

If something does go wrong, you will see a message similar to the following. This will usually give a fairly decent explanation of the problem, however if you cannot work out what the issue is, you can always review the log file generated by the local network licence service.

If there are no network licences currently available, you will see this message.