› About the basic functions › About devices › Licensing Wizard

Licensing Wizard

Every device that you use with Kofax software requires a valid license. This version of ShareScan uses a digitally signed license file, which contains a unique license key generated by Manufacturing. The license key is a unique ID that is associated with the hardware ID (HID) of the computer where the ShareScan database is installed.

When you install a license key, you can activate the device’s license immediately after you add it to the local license database (recommended), or you can activate it later. You have 30 days to activate the license after the first device is added to the system. During activation, a license is associated the SQL server namewhere the ShareScan database is installed.

It is also possible to designate a computer as a failover server that can be used in case of the failure of the computer that runs the database server used for the ShareScan system.

You need to activate a license only once. If you try to add more devices than the total number specified in the license file, the system displays an error. You need to purchase additional licenses for the additional devices.

In case you need to reinstall the ShareScan system including the creation of the configuration database, import the licenses you have activated previously on the same database server, and after the add/import, perform the activation for these licenses. Until the HID of the database server is the same, activate the licenses in case of a reinstall.

  • Licensing in this version of ShareScan is different from ShareScan 4.x licensing, which was based on the association of a product key with a device. Licensing is no longer associated with a particular device, but the SQL server name, SQL Server instance name and the name of the database (catalog). In v5.2, only the SQL Server name and the instance name were used (since the database name was mandatory), in this version, eCopy ShareScan is free to select any database name.
  • If you have reinstalled the operating system, changed the hard drive or modified the hardware of the computer used as a database server, or the database server is running on a totally different computer, then the activation will not be successful and you have to contact Kofax technical support.

Site licenses, valid for activation with a predefined number of devices, are also available. After a license file is created for the specified number of devices, it cannot be modified to increase the number of devices; if you purchase additional devices, you need to purchase additional licenses, and those licenses will be delivered as separate license files. When you load the new license file, the Administration Console can merge the original license file with the new file.

After adding a license, you can add one or more embedded or integrated devices to the Manager. (You can add these devices at any time. However, if you add them before activating the license, a 30-day grace period starts for the license).

For ScanStation systems, the local device is automatically added; then, when the administrator selects the driver, the system verifies the validity of the license file.

This ShareScan version includes a Licensing Wizard, which handles the following license-related tasks:

  • Loading licenses
  • Activating licenses
  • Loading activated licenses
  • Removing licenses
  • Generating license reports
  • Allocated devices

The following options can also be accessed in the Wizard:

  • License Key: Displays all the available license keys.
  • Feature Name: Displays all the available features.
  • Refresh: Refreshes the license grid from database.

Licenses needed:

  • Devices: the number of devices for which license is not available.
  • Users: the number of users for whom license is not available (Business Connect).

Loading licenses

You can use the automatic license download function, or import the license files. If no internet connection can be detected, only the second option is available.

  1. Click the Load license button of the License Wizard. The Welcome screen appears. Read the instructions carefully, and ensure that this is the operation you want to perform.
  2. Click Next to continue.
  3. Select Download license automatically when specifying the source. The Automatic license download screen appears.
  4. Copy the license keys of the licenses to download in the text box. Click Add after each. When the list below is complete, click Next. The Load screen appears. If you selected Import license from file and clicked Next, the Select license file to load screen appears.
  5. Click the Browse button to add new files to the list of files to be imported. When finished, click Next. The Load screen appears.
  6. Click Start to begin loading licenses.
  7. Click Finish to close the License Wizard.

Activating licenses

You need to activate a license only once; thereafter, it is associated with the computer where the ShareScan database is installed.

You do not need to activate the licenses immediately to start to use ShareScan. You have a 30-day grace period that allows full functionality for ShareScan. Activate the licenses only if you are sure that the SQL Server used for the ShareScan system (either the local one installed with ShareScan or an existing one) are the final one, as the activation process binds the licenses to the SQL Server machine.

  1. Click the Activate button of the License Wizard. The Welcome screen appears. Read the instructions carefully, and ensure that this is the operation you want to perform.
  2. Click Next to continue. The server name and the Hardware ID of the currently used database server are displayed on screen.
  3. Check the Use Failover Server ID for activation check box, if you want to set up a failover database server. Enter the ID manually, if you previously have run the gethwfp.exe tool. The command line tool displays a 12-character long ID you have to enter manually into this input field. The /help parameter displays the available parameter list in the command line window.
  4. Click Next to continue.
  5. If you have an active Internet connection on the computer where you use the ShareScan Administrator Console, select Automatic activation on the Select activation mode screen, then click Next.
  6. Click Start. Automatic activation will be started via Internet. After finishing the automatic activation, the Results screen appears, showing the success or the error status of the individual licenses.
  7. If you do not have an active Internet connection on the computer, select the Manual activation option.
  8. Click Next to continue. The Output file creation / Activation screen appears.
  9. Click Start to begin activation. The Specify file output screen appears.
  10. Specify a folder and a file name for the ZIP file that contains the licenses to be activated. Transfer this file to a portable media or to a network share.
  11. Upload the resulting file to the activation server via the activation website. Follow the instructions provided on the web page. After the successful activation, the server automatically sends the files back and you can save and transfer the files back to the connectionless computer running the Administration Console.
  12. Click Load Activated licenses to import the file.
  13. Click Next to continue.
  14. Click Finish to close the License Wizard.

Loading activated licenses

Use this option when importing already activated licenses to ShareScan.

  1. Click the Load activated button of the License Wizard. The Welcome screen appears. Read the instructions carefully, and ensure that this is the operation you want to perform.
  2. Click Next to continue. The Select license files to load screen appears.
  3. Click the Browse button to add new files to the list of files to be imported. When finished, click Start import.
  4. Click Start to begin loading licenses.
  5. Click Finish to close the License Wizard.

Removing licenses

Use this option when transferring licenses from the current ShareScan installation. After the removal is complete, the licenses can be safely transferred.

  1. Click the Remove button of the License Wizard. The Welcome screen appears. Read the instructions carefully, and ensure that this is the operation you want to perform.
  2. Click Next to continue. The Select licenses screen appears.
  3. Select the licenses you want to remove, and then click Next.
  4. Click Start to remove the selected licenses.
  5. Click Finish to close the License Wizard.

Generating a license report

The license report helps you create a report of the installed licenses. It is recommended to generate a license report whenever you activate your licenses. Keep the report in a safe place in case you need to restore the license information or for troubleshooting purposes.

  1. Click the License report button of the License Wizard. A Save As dialog box appears.
  2. Browse to a preferred location where you want store license report file (optional).
  3. Specify the name of the license report file in the File name field.
  4. Click Save to save the license report file.