FAQ: Licensing and product activation
Do I need to activate these keys on all my computers?
Yes, the licenses are time-limited to one year, which means that when the agreement is renewed, you need to activate the new product keys before the old ones expire on all computers.
Will my older keys continue to work?
The system has a grace period of one month to allow you to activate the new licenses before the old ones expire and the software stops working. New keys work with old versions of the software, so once you receive your new sets of product keys, we recommend activating them as soon as possible. You can update the software later.
Why are some of my keys rejected during activation?
Keys starting with EE or EF cannot be activated online and require license files and a license server. Contact FotoWare support and specify the Activation Key and MAC-address of your license server to get license files issued.
See also How to select a license server | How to find the MAC address
What is an overdraft license, and do I need one?
An Overdraft license makes license management easier for volume customers by having a soft limit on the number of computers that can be activated. You no longer need to contact us to get an overdraft license - we automatically create overdraft licenses.
Remember that FotoStation is licensed per named user and that each person accessing the software needs a license.
What is a redundancy license?
Redundancy licenses allow you to run a backup system, in an offsite data center or on servers connected via High Availability (HA)-appliances, for example, that can take over if your primary system fails. Users can be redirected to the backup servers automatically, but may not use the system as long as the primary system is operational or for load-balancing purposes. Redundancy licenses are time-limited, and you must activate new keys within one month of your agreement anniversary to avoid service interruptions. Simply activate the license – you don’t need to remove the old license or restart any services – the new license will be used automatically when the old one expires.
What is a staging license?
Staging licenses allow you to operate a copy of your FotoWare system for testing and learning purposes. You can test configuration changes, new versions, and operating system patches without any risk to your production environment. Staging licenses may not be used in production, for backup, or for load-balancing purposes.