USB Portable – How to Set Up and Move USB Portable Licenses (detailed)

This article is part of the Licensing for Keysight Test & Measurement series of articles.  It shows how to set up and move a USB Portable License.

How to Setup a USB Portable License (detailed)

This article is part of the Licensing for Keysight Test & Measurement series of articles.  It shows how to set up and move a USB Portable License.

Overview

• How USB Portable licenses work
• Setting up the license environment
• Finding the USB key Host ID, Obtain, and Install Licenses
• Using and moving a USB Portable license

 

A shorter version of this article is available: Setting Up USB Portable Licenses (short)

 

 

How USB Portable Licenses Work

 

Here are the key points:

• Each USB key (sometimes called a dongle) is a portable host ID.

This is Keysight part number SW1000-D10

• Each host where you want to use the license has a copy of the license file and appropriate license software.
• When you plug in the USB key, the license software reads the USB key, and uses the Host ID to enable any licenses for that Host ID.
• To move the license, simply unplug the USB key and plug it into another computer that has the required software and driver.

 

⚠Caution!

While you can have multiple licenses tied to a single USB key, they cannot be separated afterwards, to use on different devices at the same time.

 

 

Setting up the Software Environment for USB Portable Licenses

 

Orview

There are two (2) software components for USB portable licenses:

1. Pathwave License Manager (PLM) – this component installs the USB portable license.
2. The USB key driver – this component enables the system to recognize and use the USB key.

 

🗝Key Points!

• Both components must be set up on any computer or instrument where a USB portable license will be used.
• Both Windows and Linux are supported – be sure to download the correct version for your operating system.

 

Setting up Pathwave License Manager

 

Setting up Pathwave License Manager is easy:

1. Download Pathwave License Manager.
2. Install PLM with administrator privileges.

 

Learn more about Pathwave License Manager at Keysight License Managers Explained.

 

Setting up the USB Key Driver

Overview

• Download and install the driver
• Install the driver
• Make sure the driver server is running

 

Download and Install the Driver

 

Download the Keysight Licensing USB driver at

http://www.keysight.com/find/licensingusbdriver.

Be sure to download the correct version for your operating system.

The driver files are provided in an archived format (.zip for Windows and .rpm for RHEL).

Example download file names:

• Windows:

• FLEXID10_Windows_v6_30_x64.zip
• FLEXID10_Windows_v6_30_i686.zip

• Linux:

• WkRt-Lin-6.30.1454-500.x86_64.rpm

 

Install the driver with administrator privileges.

1. Extract the files to a convenient location on the machine.

For Windows, run the extracted Setup64.exe (on 64-bit Windows) or Setup32.exe (on 32-bit Windows).

6. Follow the installer prompts, accepting the default values.

 

Make Sure the Driver Server is Running

The USB keys are provided by Wibukey. After installation the driver, you may need to activate the Wibukey Network Monitor to ensure the USB key will be recognized when it is plugged in.

 

🗝Restarting the computer will start the driver server.

 

How to check and start the driver server

In the bottom right of windows, check the WibuKey icon in the System Tray to see if it is running or not:

• If it is not running, right-click the icon and select Start Server.
• If you do not have an icon for WibuKey in the notification area, run it manually from the installation folder for WibuKey (by default this is at:
  
  C:\Program Files (x86)\WIBUKEY\Server\WkSvMgr.exe )
• After this, check to ensure the WibuKey server is running.

Plug in the USB Key and check that it’s recognized in WibuKey Control Panel. Start the WibuKey panel from the icon in the notification area: When plugged in, you will see an item under the USB node:

 

The software environment is now correctly set up to use USB portable licensing.

 

 

Finding the USB Key Host ID and Obtain and Install Licenses

 

Overview

• Get the Host ID from the USB key
• Use Keysight Software Manager to bind a license to the Host ID and download the license file.
• Install the license file in Pathwave License Manager

 

 

Get the Host ID from the USB key

 

It’s printed right on the key. An example ID is 10-0RESF13B.

 

 

Get the License from Keysight Software Manager

Read  or watch this:

How Can I Redeem a Software License from Keysight Software Manager (KSM)?

 

Install the license file in Pathwave License Manager

 

1. Connect the USB key to a USB port
2. Add the license file in Pathwave License Manager as shown below.

 

Note:

If the USB dongle is not connected to the system during the process of adding the license file, a warning may appear indicating that the host ID of the license is not valid. This is expected, simply proceed with the installation.

 

The license is now ready for use!

 

 

Using and Moving a USB Portable License

 

As long as the above software environment is set up correctly on a given host, all you have to do is plug in the USB key, and launch the software that uses the license.

To move the license, simply close the software, and plug they key it into a different device that has Pathwave License Manager, the USB driver, and the license installed, and launch the software.