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
A shorter version of this article is available: Setting Up USB Portable Licenses (short)
How USB Portable Licenses Work
Here are the key points:
This is Keysight part number SW1000-D10
⚠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:
🗝Key Points!
Setting up Pathwave License Manager
Setting up Pathwave License Manager is easy:
Learn more about Pathwave License Manager at Keysight License Managers Explained.
Setting up the USB Key Driver
Overview
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:
Install the driver with administrator privileges.
For Windows, run the extracted Setup64.exe (on 64-bit Windows) or Setup32.exe (on 32-bit Windows).
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:
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
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
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.