Deactivating License Keys
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Affected Roles: Owner
Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps: DW Spectrum® IPVMS
Complexity: Low
Last Edit: August 13, 2024
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License Deactivation
While it is free to stream camera video using DW Spectrum® IPVMS, the use of recording licenses are required for DW Spectrum® users to archive the camera footage to the DW Spectrum® Server.
License keys are registered and linked to the Hardware ID of the DW Spectrum® Server, meaning that a license key cannot be duplicated and used on more than one Server at a time. In some cases, users may need to migrate their recording licenses to another Server. Before the license key(s) can be activated/added to the other Server, they will need to be deactivated.
**NOTE: Before deactivating any licenses, it is strongly advised to export your licenses list and to save the file off-system. To export your license list, refer to the KB article DW Spectrum - Exporting License List.
License Key Deactivation Limitations
There are limitations to deactivating licenses such as:
- License keys can only be deactivated up to three (3) times. If a key has reached this point, you can contact your Digital Watchdog Sales Representative for reactivation
- You must have an active Internet connection to deactivate a license key through the DW Spectrum® Client
- Timed/Trial Licenses cannot be deactivated or reactivated once it has expired
This article will outline how to deactivate DW Spectrum® license keys.
To learn more about recording licenses, you can read:
Supported/Affected Devices
- DW Blackjack® Series
Deactivating Licenses for an Offline Server (without Internet)
To deactivate a DW Spectrum® License Key, an Internet connection will be required. If there is no Internet access, the DW Spectrum® Server will be unable to automatically send the deactivation request to the Digital Watchdog License Registry.
If the DW Spectrum® Server does not have Internet access, you must submit a License Deactivation Form from the Digital Watchdog website to have the license(s) deactivated. Once you have submitted the License Deactivation Form, a DW Sales Representative will send a confirmation through email.
Upon receiving the confirmation that the recording licenses have been successfully deactivated on our end, you are free to activate the relevant DW Spectrum® License Key(s) on a different DW Spectrum® Server.
Deactivating Licenses for an Online Server (with Internet)
To deactivate a license key:
- Launch the DW Spectrum Client.
Log in with the Owner (admin) account to the server you are deactivating licenses from.
The default login is:
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- Login: admin
- Password: admin12345
**NOTE: If you do not have access to the Owner role or an Administrator role, you must submit a License Deactivation Form from the Digital Watchdog website to deactivate the license(s).
- (If part of a merged system) verify that you are accessing the server with the licenses to be deactivated. The server will have a user icon over the server you are connected through
. If you are not on the correct server, you can right-click the desired server and select Connect to this Server.
- Open the Main Menu, then navigate to System Administration (CTRL+ALT+A).
- Click on the Licenses tab.
Select the License Key that you want to deactivate.
If you are logged in with the Owner role, click the Deactivate button, located at the bottom of the Active Licenses list. If you do not see the Deactivate button, you may not be logged in as the system Owner.
- A dialogue box will display.
Enter your name, email address, and select the reason for deactivating the license to confirm and explain the action.
Once the process is complete, it will then be possible to activate the license key on another Server.
**NOTE: Clicking the Remove button will remove the license key from the Active Licenses list. Only deactivated or expired license keys can be removed from a Server.
