When you purchase a Vortex Studio product with a floating license, CM Labs sends you activation keys that you can use to generate the floating license files on the license server.

A license server must first be installed on your network system in order to maintain a repository of floating licenses for Vortex Studio.

For information about installing a license server for Windows or Linux, see License Server Setup

When generating a floating license file for a license server, the process will consume all the seats available so that they are available to the remote clients.

If you were provided with an unlimited number of seats, you will be prompted to enter the number to activate.

To generate a floating license file, your computer must be able to connect through the internet to the License Activation server.
If you need to generate a license for a computer without an internet connection, see 3236905235

Generating Floating License Files for a License Server on Windows

From the bin folder of the Vortex Studio Licensing Tools Package that was installed with the license server, start the VortexLicenseManagerGUI.exe application.
If a valid license already exists on this computer, the window lists it.
To generate a license file, click Add Another License/Renew Existing License.
Click Internet Activation.
In the Activation Key text box, type your activation key.
1. The license type must be Floating.
2. Fulfillment Count shows the seats available. The process will consume all of them.
  You can regenerate a license file if the key was already used on the same computer.
Click Activate for Local Use and review your activation key information.
Click Activate.
If your activation key provides unlimited floating seats, the system prompts you to type the number of seats you want to set on this server.
If the operation is successful, the license file appears in the license folder.
Restart the license server.

Generating Floating License Files for a License Server on Linux

To validate your activation key, use the following parameters to launch the Vortex Studio License manager from the bin folder of the Vortex Studio Licensing Tools Package that was installed with the license server:
```
./VortexLicenseManager --key <your key>
```
To generate a license file, use the following parameters to launch the Vortex Studio License manager from the bin folder of the Vortex Studio Licensing Tools Package that was installed with the license server:
- To generate a floating license file from a key with a fixed number of seats. The process will consume all the seats.
```
./VortexLicenseManager --activate-locally <your key>
```
- To generate a floating license file from a key with an unlimited number of seats, give the number of seats to set on this server as the third argument.
```
./VortexLicenseManager --activate-locally <your key> <number of seats>
```
Restart the license server.

Generating Floating License Files for a License Server on Another Computer

If the license server does not have access to the internet or cannot reach the Activation Server, you can use another computer to generate the license file.

The 2 computers are:

Target Computer: The computer for which the license file is generated.
Activation Computer: The computer that is used to connect to the License Activation Server.

Generating license files for another computer involves performing specific tasks with the license manager locally on each computer.
The license setup information is transferred using a file from one computer to the other.

You will need the license manager on all computers involved in the operations.
To install only the license manager rather than a full Vortex Studio, see Installing Only the Vortex License Manager Application

Generating Floating License Files for a License Server on Another Computer on Windows

Extract the information from the Target Computer:
1. Launch the Vortex Studio License Manager application on the Target Computer.
  The system lists any currently valid licenses.
2. Click Add Another License / Renew Existing License.
3. Click Manual Activation.
4. Click Extract host info to file...
5. In the window that appears, type a file name and click Save.
  The system confirms that the file was updated.
6. Transfer the license setup file to portable media, such as a USB storage device.
Generate the License file for the license server on the Activation Computer:
1. Launch the Vortex Studio License Manager application on the Activation Computer.
  The system lists any currently valid licenses.
2. Click Add Another License / Renew Existing License.
3. Click Internet Activation.
4. Enter your Activation Key.
  - The license type must be Floating.
  - Fulfillment Count shows the seats available. The process will consume all of them.
  - You can regenerate without consuming a count if the key was already used on the same computer.
5. Click Activate for Remote Use.
6. Click Activate from License Setup file...
7. If your activation key provides unlimited floating seats, the system prompts you to type the number of seats you want to install.
8. Navigate to your host info file and click Open.
9. In the host info confirmation window that appears, do one of the following:
  - If the information is accurate, click Yes.
  - If the information is not accurate, click No, delete your file and repeat step 1 on the Target Computer.
  The license setup file updates with the license information.
10. Transfer the license setup file back to a portable media, such as a USB storage device.
Install the license file for the license server on the Target Computer:
1. Launch the Vortex License Manager on the Target Computer.
2. Click Manual Activation.
3. Click I already activated my license....
4. Select your license setup file and click Open.
If successful, a license file is generated in the Vortex Studio Licenses folder.

Generating Floating License Files for a License Server on Another Computer on Linux

Extract the information from the Target Computer:
1. From the Target Computer, extract the license setup file, launch the Vortex Studio License Manager with the following parameters:
```
./VortexLicenseManager --extract <file path to a .licsetup file>
```
2. Transfer the license setup file to portable media, such as a USB storage device.
  If you need to generate a license file on multiple computers without internet, repeat this process using the license setup file from your portable media.
Generate the License file for the license server on the Activation Computer:
1. To generate a floating license file from a key with a fixed number of seats, launch the Vortex License Manager from the Activation Computer with the following parameters:
```
./VortexLicenseManager --activate-remotely <your key> <file path to a .licsetup file>
```
2. To generate a floating license file from a key with an unlimited number of seats, you can indicate the number of seats to activate by launching the Vortex License Manager from the Activation Computer with the following parameters:
```
./VortexLicenseManager --activate-remotely <your key> <file path to a .licsetup file> <number of seats>
```
3. The license setup file updates with the license.
4. Transfer the license setup file back to a portable media, such as a USB storage device.
Install the license file for the license server on the Target Computer:
1. To install the license file, launch the Vortex Studio License Manager from the Target Computer with the following parameters:
```
./VortexLicenseManager--install <file path to a .licsetup file>
```
2. If successful, you can find the generated license file in the license folder.

Connecting Computers to a License Server

Once floating license files have been generated on the license server, applications can enable connection to the license server.

To connect to the license server, the computer running Vortex Studio must be able to access the license server with a network connection.

Once connected, a license file server.lic is generated and installed locally on the computer.

When connected to the server, applications can request as many licenses of the product on the server as seats have been activated.

Connecting your Computer to a License Server on Windows

Launch the Vortex License Manager.
Select Add Another License / Renew Existing License.
Click Connect to server.
Enter the license server address and click Connect.

If successful, a license file server.lic is generated in the Vortex Studio Licenses folder.

Connecting your Computer to a License Server on Linux

Allow connection to a license server by launching the Vortex License Manager with the following parameters:

./VortexLicenseManager --server <host> <port>

The parameter port is optional; its default value is 5053.

If successful, a license file server.lic is generated in the Vortex Studio Licenses folder.

Never copy the server.lic file to another computer. Always use the Vortex Studio License Manager application to connect to the license server.

Connecting Simulator Computers to a License Server

Each time you run the simulator, you will need as much seats available on the server than there are seats in your simulator.

To connect your simulator to the license server, do the following:

Launch the Vortex Studio Director application.
Click to select the simulator that you want to connect to the server.
Click the Licenses tab.
Click Inspect All.
The Vortex Studio License Manager application opens and shows the status of licenses on each computer in the simulator system.
Click Connect to Server.
Enter the address of the license server you want to connect to and the port (default port number is 5053).
Click Connect.
If successful, a server.liclicense file was generated in the Licenses folder of each computer involved in the operation.
You will get the status of your activation for each computer.

Borrowing a Roaming License from a License Server

Roaming licenses let users access a floating license from a license server and use Vortex Studio when their computer is no longer connected to the license server.

Getting a license in such a way is called "Borrowing".

Borrowed licenses will last up to thirty days. Afterward, the server will consider this license available again and the local machine will need to reconnect.

The user can return the borrowed license when they connect the license server again.

When a license is borrowed, the server will no longer consider it available.

To ensure the license count is maintained, the only way to restore the full floating license count to the server it to return the license early.

The borrower must have network access to the server and use the license manager to return it.

Borrowing a Roaming License from a License Server on Windows

Launch the Vortex License Manager.
Select Get Roaming License.
Click Borrow.

Returning a Roaming License to a License Server on Windows

Launch the Vortex License Manager.
Select Return Roaming License.
Click Return.

Borrowing a Roaming License from a License Server on Linux

Borrow a license from a license server by launching the Vortex License Manager with the following parameters:

./VortexLicenseManager --get-roaming

Returning a Roaming License to a License Server on Linux

Return the license to a license server by launching the Vortex License Manager with the following parameters:

./VortexLicenseManager --return-roaming