This article applies to: Cireson Portal, version 8.0 and above, and licensed Cireson Apps
Cireson Licensing Overview
The Cireson Licensing server model uses a single Product Key to license your Cireson applications. This can be done automatically through an internet connection to the license server from the portal. In cases where internet access is not allowed or restricted, license keys can be generated manually by accessing the License server website.
What is a Product Key vs a License Key vs an Environment Hash Code
A Product Key is a short string of characters and dashes in GUID format: xx0xx0x0-xx00-0x0x-x00x-00xxx00xx0xx
They are unique to the customer and are also unique to the environment they are used in. A Product Key is designed for use with a specific environment only and should not be used in multiple environments (i.e. DEV, TEST, PROD, etc).
If you require additional Product Keys for use with other environments, you can request these through our portal request offering (Customer Product Key Request).
License Keys unlock the features inside a product being licensed with a Product Key. They are hundreds of characters long and generated by the Cireson Licensing Server. These are either automatically filled in when using the Automatic licensing method, or require copy and paste if being used manually. As License Keys are generated, they might be different each time they are created so it's not recommended to save them in a separate location. There is no limit to the amount of times a License Key can be generated.
Environment Hash Codes are only used to license the Cireson Portal (not required in Cireson Console Licensing) and contain information about the environment to ensure the Product Key is valid.
Licensing Methods
There are two ways of licensing a Cireson Product: Automatic and Manual. Automatic licensing is enabled by default and will 'phone home' to the Cireson Licensing Server to acquire a License Key to activate a product. Manual licensing is used if Automatic licensing cannot be used (such as if a server is 'Air-gapped' or if there are restrictions on the server that prevents access to blocked sites)
When using the Automated Licensing method, please ensure that the server has clear access to licensing.cireson.com (for Portal version 10.1.0 and lower and Console Licensing 8.1.0 and lower) or authorize.cireson.com (for Portal version 8.1.1 and higher or Console Licensing 8.1.1 and higher)
Simple Table to outline which Server is being Accessed by version number:
Licensing the Cireson Portal
Important Note: After upgrading or installing the Cireson Portal, the Cachebuilder must complete a full cycle to generate your unique environment hash code to be able to check-in your Product Key with the licensing server.
Automatically Licensing the Cireson Portal
You can find licensing settings in Admin->Licensing Settings or visiting http://localhost/Settings/Admin/LicenseSettings on the server. You must have admin permissions to complete these steps
Add the Product Key you received from Cireson into the Product Key field and ensure the "Automatically Refresh License Keys" checkbox is checked ON
Click Save and then click Refresh Licenses
If the server was able to successfully retrieve license keys from the Cireson Licensing server, they will be automatically populated in the appropriate fields.
If you have any warnings or text in red, you may need to switch to the Manual licensing method or enable access to licensing.cireson.com on the server Internet Options
Manually Licensing the Cireson Portal
Licenses updated manually will have to be refreshed every 6 months (180 days) and will be valid for as long as the Product Key is valid.
You can find licensing settings in Admin->Licensing Settings or visiting http://localhost/Settings/Admin/LicenseSettings on the server. You must have admin permissions to complete these steps
Add the Product Key you received from Cireson into the Product Key field and ensure the "Automatically Refresh License Keys" checkbox is checked OFF
When the above checkbox is turned off, you will see your Environment Hash Code appear
Click the link under the Environment Hash Code field or navigate to https://authorize.cireson.com on a computer that has internet access (go to https://licensing.cireson.com if you are on a version before 10.1)
Enter the Product Key and the Environment Hash Code and click Submit
You will be shown a page with all products that are available to you that can be licensed.
Note: V2 license keys are used on the latest versions of our applications. For more details on V1/V2 licensing, please see below.
To activate the Cireson Portal you will need to copy the Analyst Portal, Dashboard/Analytics, ARO and CMDB License Keys
Once you have done that, click Save and the Cireson Portal should be fully licensed.
If you have any errors or red text appearing, make sure you have copied the keys correctly.
Licensing Cireson Console Apps
Both methods of licensing Cireson Console applications (Automatic and Manual) require the Cireson Console Licensing App to be installed first. Follow the steps outlined here (KB1224) to install the Cireson Console Licensing App
Automatically Licensing Cireson Console Apps
You will need SCSM Console Administration rights to be able to access Cireson Console Licensing Settings
In the SCSM Console navigate to Administration -> Settings -> Cireson - Console App Licensing Settings under the General tab.
Enter your Product Key into the Product Key field and ensure the "Automatically refresh license keys" checkbox is enabled
On the Licensing tab, click on Renew All and then click Yes to the dialog box to automatically retrieve your licenses from the server.
Cireson Apps that are installed at the time will be given a license and a green checkmark will appear if the server has validated the licensing and features will be unlocked or enabled.
If you get red crosses you may not be licensed for the application, or the server could not automatically retrieve licenses and you may need to try manually licensing the product.
You will need to repeat this step if you install a new Cireson Console App
Note: The Cireson Portal will not be licensed in this section
Click OK to save the Cireson Licensing Settings
Manually Licensing the Cireson Console Apps
You will need SCSM Console Administration rights to be able to access Cireson Console Licensing Settings
In the SCSM Console navigate to Administration -> Settings -> Cireson - Console App Licensing Settings under the General tab.
Enter your Product Key into the Product Key field and ensure the "Automatically refresh license keys" checkbox is disabled
Navigate to https://licensing.cireson.com on a server that has internet access and paste in your Product Key and click Submit
You will be shown a page with all products that are available to you that can be licensed.
Note: V2 license keys are used on the latest versions of our applications. For more details on V1/V2 licensing, please see below.
Copy the relevant app license code from the previous step and click the ellipsis next to the app you are trying to license. This will open a dialog box titled 'AirGap License' for you to enter in the License Key
Click OK and ensure the green checkmark appears next to the app. A red cross means that the license may not have been copied correctly.
Repeat this step for each app you want to license
Click OK to save the Cireson Licensing Settings
What is a v1 or v2 license?
Earlier products versions do not support certain licensing features and won't work with the current license structure.
In these cases, either use the supplied V1 license or upgrade to the latest product version.
Application versions requiring a V1 license:
Application Name Version
Cireson Portal 4.0.6, 4.0.7, 4.0.8, 4.0.9, 4.0.10
Password Reset 1.0
Cireson Console Licensing App 7.5.0.75
SCSM Outlook Console 7.5.2.163
SCSM SMA Connector 7.5.0.29
SCSM Asset Management 7.5.60.118
SCSM Asset Import 7.5.60.127
SCSM My Work Items 7.5.2004.70
SCSM Group Assign 7.5.2002.43
SCSM View Builder 7.5.1.1
SCSM Change Calendar 7.5.2.52
SCSM Affected User 7.5.2905.58
SCSM Notify Analyst 7.5.3.12
SCSM Preview Panes 7.5.2001.52
SCSM Risk Calculator 7.5.2000.11
SCSM Tier Watcher 7.5.2001.10
SCSM Release Calendar 7.5.2.20
SCSM Scheduled Calendar 7.5.2.12
Troubleshooting
Navigation icons not appearing after saving the product key will indicate the portal has not detected a valid license keys, check the below:
1) Verify the cachebuilder has generated your environment hash code by unchecking auto refresh to expose the property, if this field is still empty wait and refresh the page to check again later. Sometimes a restart of the cachebuilder service may be required to force this to generate.
2) Verify your portal server can access https://licensing.cireson.com or http://authorize.cireson.com by trying to load this from the browser on your server
3) Verify your product key has not expired by submitting your product key on https://licensing.cireson.com