Application notes

The following are the application notes for
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
.

Antivirus software might detect
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 executable file as a threat

Your antivirus software might detect the
AutoGetFTA.exe
 file as a threat and cause an error when you activate a license.
To avoid this issue, exclude the
AutoGetFTA.exe
 file from the virus scan.
For more information, see Knowledgebase Document ID: BF26715 - FactoryTalk Activation: Error creating process.
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Rockwell Automation
 account to view Knowledgebase articles.

Incorrect quantity of FlexNet Publisher (FNP) concurrent activations

If you get multiple FlexNet Publisher (FNP) Concurrent and Node-Locked activations of the same feature name, the
Total
 column in the
Find Available Activations
 page might display incorrect values. To avoid this issue, get only either Concurrent activations or Node-Locked activations of a given feature name, not both.

FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 version 4.04 supports renewing activations that have changed type from
FlexNet
 to
CodeMeter

In
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 versions 4.04 and later, renewals of activations can include an activation type change from
FlexNet
 to
CodeMeter
 in addition to the expiration date change.
This type change is supported only when the original
FlexNet
 activation is bound to the computer and replaced with a
CodeMeter
 activation bound to the computer.
For dongles, perform a rehost of the original activation and a get of the renewed activation for the activation type. For example, a rehost is necessary when:
  • Changing from a
    FlexNet
     dongle to a
    CodeMeter
     dongle
  • Changing from a
    CodeMeter
     dongle to a
    FlexNet
     dongle
  • Activation is bound to a
    FlexNet
     dongle, a
    CodeMeter
     dongle, or a
    CodeMeter
     computer
In
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 versions 4.02 and later, renewals of activations bound to dongles or computers are supported in which the technology is not changing.

FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 versions 4.03 and earlier do not support renewing activations that have changed type from
FlexNet
 to
CodeMeter

FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 versions 4.03 and earlier do not renew activations that have changed type from
FlexNet
 to
CodeMeter
.
Rockwell Automation
 recommends installing version 4.06, which supports renewing activations that have changed type from FlexNet to CodeMeter. If upgrading to version 4.06 is not possible, perform a rehost of the original activation and a get of the renewed activation for the activation type.

Activation sometimes appears as non-renewable

A security setting or some other obstacle might prevent a renewed activation from being delivered. When this occurs, the
Rockwell Automation
 activation database sometimes flags the activation as renewed, even though you never received it. The activation could be marked mistakenly as non-renewable.
To correct this problem, contact
Rockwell Automation
 technical support and request a reset of the activation status.

FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 versions on client and server should match to support Subscription Portal License Manager

If upgrading either activation servers or clients from
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 4.00 or earlier, upgrade both the servers and clients to
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 4.06 or later.

Unavailable activations are listed only on
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 running on a server

Expired FlexNet activations do not appear on
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 running on client machines. This behavior is by design, because expired activations cannot be acted upon from a client machine. On
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 running on a server, activations that are not available, because they have either expired or not yet reached their start date, are displayed as disabled and show a red icon. Hovering over the icon displays a tooltip that explains why the row is disabled.
Rehost expired activations to remove them from the Find Available display.

Removing
CodeMeter
 server address from search path causes errors

After a CM activation is borrowed, removing the
CodeMeter
 server address from the search path on the
Update Activation Search Path
 dialog box on the client PC causes these errors:
  • The return of the activation fails and this error appears:
    Borr.010: Server License not found.
  • In the
    Borrow date
     box in the
    Return Activations
     table, this text appears:
    Start time is not available. The source of the borrowed license may not be available.

Date and time settings must match on client and server computers

To borrow
CodeMeter
 activations correctly, the date and time settings of the client and server computers must match within one minute. If the date and time settings do not match, unexpected behavior occurs, such as the failure to activate valid licenses.

Borrowing or returning
CodeMeter
 activations generates only client diagnostic message

Borrowing or returning
CodeMeter
 activations generates only a client diagnostic message. However, borrowing or returning FlexNet Publisher (FNP) activations generates both server and client diagnostic messages.
This is intended behavior.

Updates to server search list

Rockwell Automation
 recommends using
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 exclusively to make updates to the server search list. If using
CodeMeter
 Web Admin to update the server search list, the updates may not reflect accurately in the
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 search list.

Remote Desktop Connection to client computer running Windows Server limits return of activations and activation of products

When using a remote desktop connection to a client computer running a Windows Server operating system, borrowed
CodeMeter
 activations are not displayed, borrowed activations cannot be returned manually (they are automatically returned when they expire), and products relying on the borrowed activation cannot be activated. To work around these limitations, log into the client computer directly.
Rockwell Automation
 recommends not using a Windows Server operating system on a computer that uses borrowed activations or points to a
FactoryTalk Activation
 server.

FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 is incompatible with Top Server 6 software

For
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 to operate correctly, Top Server 6 software must be uninstalled, and the FLEXID_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable must be removed.
For more information on this issue, see Knowledgebase Document ID: BF14522 FactoryTalk Activation Manager: FTAManager has stopped working.
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VeriSign Universal Root Certification Authority certificate

If the VeriSign Universal Root Certification Authority certificate does not exist on the local computer, the certificate is installed while installing Rockwell Automation software. Use Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to view the certificate in
Console Root > Certificates (Local Computer) > Trusted Root Certification Authorities > Certificates
.

Unattended or silent install

Use command-line parameters to perform an unattended or silent installation of the software.
Command-line parameters
The following table identifies the installation command-line parameters. Command-line parameters are case-insensitive. However, if a specified value includes a space, be sure to enclose the value in quotation marks (for example, "value with spaces").
Parameter
Description
/Q
One of /Q and /QS is required if /Record is not specified.
Installs the product in the silent mode without any user interface.
/QS
One of /Q and /QS is required if /Record is not specified.
Installs the product in the unattended mode without user interaction during installation, and shows the progress, errors, or complete messages on the user interface.
/IAcceptAllLicenseTerms
Required for /Q or /QS.
Specifies that you read and acknowledge all license agreements, and agree to continue the installation.
/AutoRestart
Optional. If specified, the computer restarts automatically after the installation if a restart is required to complete the installation. If a restart is not required, the parameter is ignored.
/SetupLanguage
Optional. Specifies which language is displayed during the install process.
The value must be one of the following:
  • ENU
  • CHS
  • DEU
  • ESP
  • FRA
  • ITA
  • JPN
  • KOR
  • PTB
If this parameter is omitted, the default language is the user or system user interface language.
/Record
Optional. Records inputs to a recording file.
/Playback
Optional. Plays back a recorded file.
/DisableAutoRenew
Optional. If specified, disables the
FactoryTalk Activation Manager
 from automatically connecting to the Rockwell Automation Activation service to query for renewed activations to download. Activations are renewed automatically by default.
Examples
The following examples show how to use the installation commands.
  • For a silent install with default parameters:
    Setup.exe /Q /IAcceptAllLicenseTerms
  • For an unattended install with customized parameter:
    Setup.exe /QS /IAcceptAllLicenseTerms /AutoRestart /SetupLanguage=CHS
  • For launching an install with the /Record parameter to enter record mode:
    Setup.exe /Record
  • For launching an install with the /Playback parameter to enter playback mode:
    Setup.exe /Q /IAcceptAllLicenseTerms /Playback="C:\Filename.rec"
Error codes
The following table identifies the error codes that can be returned by an installation.
Error Code
Value
Description
ERROR_SUCCESS
0
Installation completed successfully.
ERROR_INVALID_PARAMETER
87
One parameters is invalid.
ERROR_INSTALL_USEREXIT
1602
Installation cancelled by user.
ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE
1603
Fatal error during installation.
ERROR_BAD_CONFIGURATION
1610
Configuration data for product corrupt. Contact support personnel.
ERROR_REBOOT_CONTINUE
1641
Restart required to continue installation.
ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_REQUIRED
3010
Restart required to complete installation. After restart, product is successfully installed.
ERROR_REBOOT_PENDING
3012
Restart pending. Restart computer for installation to continue.
ERROR_SUCCESS_NOT_APPLICABLE
3013
The installation cannot proceed because the products are already installed.
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