The License Data Store (LDS) is the core of license management. The LDS is a collection of files where all the licensing information (fixed and floating licenses) of the License Server is stored. During operation, the LDS communicates constantly with the dongle or, in the case of online protection, with the Heidelberg Trust Service. The dongle or the Heidelberg Trust Service uses licensing information from the LDS and during operation harmonizes its internal data constantly with the LDS.
Caution: A dongle is marked as "not enabled" if it is operated with a License Server that does not supply the correct LDS data. In this situation you should never choose "Settings > Repair LDS" while the dongle is connected. In this case, the dongle can be "enabled" temporarily in the software but the existing LDS is then no longer valid, and you must reset the dongle fully with a "reduction key" and request all the license keys again. You can request the reduction key and the license keys from Heidelberg's licensing department.
To protect the dongle from such disabling, you must first create a backup of the LDS, for example, to a USB stick, when rehosting a Prinect License Server PC to different hardware. After installation of the License Server software, you must then import the LDS to the new PC before attaching the dongle to the new PC. The License Manager has suitable options for creating a backup of the LDS and importing it (see the Export LDS or Import LDS).
Note: To avoid such problems that can occur with a dongle, we urgently recommend switching over to software certification.
The License Manager provides you with options for a backup of the LDS to keep it operational on all accounts, even if the hard disk of the License Server PC should be damaged.
Note: We strongly recommend that you create a backup of the LDS to external data media after each new licensing procedure (see the Export LDS).
You can define a backup folder for the LDS in the License Manager. Ideally, you should set up this backup folder on a second hard disk of the License Server PC on which the License Server software is not installed. When a backup folder is set up in the License Manager, LDS backups are stored daily to this backup folder. Data that are older than one month are stored by month in their own folders in the backup folder. No LDS backups are saved if you do not define a backup folder (you can find details about this in Define/change folder for LDS backup).
To make sure that your Prinect applications can also be used at times when the License Server is not operative (hardware damage on the License Server PC, loss of LDS data, etc.), we strongly recommend that you export your LDS data to an external volume every time you modify your licensing data. You can make a backup of your LDS data to a mobile storage medium (e.g. USB stick) or to a drive of another computer in the network environment.
Protection against failure of the Prinect License Server PC
You can proceed as follows to restore the licensing of your Prinect applications as fast as possible following a failure of the License Server PC:
Provide a substitute License Server PC
Note: If you plan to install a substitute License Server PC, remember the capabilities of your Prinect applications with regard to license buffering (see the License Buffer).
You can install a second PC as a substitute License Server PC, but leave it disabled for the moment, i.e. do not plug on a dongle (dongle protection), if you want the License Server functionality to be available immediately after the License Server is down (or if this is a must).
If you want to use online protection, Prinect Licensing software should not yet be installed on this PC. In this case, keep the installation code ready and install the Prinect Licensing software if this computer is to be used.
You should give the substitute PC the same computer name as the original License Server PC but you should not switch it on or integrate it into the network environment.
Start the substitute License Server PC after the original License Server PC fails or is switched off. If you are using online protection, install the Prinect Licensing software and enter the installation code during installation. See Full Installation.
Then in the License Manager import the backup LDS data from the USB stick or the share on another computer to which the LDS data were exported.
If dongle protection is used, you can then plug on the dongle and enable it in the License Manager (see Import LDS). The new License Server is now operational.
By assigning the same computer name, you see to it that this computer can be reached immediately by the Prinect applications following the failure of the original License Server. If the computer name is different, you must first make the new name known to the Prinect applications that this is the new License Server.
If you do not wish to keep a substitute License Server PC "in reserve", when the original License Server fails, you can either set up a new computer with the appropriate operating system and install the License Server software to this PC or you can use a PC that is already in the system environment and install the latest version of the License Server software to this PC. Then import your LDS backup, after that plug on the dongle and enable it in the License Manager (if dongle protection is used).
In this case too, remember that you may have to make the new computer name known as the License Server name to all your Prinect applications.
Caution: Exported LDS data that refer to temporary licenses (for the Demo or Start mode) can become invalid as a result of an export/import process to another License Server PC.