Common Vision Blox Licensing

What licenses are available?
     License Model
     License Enforcement
How to activate my license?
     CameraSuite Licensing
     Embedded Licensing
     USB Dongle Licensing
     Node Locked Licensing
     30-day Trial Licensing
Adding Tool Licenses

What licenses are available?

License Model

Modularity

Common Vision Blox is grouped into three parts. The basic part is the Image Manager which contains functionality like image/point cloud acquistion and image/point cloud handling. In addition the Image Manager also includes useful applications for the configuration of cameras, for image acquistion and for managing licenses.

Basic operators for image processing are provided by the Foundation Package. Note that the Image Manager is a subset of the Foundation Package (in other words: When buying a Foundation Package license it comes with the entire functionality of the Image Manager).

More advanced image processing tools and algorithms like e.g. 2D and 3D object recognition can be found in the CVB Tool libraries. These tools/algorithms can be licensed individually, making it possible to select (and pay for) only the parts that are really needed in an application. The CVB pattern recognition tools come with a visual training and testing frontend called Teachbench. Note that all the tool libraries need access to the functionality of the Image Manager, so they will need to be combined either with an Image Manager license or a Foundation Package license. These two licenses - the CVB Tool license and the Image Manager or Foundation Package license - are tied together in the sense that it will not be possible to associate a CVB Tool license with a different Image Manger or Foundation Package license than the one it was created for.

Entities in CVB that can be licensed
Image Manager Libraries	Foundation Libraries	CVB Tool Libraries

Valid Combinations

Based on the aforementioned the following combinations of CVB licenses are possible:

	Valid Combinations or Licensed Modules
	Image Manager	Foundation Package	Image Manager + CVB Tool(s)	Foundation Package + CVB Tool(s)
Included Content	Image Manager Libraries	Image Manager Libraries  Foundation Libraries	Image Manager Libraries  Selected Tool Library/ies	Image Manager Libraries  Foundation Libraries  Selected Tool Library/ies

Development License versus Runtime License

Each of the licenses mentioned earlier is available as a development license or as a runtime license. Development licenses entitle their holder to support via phone or e-mail, runtime licenses don't.

To simplify adherence to this, the following rules apply:

• Development Licenses apply to entire organizations (one-man-companies are considered an organization in this context). They are not named user licenses.
• In order for an organization to be eligible for buying runtime licenses, at least one development license must have been bought first.
• There is no technological distinction between the runtime license and the development license.
• Owners of STEMMER IMAGING's Modular Embedded boards will not need to buy a development license to be eligible for phone or e-mail support.
• The distinction between development licenses and runtime licenses also does not apply to Camerasuite Licensing (see below).

For more information or if you have additional equestions please contact de.sa.nosp@m.les@.nosp@m.stemm.nosp@m.er-i.nosp@m.magin.nosp@m.g.co.nosp@m.m.

License Enforcement

There are five options to choose from when it comes to the enforcement of the license model described earlier:

• CameraSuite licensing
  Eligible GigE Vision/USB3 Vision cameras bought from STEMMER IMAGING are shipped with a license code that activates a CameraSuite License. The CameraSuite Licensing makes it possible to use the entire set of Image Manager libraries but does not make it possible to license the Foundation Package or advanced tools. The license requires the physical presence (connection) of the camera with which it is shipped. Cameras from Automation Technology do not require a key to be entered. CameraSuite licensing is not available on ARM platforms.
• Embedded licensing
  Automatically comes with the STEMMER IMAGING Modular Embedded Board and enables use of the Foundation Package libraries which - as mentioned earlier - includes the Image Manager libraries. It is possible to license advanced tools using the Embedded licensing option. The license is permanently bound to the board with which it is shipped. Further information is available here.
• USB Dongle licensing
  The USB dongle is the most flexible licensing option and therefore the recommended option. It allows for the enablement of the Image Manager libraries, the Foundation Package libraries and CVB Tool libraries. It may freely be moved from one PC to another (including embedded systems). The license is permanently bound to the USB dongle.
• Node Locked licensing
  Locks a license to the system's hardware. Like the dongle, it allows for the enablement of the Image Manager libraries, the Foundation Package libraries and CVB Tool libraries. It is only available on PC platforms (Windows and Linux) and permanently binds the license to the system. Reinstalling the system will erase the license.
• The 30-day Trial licensing
  The Trial licensing actually is a special case of the Node-Locked licensing. It comes with all the capabilities and limitations of Node-Locked licensing and on top of that restricts the period throughout which it may be used to no more than 30 days. It automatically unlocks all the CVB tools automatically for that period.
  It is not permitted to use Trial licenses for a production environment or development. Trial licenses do not need to be bought - they can be requested via the License Manager.

The following table summarizes what license enforcement method may be used with what part(s) of CVB:

	Image Manager	Foundation Package	Image Manager + CVB Tool(s)	Foundation Package + CVB Tool(s)
CameraSuite Licensing	x
Embedded Licensing	x	x	x	x
USB Dongle Licensing	x	x	x	x
Node Locked Licensing	x	x	x	x
30-day Trial Licensing	x	x	x	x

Note that none of the license enforcement options is guaranteed to work in a virtualized environment (i. e. virtual machines and container virtualization). In fact the Node locked licensing and Trial licensing options are known to not work in a virtualized environment. If you plan to use any kind of virtualization please check thoroughly whether the license enforcement of CVB works with your intended virtualization. If it does not, this is nothing that can be addressed as part of the free product support.

Regardless of the enforcement method, licensing can be managed via the License Manager application (requires administrative privileges).

Legacy Dongles

At the time of writing, the dongles used by CVB are WIBU CodeMeter dongles. Older versions of CVB have been using SafeNet dongles with USB or parallel port interface for license enforcement. These currently continue to work, but only with the 32 bit Windows build of CVB. However, support for SafeNet dongles will likely be dropped from the product sooner or later.

It is currently possible to exchange these dongles for a fee into a WIBU CodeMeter dongle. If you are interested, please contact de.sa.nosp@m.les@.nosp@m.stemm.nosp@m.er-i.nosp@m.magin.nosp@m.g.co.nosp@m.m.

How to activate my license?

After a license has been purchased, they can be managed using the LicenseManager application. Start the LicenseManager.exe from the start menu or from

• %CVB%Applications on windows
• /opt/cvb/bin on linux.

Note that the LicenseManager needs admin privileges. Under Windows (with UAC enabled) it will request admin privileges automatically. On Linux it will need to be started with sudo.

General Overview

Available licenses for the Image Manager or the Foundation package can be seen on the Serial Numbers tab of the LicenseManager. Any previously activated license will automatically show up in this list:

• If the list contains at least one entry then the Image Manager libraries may be used without restrictions.
• If at least one entry with a "Yes" in the "Foundation" column is present, then the Foundation Package libraries may be used without restrictions.
• If at least one entry with a numeric entry in the "Serial Number" column is present, then it is possible to activate CVB Tool libraries on this system. Which tool libraries have actually been activated can be determined by matching the information on the "Serial Numbers" tab with that on the "Magic Numbers" tab, where the currently available Magic Numbers are listed along with serial number to which they are bound.

CameraSuite Licensing

The "CameraSuite" tab of the LicenseManager lists all CameraSuite keys (shipped with eligible devices) that have been entered on the current system:

The icon next to each key indicates whether it refers to a GigE Vision or a USB3 Vision camera. In case of GigE Vision camera the icon will show a check mark if the camera is currently connected to the computer.

Entering CameraSuite Keys

To enter a new CameraSuite key, press the button with the "+" sign on the right panel. This will open a dialog in which the key can be entered as printed on the label that came with the camera:

If the key was entered correctly the dialog will accept it and it will be added to the list of entered keys.

Alternative Method (Internet Connection Required)

If the computer is connected to the internet and the CameraSuite-enabled camera(s) is/are connected to the computer, then the LicenseManager application can automatically query a database in the internet for CameraSuite keys for this/these camera(s) when started. If a key is found that has not yet been entered on the system, it will automatically be added to the collection.

If a CameraSuite Key was Lost

If you have lost your activation key, you can request it via our license key request page. Note, that you will need to provide the following information:

• For GigE Vision cameras the MAC-address of the camera is needed.
• For USB3 Vision cameras the manufacturer name and the serial number of the camera is required.

Embedded Licensing

A guide on how to manage the Embedded licensing can be found here.

USB Dongle Licensing

The USB dongle does not have to be activated. It will be automatically identified. Check the "Serial Numbers" and "Magic Numbers" tabs mentioned earlier to see if your dongle is detected. If it is not listed there, then please contact support.

Node Locked and Trial Licensing

Acquiring and activating a Node Locked license or a Trial license follows the same routine: Simply press the appropriate button on the Node Locked page of the CVB License Manager:

... then give your contact details (and, if you are requesting a regular Node Locked license, the order code of the product order to which this license refers):

Please save the request file (extension *.WiBuCmRaC) to disc and email it to: cvbli.nosp@m.cens.nosp@m.e@ste.nosp@m.mmer.nosp@m.-imag.nosp@m.ing..nosp@m.com. In return you will receive the license activation data file with the extension *.WiBuCmRaU, typically during the next few working days.

Once you have the activation data, return to the Node Locked page of the CVB License Manager and press the Enter License Activation button to activate your new license for Common Vision Blox.

Please note that orders for regular Node Locked licenses may no longer be cancelled once the license activation has been sent to you.

Both, Node Locked licenses and Trial licenses will be bound to hardware characteristics on which the license is being activated. These hardware characteristics will be selected automatically (BIOS, CPU, hard disc and Network card) upon generation of the request and the license will remain intact as long as not too many of these characteristics change on your system.

Adding Tool Licenses

If you have already one of the licenses on which CVB Tools may be activated as well (see table in License Enforcement), you may add CVB Tool licenses individually. This can happen with the same order as the Image Manager or Foundation Package license - or at some later point.

To order an additional CVB Tool license to expand an Image Manager or Foundation Package license you already have, please contact your sales channel (de.sa.nosp@m.les@.nosp@m.stemm.nosp@m.er-i.nosp@m.magin.nosp@m.g.co.nosp@m.m) and provide the serial number of the Foundation Package or Image Manager license that you want to bind the CVB Tool license, too (retrieve the serial number from the "Serial Numbers" tab of the License Manager).

If the order clears, then you will receive a so-called "Magic Number" - in text in a mail as well as a *.lic file. To activate that, head to the "Magic Numbers" page in the License Manager, where you can...

• ... either click the "Import *.lic File" button and browse to the file you just received, or...
• ... click the "New License.ini Entry" button and provide the tool ID and Magic Number as provided in the order confirmation:
  
  

Pro Tip

If you purchased your Image Manager or Foundation Package license on a USB dongle separately from your CVB Tool license, you might want to write that license into your existing USB dongle (this makes it easier to move the license to a different computer).

There is a hidden dialog in the LicenseManager application to do that. To activate it:

• Add a new entry in the Registry Editor under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Common Vision Blox\Image Manager:
  • Name: "Show License Configuration"
  • Type: REG_DWORD
  • Value: 0x00000001 (1)
• Close and re-launch the LicenseManager - you should now see an additional tab named "Configuration"

On this new tab, select the dongle you want to write to from the combo box (to avoid confusion it is strongly recommended to have just one dongle connected at this moment) and press "Edit...". This will open a dialog in which you may select the magic number(s) to be written to the dongle. Only eligible magic numbers will be shown, so the list is likely to be much shorter than that displayed on the "Magic Numbers" page.