This page will help you identify the different types of Zemax licenses. Links are provided for additional information regarding installation, use, and troubleshooting of the different license types.

We also cover how to tell if you have a subscription or perpetual license.

Authored By Don Dickinson

Introduction

Zemax, LLC offers two types of licenses: single user and network. Both of these lincense types are offered in either a USB hardkey or softkey license format. Both of these license types have several sub-types which allow user flexibility in how they access the software. This article discusses the different types of licenses and how to identify which one you have. 

License types

Single User (or Individual) Subscription Licenses are assigned to an end user for use on one computer at a time. These licenses must be installed on the same machine as Opticstudio . The license can be transferred to a different computer for use by the same end user as often as required.  The license can be transferred to a different end user once in any 30 day period, as described in in How do I add an End User to a license.  Licenses cannot be transferred to a user outside of the company which originally purchased the license.

Single User (or Individual) Perpetual Licenses are for use on one computer at a time.  The license can be transferred to a different computer. The license can be transferred to a different end user once in any 30 day period, as described in How do I add an End User to a license.  Licenses cannot be transferred to a user outside of the company which originally purchased the license.

Network Licenses (perpetual and subscription) are installed & hosted on a single keyserver machine that client machines access, so can be easily shared by multiple users. The number of simultaneous users depends on how many seats are purchased.

Each of the above licenses have several sub-types. Each of these sub-types are different, and have different installation, activation, transfer, and troubleshooting steps. Thus, it is very important for users to know which type of license they have! These sub-types are:

• Softkey Licenses (Network and Single user)
• Green USB Hardkey Licenses (Single User only, no longer available)
• Red USB Hardkey Licenses (Network and Single user)
• Black USB Hardkey (Network and Single User, no longer available)

Note: These instructions rely on having Zemax product or Zemax License Manager installed with a working license. 

If you cannot access  your software or the License manager:

1. Contact your license administrator in your Zemax Profile page to obtain your license details, or
2. Contact Zemax to locate your license details. If you can, please provide your license key serial number.

Is my license a subscription or perpetual license?

This section explains how to tell if your license is a perpetual one or subscription.

Perpetual licenses will run the software indefinitely but support must be renewed to get access to new releases and open technical support cases.  If support is not renewed then you must continue to use a version of the software that came out before the support expired. These were only available for Opticstudio. 

Subscription licenses are leased from us for a period of time. Once the subscription expires the license times out and will no longer run the software.  A subscription must then be renewed or a new license purchased to continue to run the software. For Opticstudio, a subscription license also gives access to more new features than a perpetual license. 

Checking if a license is a subscription

• OpticsViewer, OpticsBuilder and STAR module licenses are all subscription-only products.  
• All Black USB licenses for Opticstudio (license numbers from 22000 to 40999) are perpetual. 

Other license formats for Opticstudio including red and green USB and software (softkey) based licenses have come in both perpetual and subscription. Here's how to find out what you have. 

1. Login to your Zemax account profile page. If you don't have an account skip to step 2 below. Check the "Company licenses" (or "Academic ESP licenses" section if you work for an educational institution). If your product includes the word Subscription then you know for certain it is a subscription license and you are done!

If it doesn't say "Subscription", then move to step 2 to validate further. Some subscription products do not specifically state they are subscription in the description. 

2. Open the Zemax License Manager application on any machine that you run Zemax software.

Note: License Manager versions dated before Sept 2019 will not show the bold text so cannot be used for this. 

Go to the "View License" section. You can tell the difference as the subscription licenses have a bold text for the expiration date. See the example image below for examples of both license types. 

If you are still not sure contact sales@zemax.com and they can verify it. Be sure to provide your license number such as L100000.

 

Single user licenses

The following section describes how to identify single user licenses. 

Single user Red, Green, or Black USB hardkey licenses

First, check all USB ports on your computer for a USB key which is about the size of a USB thumb drive. These keys must be plugged into the machine which is using them. They look like the following:

 

 

If you are using a single user Black USB key, these need to be plugged into the same machine where Opticstudio is installed. You can check the license itself, as it will have a matching 5-digit number engraved on it. For example, this license is 29966.

 

Red and Green single user licenses do not have the license number engraved directly, but Zemax places a sticker on them with the license number (such as L1XXXXX).

 

If the key itself does not have the license number on it, follow these steps:

1. Launch OpticStudio. Look at the window title bar. Make note of either the 5-digit number or 7-digit alpha-numeric string like "L100000."
2. To confirm the type, open Help...License Manager

 

 

3. In OpticStudio versions that postdate June 2019, Black USB license information is listed under the New License section.

 

 

Red or Green USB license information is listed under the View License section. These are differentiated from softkey licenses with the designation License Type: Hardware.

 

 

4. In OpticStudio versions that predate June 2019, check the License Information section for Black, Red, or Green USB license information. Note the License type: Hardware, which tells you this license is plugged into this machine rather than a remote server. 

 

 

Note: If you have a Red or Green USB license attached you your machine, you will find the key serial number starting with "L" that matches the number displayed in the title bar of OpticStudio. The "Product" field will contain "Standalone," and the License Type is "Hardware". 

Single user softkey licenses

To check if you have a single user softkey license, follow the steps below. 

1. Launch OpticStudio. Look at the window title bar and make note if a 7-digit alpha-numeric string like "L100000" is present. 
   1. If this type of string is not present, you do not have a single user softkey license. 
2. If this type of string is present, confirm the license type by selecting open Help...License Manager.
3. Locate your license key serial number in either the License Information or View License section of the Zemax License Manager.

 

 

 

4. Ensure that the "Product:" field reads "OpticStudio *** Standalone," where "***" indicates your software edition. The license type should read, "Local" for a softkey license, and "Hardware" for a USB license attached to the computer.
5. Record the number listed in the "Key ID:" field.
6. Click Launch Sentinel Admin Control Center from the License Information or Troubleshoot sections. This will open the following page in your web browser.

 

 

7. Navigate to Sentinel Keys and locate your Key ID. If the location given is "Local" and the Key Type is “HASP SL AdminMode Rehostable," you have a single user softkey license installed on your machine. If "Location" is a computer name then this is a network license hosted on another machine. 

For more information on single user softkey licenses, see the Directory page for single user licenses. 

Network licenses

The following section describes how to identify network licenses. 

Network Black USB hardkey licenses

To check if you have this license, first make sure that you do not have a Green, Red or Black USB License plugged into your machine. Assuming this is true, launch OpticStudio and look at the window title bar. If you have a 5-digit number listed here, you have a Network Black USB Hardkey (this number is your key serial number). 

Network softkey and Red USB network licenses

To check if you have this license type, follow the steps below. 

1. Ensure that you do not have a Green, Red, or Black USB hardkey license plugged into your machine.
2. To confirm the type, open Help...License Manager.
3. Locate your license Key serial number in the License Information or View License section.

 

 

 

4. Ensure that the "Product:" field reads "OpticStudio *** Network", where "***" indicates your software edition.
5. Record the number listed in the "Key ID:" field.
6. Click Launch Sentinel Admin Control Center from the License Information or Troubleshoot sections.
7. Navigate to Sentinel Keys and locate your Key ID.

 

 

8. Locate your Key Type:
   1. If the Key Type is "Sentinel HL Net #", then you have a network Red USB hardkey license.
   2. If the Key Type is "HASP SL AdminMode Rehostable”, you have a network softkey license.

 

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