Store the data service's license
The data service checks its license itself, without a network and without activation. The license is a
file with the extension .lic that you receive when you buy the service at wvds.it. Without a valid
license, the service keeps working fully: the first 30 days from the first start are an evaluation
period; after that, a notice remains. No request is refused, no connection closed and no caller sees the
notice because of the license; it appears only in the service's log.
Solution overview
The service reads every *.lic file in these places, in this order, and adds the licenses up:
| Place | Note |
|---|---|
File or folder in the environment variable WKL_LICENSE_PATH | must be set in the service's environment |
%APPDATA%\WKL\Licenses\ of the service account | in the service account's profile; unusual for a service |
%PROGRAMDATA%\WKL\Licenses\ | recommended; every service account can read it |
It checks at start and then every hour, so a newly placed license takes effect within an hour, without a restart.
Steps
- As an administrator, create the folder
%PROGRAMDATA%\WKL\Licenses\if it doesn't exist. - Copy the
.licfile into it. - Restart the service if you don't want to wait for the next hourly check.
Result: In Event Viewer, under Windows Logs > Application, there is an entry from the source
Wkl.Data.Gateway with event ID 9100, for example “Lizenz Wkl.Data.Gateway: lizenziert, Menge 1,
Einheit Installation, Updates bis 04.11.2027.” The service writes its log in German.
What the service reports
The service writes the result at start, on every new day and whenever it changes, not every hour:
| Event ID | Level | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 9100 | Information | licensed, with quantity, unit and end of updates |
| 9101 | Warning | no license for the data service; evaluation with the days left |
| 9102 | Warning | no valid license; the evaluation is over |
| 9103 | Warning | this build was released after maintenance ended; builds released up to the end of maintenance stay licensed |
| 9104 | Warning | a time-limited license has expired |
| 9105 | Warning | a file isn't a valid license; the entry names the file and a code, for example E10_SIGNATURE_INVALID |
| 9109 | Warning | the check wasn't possible; the service works as before |
Every notice names the reason and the way out: place a license in one of the places above or buy one at wvds.it. If there are no entries from the source at all, see The service writes nothing to the event log.
Notes
- No binding to the machine. The license contains no hardware characteristics. When you move or reinstall, copy the file along; back it up with the installation.
- The quantity is reported, not counted. How many installations a license covers is stated in the license and the contract; the service doesn't count.
- Maintenance. A license states up to when released builds are covered. A build released before that date stays licensed for good, even after maintenance ends.
- Evaluation. Its start is kept in the service account's profile under
%APPDATA%\WKL\Evaluation\data-gateway.json. WKL_LICENSE_PATHfor the service. A user environment variable doesn't reach the service. Set it as a system variable and restart the service.