Reactivate NCache License

NCache License needs to be reactivated on an already activated machine in the following cases:

  • Increase in the number of logical processors.

  • License period expiry.

Note

NCache offers various plans based on the amount of RAM and logical cores you have. For license calculation, please refer to the Alachisoft pricing page or contact Alachisoft Sales.

Logical Processor or RAM Change for NCache License

In case you increase the number of logical processors (on an activated machine) or your memory increases to a number where the requirement for an additional license becomes valid, you need to reactivate your license. If you don't reactivate, the caches will stop.

License Period Expiry

In the case of Subscription-based licensing, the customer is notified 60 days before the license period ends. NCache provides an auto-renewal feature for the license which will check for any next subscription so that the user gets his/her license reactivated for the next period (i.e., the next year after license expiration) automatically.

Auto-renewal is ON by default and is tried by NCache Service on all cache servers 30 days before the license expiration.

If the user no longer wants to continue using the same machine in the next subscription period, they can manually turn off the auto-renewal. To disable auto-renewal, set the auto-renewal flag FALSE in the service configuration file found in NCache installations for .NET and Java editions as follows:

  • Alachisoft.NCache.Service.exe.config located in %NCHOME%/bin/service
  • Alachisoft.NCache.Service.dll.config located in %NCHOME%\bin\service

The following configuration switches off the auto-renewal of the license for your machine:

<add key="NCacheServer.AutoRenewal" value="False"/>

After this, you need to restart NCache Service.

In case of manual activation or if auto-renewal is disabled, the user gets WARNING messages in Event Logs.

Note
  • Auto-renewal starts 30 days before expiry.
  • Manual renewal can be done at any time.

If the request for auto-renewal fails after the grace period ends, the user needs to manually activate NCache for the next period. To renew the license:

  • Purchase a new license period against the same license key. Contact Alachisoft Sales for this.

  • Once a new license period is purchased, activate your machines using a Register NCache tool.

Command Line Reactivation for NCache License

You can reactivate your license using the license key obtained from Alachisoft. NCache provides Register NCache tool along with a Reactivate parameter to reactivate your license. NCache provides two reactivation modes, online and offline.

Online Reactivation

NCache reactivation can be performed in online mode when an internet connection is available on the server. The Reactivate parameter is used to reactivate your license. Just follow the steps below:

  • In the terminal of your choice, execute the following command, by specifying the license key and the Reactivate parameter.
Register-NCache -Key xxxxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxxxx -FirstName John -LastName Smith -Email john@yourdomain.com -Company your_company_name -Server 20.200.20.38 -Reactivate
  • On successful reactivation of your license, you are prompted with a success message.

Offline Reactivation

NCache license can be reactivated in offline mode when an internet connection is not available on the server by specifying the OfflineActivate parameter. Just follow the steps below:

  • In the terminal of your choice, execute the following command to generate your Activation Request Code URL by providing the license key, and specifying Reactivate and OfflineActivate parameters.
Register-NCache -Key xxxxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxxxx -FirstName John -LastName Smith -Email john@yourdomain.com -Company your_company_name -Server 20.200.20.38 -KeyType Extension -OfflineActivate

  • You will be prompted with a long encrypted text on the screen. This is the Activation Request Code URL.

  • Copy this URL from the screen to another machine that has Internet access. It will open the Activation Data Verification page.

  • Once you have verified that the information is correct, click on the Activate! button at the bottom of the page.

  • This will redirect you to the Activation Result page showing the Activation Authorization Code.

  • Copy the Activation Authorization Code back to this machine and execute the following command in command prompt by specifying the Activation Authorization Code against the AuthCode parameter.

Register-NCache -AuthCode xxxxxxxxxxxxxx -OfflineActivate
  • On successful reactivation, you are prompted with a success message.

See Also

Licensing Model
Activate License
Deactivate License
Evaluation Period Management