License Codes

MTP license codes are used to identify and register various classes of software for use on a particular system.  Public trials and most purchased clients automatically register their license codes when they first run, so the user does not need to enter it themselves.  Purchased servers and some purchased clients do require entry of a license code, depending on the software and configuration.

• Public trial applications do not require license code entry.
• For purchased servers, you must enter a license code the first time servedat is installed on a system.  You may need to re-enter the code if the system hardware is later changed.  For Windows installations, make sure you are logged into a local administrator account, not a domain account, when installing servedat.
• Purchased ExpeDat Desktop clients have a license code, but you will not be required to enter it unless you have requested a restricted configuration.
• Purchased movedat and mtping clients each have a license code, but you will not be required to enter it unless you have requested a restricted configuration OR you will be running them from a restricted environment such as a web-server CGI script.
• A purchased DropDat master does require you to enter a license code the first time you run it on a new system, unless you have requested otherwise.
• DropDat droplets do not require the user to enter a license code.

Administrators of purchased software and private trials must download their license codes from the same secure customer site where the software is downloaded.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake when registering software is to enter a license code which does not match the software you are registering.  Make sure that you have the latest license codes and are using the correct code for the software you are registering.

Server administrators must take special note of the host binding information listed in the license document and verify that it is correct.  If you are sure this information is correct and this is a new software purchase, then verify that you have downloaded the latest software.  Downloads which pre-date the license code you are using will not accept it.  See Tech Note 0012 for guidance on updating an existing installation.

For meanings of license related errors and how to fix them, see Tech Note 0027.

Automatic Registration

For most configurations of purchased licenses, the ExpeDat Desktop, WebDat, movedat, and mtping applications will automatically register themselves on new systems without the need to enter their license code.  This feature is optional and may be disabled by contacting Technical Support.

Do not rely on automatic registration when installing movedat or mtping for use in a restricted or read-only environment.  Run "movedat -R" or "mtping -R" as the administrative user to ensure that all service, daemon, and scripting users can see a stored registration at run time.  For example, if mtping will be run from a web CGI script, make sure to register its license code as root to avoid execution delays.  See Saving the License for more details.

License Configurations

Depending on the terms of your software license, you may be provided with multiple codes for some applications.  Different license codes may be configured to provide different default settings for your applications.

You only need to keep one copy of your software for each platform you use.  Each executable contains all of your licenses.

For example, each servedat server may have a different license code, each tied to a specific CPU.  You would copy the same executable to all of your servers, then enter a different license code for each one.  See Tech Note 0007 for more information about license binding.  Be sure to use the correct code as using the wrong code may cause the software to behave in unexpected ways.

Saving the License

After validating your code the application will attempt to save a license token.  Note that this token is specific to the CPU on which it was created and will not work if copied to other CPUs.

On unix systems, including macOS, the license tokens for servers and command-line clients will be saved in ~/.dei-mtp and copied into /etc/dei-mtp if this file is writeable.  Placing the token in /etc/dei-mtp registers the application for all users of the system and is necessary when running movedat or mtping in restricted environments such as behind a CGI webserver.

On macOS systems, graphical clients store license tokens in their preferences databases: ~/Library/Preferences/com.dataexpedition.DropDat.plist ~/Library/Preferences/com.dataexpedition.ExpeDat-Desktop.plist ~/Library/Preferences/com.dataexpedition.WebDat.plist

On Windows systems, license tokens will be saved in the Windows registry's Current User class under dei\mtp\ and copied into the Local Machine class if that is writeable.  A backup token will also be placed in the LocalAppData folder in the file dei\dei-mtp.dat.  It is important to register server licenses as the same local admin user that will be used to run the service.  If you use a domain administrator to install a server, or fail to run the installer "As Administrator", the Windows Service may fail to launch.

If you change your hardware configuration, you may need to re-enter your license code.  For example, the first time you switch from ethernet to wireless or install a new network device, you may need to re-enter your code.

If an application repeatedly asks for a license code, check the locations cited above, including the Windows registry if applicable.  If tokens already exist in one or more of these places, delete the token for the affected application from each location and try entering your license code again.  If your license includes multiple codes, make sure you are using the correct code for your location and the application you are registering.  If license problems persist, delete all "dei-mtp" files and registry tokens, then re-enter license codes for all installed MTP software.

Preinstalling the License

The license code can be explicitly set on the command line using the "–R" option for servedat, movedat, and mtping.  This is useful for automated deployment in scripted or embedded scenarios.  ExpeDat Desktop and DropDat will prompt for license codes when needed.  DropDat embeds its license code in each droplet so that end-users should not be prompted for it.

About Your Privacy

Depending on your license and configuration, the application may send a registration message to one of DEI's servers when you first run an application or register a license code.  This message contains only your license code and the public identification text that is available to any MTP application.  See Tech Note 0001 for an example of what this looks like.  No other data from you or your computer is sent.