Installing VSN License Keys
There are two ways of installing VSN license keys. The easiest way is to use the license key installation
menus built into the software. These are accessible from the menu displayed when starting an unlicensed
product and via Help on the main menu bar. The latter method can be used when updating a license key, for
example after renewal of support or maintenance.
Alternatively, you can install the license manually. This is simply a matter of storing the license key
in a text file, in a specified location. This is described further below. It may be more convenient doing
this when you are performing a large installation over a network or in a computing laboratory with a lot
of PCs.
Obtaining license keys
Following registration of your software (or request for a trial license key) you will be sent a key by
email. The key will be provided as an attachment bearing the name of the software (e.g. genstat.lic or
asreml.lic), and the information will be repeated in the body of the message in case your email system
has problems with file attachments. The information is the same in each case and either version can be
used for installation, whichever is more convenient.
If you work in a larger company or institution, you may not need to register the software yourself. In
this case the license key will be provided by your system administrator. It may be provided as a file,
or as an email. Again, either method may be used with the menu options described below.
Install from File
Select this option if you wish to install from a file, then specify the file name. The Browse button
can be used to locate the file.
The file does not need to be located on your hard drive as it will be copied to a default location
(see below).
Install from license text
If you select this option you can enter the text of the license key into the box provided. This is
intended to be used for pasting in the license text (using the Paste button), which would normally
have been copied to the clipboard from an email message. The license text can be typed in directly
although this is not normally recommended as it is very easy to make a mistake, corrupting the key.
Successful Installation
The license key will first be tested to ensure it is valid and then copied into a standard location.
Successful completion of this step will be indicated by a pop-up message showing the location of
the stored license file. Any file which previously existed at this location will be renamed by appending
a serial number (for example appname.lic.1). The serial number will be incremented until a
unique name is generated. (appname is the application name, e.g. genstat or asreml).
Manual Installation
If, for any reason, there are problems installing a valid license key, you can choose to
perform a manual installation, which is quite straightforward. You may also find manual installation
more convenient if you are installing many copies of the software, for example on a network or
in a teaching room.
Simply save the license text (from the email text or attached file) in one of the following locations:
- appdata\VSNi\appname.lic. The exact location for appdata is explained
here. This is the preferred location for the license.
- <application directory>\Bin\appname.lic
. This is more suitable for a network installation
as it stores the license with the application, not on every machine that needs to access it. The application
directory is the location where the software was installed.
For Unix installations, the license file should be stored in the application bin directory, for example
/usr/local/asreml/bin or /usr/local/genstat/bin. The application will normally be invoked using a shell
script which sets the license file location. Another directory or filename can be used if required, so
long as the shell script is amended accordingly.