Avanti uses a registry-based license key to enforce license compliance. Customers may need to update their license key under the following circumstances:
•A paid support agreement renewal.
•A demonstration key is about to expire.
•A demonstration key is being upgraded to a permanent license.
•A permanent key is being updated with additional license units.
A license key for a new or updated license will be provided by Migration Specialties via e-mail. Each license key is unique to the license for which it is generated.
The license key will look like the permanently expired example below. Copy every line:
== Paste from here ==>
exRoWhPhjYXPEPdqEiAw
kqiO+oXLmcad+BsQca/d
0cIUqDQbdHfS8wRZfbpj
z3hr5koOMnacQsUEeS7y
x7468BVGJOn56lQgEQRZ
8Cozppw.sv1.AXqs0xm_
lZxNCWUF8ysIn4Xcaf5d
eiKQG2722OeVIRUx_4yy
iEaCKvWuMV0O4V6uSiXS
jhYmKdSGhQOX3TQ8TwQ
<== to here ==
To install the license key, open the Avanti Configuration Utility with administrator rights, and go to Help -> Install License Key. Paste the complete key into the dialog and choose OK, or choose Cancel to leave the installed key unchanged. After a successful installation the utility displays the installed key's details. An invalid key or a failed registry operation produces a warning instead.
Avanti opens an installed license key read-only when displaying or validating it, so an administrator-installed key can be used when the emulator is run by a standard user. If Windows denies access, the key has the wrong registry value type, or the stored text is malformed, Avanti reports that condition separately from an absent key. The configuration utility verifies an install or removal and attempts to restore the previous registry value if verification fails. Malformed stored strings can be replaced or removed when their original bytes can be read for rollback. License changes from configuration utilities are serialized; if another utility holds exclusive access, close other license editors and retry with administrator rights. Do not edit the value with external registry tools during an install or removal.
A configuration requiring license units validates the installed key only when the emulator starts. A running instance keeps its admitted unit claim until shutdown or process exit; later key replacement, removal, read failure, expiry, or changes to update eligibility do not interrupt it. Restart that instance to use a different key. The emulator's license information describes the key used at startup, including any remaining-day count at that time; the configuration utility displays the currently installed key. A zero-unit configuration does not read or require a key at startup.
Avanti also validates the shared host accounting data before using it. If a running instance finds that data inconsistent, abandoned, or incompatible, it records a quarantine warning in the emulator log and keeps its already-admitted guest running without further accounting access. New instances are refused while the unusable shared mapping exists. Stop every Avanti instance on the host, including services, and then restart the required instances; after the final holder exits, Windows removes the mapping and the next start creates a fresh one. Do not terminate a guest merely to dismiss the warning unless you are ready for that coordinated restart.
The utility refreshes its license-unit status after a confirmed install or removal attempt, even if the operation fails. It does not poll for changes made elsewhere; use Help -> Show License Key to read the current key and refresh the status explicitly. Cancel does not reread or change the key.
Removing a License Key
Open the Avanti Configuration Utility with administrator rights and choose Help -> Remove License Key. Choose OK to confirm removal, or Cancel to leave the key unchanged. If removal fails, the utility displays a warning. After removal, use Help -> Show License Key to verify that no key is installed; removal does not open a separate success dialog.
Removing the key does not uninstall Avanti, delete configuration files, or stop running emulators. A later start that requires license units needs an eligible installed key and sufficient available units; a zero-unit configuration can still start without a key. When transferring a license to another host, shut down the licensed emulator instances on the old host and remove its key before installing the key on the new host. If failure or inaccessibility of the old host makes removal impossible, you may install the key on another host only if you ensure that no attempt is made to run Avanti on the old host while the key remains installed there. If the old host later becomes accessible, remove the key before any attempt to start Avanti on that host, as required by the license agreement.
Why Update a Permanent License Key?
A permanent license has no termination date, so why update the key? Renewing support can provide a key with a later support date, which is the key's update-eligibility date. Avanti compares that date with the release date encoded in the software, not necessarily the date on which the software was distributed. A maintenance patch may retain the encoded release date of the version it patches, so a key eligible for the original version is also eligible for that patch. A renewed key is required only when the software's encoded release date is after the key's support date.
