Managing Packages and Licenses

Licensing in CODESYS

In addition to the standard installation of CODESYS there are add-on products that are chargeable and require a license. The licenses for such products are obtainable from 3S-Smart Software Solutions GmbH in the form of ticket numbers and can be installed via the CODESYS license manager.

The license manager stores the license information on a USB hardware dongle (CODESYS dongle), which you must have plugged in to your PC.

In the license repository you can retrieve the current information for each ticket number from the central license server. Here you can obtain, for example, information about whether a license can still be activated or whether it can be returned.

License check on starting CODESYS

During the start-up CODESYS checks according to the profile selection whether the selected profile contains plug-ins requiring a license.

  • If the profile contains no plug-ins requiring a license, CODESYS starts as usual without a message.

  • If the profile contains plug-ins requiring a license, CODESYS similarly starts without a message if a dongle with the required licenses is plugged into the USB port on the computer.

  • If the profile contains plug-ins requiring a license, but no dongle is present or a necessary license cannot be found, then the dialog box Missing License appears when CODESYS is started.

    Please note: When starting via the command line, this dialog box is skipped if you enter the option --skipunlicensedplugins in the command line. In this case plug-ins without the required license are automatically not loaded.

License check during operation

While CODESYS is running, the required licenses are checked every five minutes. If a license is missing, for example because the dongle was removed in the meantime, then the Missing License dialog box opens and you have the following options:

  • Insert the dongle again and press Retry: If the dongle contains the missing licenses, then you can continue working as usual.
  • Save and Close Current Project: CODESYS saves the project and closes.
  • Exit: CODESYS closes without saving the project.

Note

An error message appears if you remove the license dongle after the CODESYS plug-in has been loaded.

In order to rectify the problem, insert the dongle again and press the Retry button. If the dongle contains a valid license, the dialog box closes and you can continue working as usual. CODESYS is terminated with the Cancel button.

See also

License manager

With the license manager in CODESYS you can manage the licenses for add-on products on a CODESYS dongle or in a soft container. A soft container is the software counterpart to a dongle. It allows hardware licenses to be bound to a single PC even without a dongle.

Note

During the licensing a distinction is made as a matter of principle between CODESYS licenses and licenses for individual devices.

  • The licensing of CODESYS products is done by the license manager.
  • The licensing of end devices is done via the PLC settings. The licensing process takes place in a similar way to the licensing of CODESYS licenses

See also

Package Manager

In the Package Manager, CODESYS offers a functionality for the extension of the standard installation of CODESYS with additional features and configuration settings. The concept of the Package Manager resembles the concept of typical Windows installation mechanisms.

A package is a ZIP file with the file extension .package.

Possible package components

  • Plug-ins
  • Libraries
  • Device descriptions
  • Supplier descriptions
  • Profiles
  • Information profiles
  • Profile changes
  • Files
  • Extensions for the configuration of the menu, the toolbar, the shortcuts and the views
  • Modules for online help
  • Complete menu configurations for special profiles
  • Complete toolbar configurations for special profiles
  • Complete keyboard configurations for special profiles
  • Options
  • Library profiles

Note

You can compare the CRC that CODESYS displays in the dialog box Details of the package manager and in the dialog box Installation - License Agreement of the setup wizard with the package CRC of the package vendor. This way you can ensure that you have installed an original package.

See also