Working with the LicensingSettings.xml File

The LicensingSettings.xml file contains the ABBYY FineReader Engine protection settings. This file is used for correct work of the Licensing Service:

  • (required) when you use a Network license with any type of protection or Standalone license with online protection.
  • (optional) when you use a Standalone license with hardware protection (see Licensing).

The file is generated automatically during Developer or Runtime installation in automatic mode. Both for network and standalone installation this file is generated in two locations:

  • for a 32-bit operating system:
    • %CommonProgramFiles%\ABBYY\SDK\12\Licensing\
    • <Installation Folder>\Bin\
  • for a 64-bit operating system:
    • %CommonProgramFiles(x86)%\ABBYY\SDK\12\Licensing\
    • <Installation Folder>\Bin64\ (if available)
    • <Installation Folder>\Bin\ (if available)

When installing manually, you will have to create this file in the Bin (Bin64) folder and specify correct settings in it.

The XML schema of the Licensing Service settings is described in the LicensingSettings.xsd file. You can find this file in the Inc folder (Start > Programs > ABBYY FineReader Engine 12 > Installation Folders > Include Files Folder).

Changing the Licensing Service settings

The Licensing Service settings include two main parts:

  1. The settings of the Licensing Service installed on the current computer which are specified in the <LocalLicenseServer> tag.
  2. The parameters of connection with the network server, where the Licensing Service is installed. These parameters are specified in the <LicensingServers>\<MainNetworkLicenseServer> tag.

If ABBYY FineReader Engine is installed on a local computer, you should specify the settings only in the <LocalLicenseServer>, if necessary. While if ABBYY FineReader Engine works in a network, <LocalLicenseServer> parameters are specified on the server, and <LicensingServers>\<MainNetworkLicenseServer> parameters on workstations. If a computer is used both as a server and as a workstation, both <LocalLicenseServer> and <LicensingServers>\<MainNetworkLicenseServer> parameters should be specified. See the descriptions of tags below for details.

To change port number

To disable hardware protection keys

Using an Online License with a proxy server

An Online License does not require any special settings, but to connect via a proxy server you should specify its parameters in <OnlineLicensing> tag.

The protocol supported is HTTP for which you can use Anonymous, Basic or Digest authentication schemes.

Here is a sample file with the proxy server settings for Online Licensing:

<LocalLicenseServer>
  <OnlineLicensing Timeout="timeout_time" ProxyServer="http://server_name:port_number" ProxyAuth="login:password" />
  <ConnectionProtocol ProtocolType="protocol_type" />
</LocalLicenseServer>
  

Setting a path to license data

By default, ABBYY FineReader Engine stores the auxiliary information about licensing in %ProgramData%\ABBYY\SDK\12\Licenses. To set another folder, specify the Path attribute in <LicensesFolder> tag. The full control permissions to a license data folder:

  • required for the folder located on license server
  • optional for the folder located on workstations

Note: You may also use the InitializeEngine function to redefine the license data folder.

Sample of specifying the license data folder

Setting up a redundant license server configuration

For licenses distributed via the network, you have the option of setting up a two-server configuration which will allow one of the servers to act as a backup to another in case it goes offline. To do this, you will need a single Network Runtime License of a special type with redundancy support enabled.

  • On servers:
    • The same license must be activated on both the main and the backup server.
    • Each of the servers must specify the address of the other in the <LocalLicenseServer>\<RedundancyNetworkLicenseServer> tag.
  • On workstations:
    • All workstations must specify the addresses of both servers in the <LicensingServers>\<MainNetworkLicenseServer> and <LicensingServers>\<BackupNetworkLicenseServer> tags.

While using the license, the workstations will interact with the main license server, sending the license parameters and usage statistics to it. The main license server will regularly synchronize this data with the backup server. If the main license server fails, the backup server takes over the license management and continues to store information coming from the workstations. When the main server goes online, the license data is synchronized with the backup, and the main server again starts managing the licenses.

Note that the backup server will stop providing licenses, if the main server is not restored before a certain timeout. This timeout is specified in internal license settings and can range from 4 to 5000 hours.

If the backup license server fails while the main server is functional, the system will continue to work as if there is only one license server. When the backup server is restored, it will be synchronized with the main server and will start working as a backup again.

To update the license after expiration on both servers:

  1. Turn off any of both servers.
  2. Update the license on the available server.
  3. Turn off the server with the updated license.
  4. Turn on the previously turned off server.
  5. Update the license on the available server.
  6. Restore the connection between the servers by turning them on.
  7. Restart the Licensing Service on both servers to refresh the license settings.

See the sample of setting the redundancy for workstations and servers below.

Sample of a redundant configuration

Note: If you need to use this configuration, please make sure that your license supports it. Contact your sales manager to find out.

Description of Tags

Tag Type Multiplicity Parent Tag Description
LicensingSettings

LicensingSettings.

Elements:

  • LocalLicenseServer
  • LicensingServers
  • LicensesFolder
1 no Protection settings.
LocalLicenseServer

LocalLicenseServerSettings.

Elements:

  • ConnectionProtocol
  • EnableCodeMeterLicenses
  • OnlineLicensing
  • RedundancyNetworkLicenseServer
0...1 LicensingSettings The parameters of the Licensing Service located on the same computer.
ConnectionProtocol

Complex Type.

Attributes:

  • ProtocolType — the protocol type: LocalInterprocessCommunication, NamedPipes, TCP/IP, or Sockets.

Note: This is an additional protocol type for the local Licensing Service. It is not necessary to specify this attribute for a standalone installation, as Standalone licenses are always used with the LocalInterprocessCommunication protocol type.

  • EndPointName — (optional) port number. By default, "3022".
0...1 LocalLicenseServer The parameters of the connection protocol.
OnlineLicensing

Complex Type.

Attributes:

  • Timeout — (optional) specifies reconnection period

Currently the only supported protocol for connection via a proxy server is HTTP, for which you may specify the following attributes:

  • ProxyServer —  (optional) the address of the proxy server and the connection settings, as a string "protocol://server:port", where the substrings' meanings are:
  • protocol — the protocol used to connect to the proxy server. Currently the only supported value is HTTP.
  • server — the name or IP-address of the proxy server.
  • port — the connection port.
  • ProxyAuth — (optional) authentication to a proxy server as a string "login:password", where the substrings' meanings are:
  • login — the username for authorization.
  • password — the password for authorization.
0...1 LocalLicenseServer Specifies whether online licenses can be used on the computer.
EnableCodeMeter
Licenses

Complex Type.

Attributes:

  • Enable — specifies whether CodeMeter protection keys can be used on the computer (set it to "yes" or "no"). By default, "yes".
0...1 LocalLicenseServer Specifies whether CodeMeter hardware protection keys can be used on the computer.
EnableIKey
Licenses

Complex Type.

Attributes:

  • Enable — specifies whether iKey protection keys can be used on the computer (set it to "yes" or "no"). If this tag was not specified, the value of Enable attribute is "yes". But it switches to "no" after automatic installation of ABBYY FineReader Engine.
0...1 LocalLicenseServer Specifies whether iKey hardware protection keys can be used on the computer.
RedundancyNetwork
LicenseServer

NetworkServerAddress.

Attributes:

  • ServerAddress — the DNS name or IP address of another server in the redundant configuration.
  • ProtocolType — the protocol type: LocalInterprocessCommunication, NamedPipes, TCP/IP, or Sockets.
  • EndPointName — (optional) port number. By default, "3022".
0...1 LocalLicenseServer Specifies the settings of connection to another server and synchronization with it for each of the network license servers which work together in a redundant two-server configuration.
LicensingServers

Complex Type.

Elements:

  • MainNetworkLicenseServer
  • BackupNetworkLicenseServer
0...1 LicensingSettings The list of network servers where the Licensing Service is installed.
MainNetworkLicense
Server

NetworkServerAddress.

Attributes:

  • ServerAddress — the DNS name or IP address of the computer where the Licensing Service is installed.
  • ProtocolType — the protocol type: LocalInterprocessCommunication, NamedPipes, TCP/IP, or Sockets.
  • EndPointName — (optional) port number. By default, "3022".
1 LicensingServers The parameters of the connection with the main network server where the Licensing Service is installed.
BackupNetwork
LicenseServer

NetworkServerAddress.

Attributes:

  • ServerAddress — the DNS name or IP address of the computer where the Licensing Service is installed.
  • ProtocolType — the protocol type: LocalInterprocessCommunication, NamedPipes, TCP/IP, or Sockets.
  • EndPointName — (optional) port number. By default, "3022".
0...1 LicensingServers The parameters of the connection with the backup network license server.
LicensesFolder

Complex Type.

Attributes:

  • Path - the path to a folder with the licensing information. By default, "%ProgramData%\ABBYY\SDK\12\Licenses".
    The full control permissions to a license data folder:
    • required for the folder located on license server
    • optional for the folder located on workstations
0...1 LicensingSettings Specifies where a folder with auxiliary information about licensing should be stored.

Samples

The sample below shows a simple LicensingSettings.xml file for a standalone installation. Local inter-process communication is used. Hardware protection keys are disabled.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LicensingSettings xmlns="http://www.abbyy.com/Protection/LicensingSettings">
  <LocalLicenseServer>
    <ConnectionProtocol ProtocolType="LocalInterprocessCommunication" />
    <EnableCodeMeterLicenses Enable="no" />
    <EnableIKeyLicenses Enable="no" />
  </LocalLicenseServer>
</LicensingSettings>
    

The samples below show simple LicensingSettings.xml files for a network installation: a file for workstations and a file for a server. Licensing Service is located on the computer with the name "computername". The TCP/IP protocol is used for communication between the server and workstations.

For a workstation:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LicensingSettings xmlns="http://www.abbyy.com/Protection/LicensingSettings">
  <LicensingServers>
    <MainNetworkLicenseServer ServerAddress="computername" ProtocolType="TCP/IP" />
  </LicensingServers>
</LicensingSettings>
    

For the server:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LicensingSettings xmlns="http://www.abbyy.com/Protection/LicensingSettings">
  <LocalLicenseServer>
    <ConnectionProtocol ProtocolType="TCP/IP" />
  </LocalLicenseServer>
</LicensingSettings>
    

See also

ABBYY FineReader Engine Distribution Kit

Distribution of Applications Which Use the ABBYY FineReader Engine Library

Installing the Licensing Service

24.03.2023 8:51:52

Usage of Cookies. In order to optimize the website functionality and improve your online experience ABBYY uses cookies. You agree to the usage of cookies when you continue using this site. Further details can be found in our Privacy Notice.