License Management in Altium Designer

Altium Designer provides a streamlined licensing system that enables you to get licensed and up and running with your Altium software promptly and efficiently. The exact set of features and functionality that is available will depend on the specific license that has been purchased. The system offers various licensing types to meet and suit your licensing needs. This includes web-based on-demand licensing. Tightly integrated with customer accounts through the Altium portal, web-based on-demand license management allows a license to be used on any computer without the need to move license files or activate on each machine. This provides a global floating license capability – within the geographic scope of your license and the conditions set out in the EULA – without needing to implement your own server.

License Types – Overview

The Altium Designer licensing system features three distinct license types:

• On-Demand – client-side license acquisition is administered by a server managed by Altium. A seat of an On-Demand license acquired by any client computer – within the geographic scope of your license and the conditions set out in the EULA – only while you are signed in to Altium Account. When you sign out, the seat is released so another user can acquire it. The client computer must have internet access to the Altium portal. Licenses can be centrally pooled for 'use and release' by all designers on your team, or alternatively, licenses can be allocated to defined roles within your company.

  Alternatively, a seat of an On-Demand license can be roamed, i.e., acquired for a specified time. In this mode, you can sign out and work offline, in essence roaming freely with your acquired seat; a temporary standalone license as it were.

  This license type provides the greatest degree of flexibility for users who plan to work from multiple machines with an active internet connection.

• Private Server – for organizations that require their Altium Designer installations to remain offline (isolated from the internet), the convenience and flexibility of on-demand software licensing can be provided by a localized Private License Service (PLS), rather than from the cloud-based Altium Licensing Service. Client-side license acquisition is administered by the Private License Service of an Altium Infrastructure Server (a free, on-premise server that provides remote Altium product installation and license management) or an Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server (a distinct server-based solution for design data management). The dedicated Private License Service, implemented on a PC connected to the company LAN/WAN, is set up by an administrator to acquire the company's Altium licenses locally and then serve them over the network to Altium software installations as required. A seat (instance) of a PLS-hosted Altium license can be 'leased' by workstation software when it is in use, then 'revoked' (returned to the available pool of licenses) when no longer required. Licenses can also be served on a Roaming basis, where the license seat is leased to the target machine for a specified time, allowing the software's host PC, e.g., a laptop, to 'roam' freely while isolated from the network.

  This license type is ideal for those who want the flexibility of accessing their licenses from multiple machines but are not able to connect to the Altium On-Demand license server. The Altium Infrastructure Server / Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server and its PLS offer the flexibility required by companies that host multiple Altium software installations, with the bonus that the license and seat usage can be configured, monitored, and controlled from a centralized server, which, in turn, is hosted on a local LAN/WAN that may be isolated from the internet.

  Access continues to be available to the legacy PLS software; this setup and use is often preferable for smaller organizations. One thing to note is that server redundancy is not supported with the Infrastructure Server/Enterprise Server. Please use the legacy Private License Server software if this functionality is required. More details on the legacy private license server can be found in the legacy/frozen documentation here: https://techdocs.altium.com/display/ADOH1/Using+a+Private+Server+License.

• Standalone – client-side license acquisition is managed by the user through the use of a licensing file (*.alf). This file can be saved, copied, and backed up as required. The ALF file is reusable on a home computer (in accordance with the EULA) by copying the file to a specific folder on that computer and then adding the file as part of the Standalone License Configuration. This license type is suitable for a single workstation and solo designer and requires no active internet connection.

The License Management View

License configuration and selection are performed from the License Management view accessed by clicking the Current User control at the top right of the design space and then choosing  from the menu. This is 'command central' for obtaining a license.

Access the License Management view from the Current User control menu.

On-Demand Licensing

Before you can access and use an On-Demand license, you must first sign in to your Altium Account through the secure Altium portal. When not signed in, click the Current User control at the top right of the design space (the control is presented as   when you are not signed in) and then choose  from the menu to access the Sign In dialog. Alternatively, the dialog can be accessed from the License Management view by clicking the  button.

To learn more, refer to Signing in to Your Altium Account.

Once signed in, the information on your Altium Account will be shown at the top of the License Management view, and the available licenses region of the view will automatically present the specific licenses available to you for use (both On-Demand and Standalone licenses). All purchased licenses associated with your Company Account and that are allocated to you for use will be presented here. This includes Altium Designer licenses and any licensing associated with certain paid/licensed extension-delivered functionality.

When signed in, the On-Demand licenses available for you will be presented in the License Management view.

For each On-Demand license, the following information is presented:

• Product – what is being licensed.

• Subscription Renew – the subscription expiration date.

• Seats – how many of the seats available on the license are currently in use and the total number of available seats. For a license being used by at least one user, click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the numbers to show a pop-up providing details of individual seat usage – who is using a seat of the license, in which mode they are using their seat, and the expiry date for their seat (especially pertinent when using the seat in Roaming mode) – .

• License Info – general license information: license type (On-Demand), geographical scope, whether the license is term-based/perpetual/trial, and the activation code.

On-Demand License Use

In normal mode of use for an On-Demand license, a seat of an On-Demand license is acquired by any client computer only while you are signed in to your Altium Account. When you sign out, the seat is released so another user can acquire it.

To use a seat of an available On-Demand license in this mode, click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Use License command from the context menu.

With a license in use, its tile will be labeled with the  icon and highlighted with a green border. The Seats field for the license will update to reflect another seat of that license taken.

To use an On-Demand license in normal mode, use the Use License option.

To release your license, click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Release command from the context menu. You can also force-release a seat from another computer (see Releasing an On-Demand License Remotely).

Roaming an On-Demand License

A seat of an On-Demand license can be roamed, i.e. acquired for a specified time. You do not need to remain signed in to your Altium Account to use the license in this mode – you can sign out and work offline, in essence roaming freely with your license seat.

To use a seat of an available On-Demand license in this mode, click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Roam command from the context menu. The Retain License dialog will appear in which you can define how many days and/or hours you want to roam with the seat. Enter the number of days and/or hours or use the up/down arrows until the desired number(s) appears.

With a license in use in roaming mode, its tile will be labeled with the  icon and highlighted with a green border. The Seats field for the license will update to reflect another seat of that license taken.

To roam an On-Demand license, use the Roam option.

When using a license in roaming mode, you are free to sign out from your Altium Account and work offline. The only time you need to sign in to your Altium Account when using a seat of a license in this mode is when you either want to release the license or extend the roaming period. The latter is performed by clicking again on the  button. Then adjust the roaming period as required, using the Retain License dialog.

Release of a license that is being roamed is performed by signing in to your Altium Account and clicking the button in the license tile or right-clicking the tile and selecting the Release command from the context menu.

Releasing an On-Demand License Remotely

It is possible to force-release a seat on a license that is being used in either On-Demand or Roaming modes. For example, if you forget to release your seat at work when you leave for the day, you can release it from your home computer then use the open seat at home. The extent of your 'release powers' depends on whether or not you are a Group Administrator of your Company Account:

• You are a Group Administrator – you can remotely release a seat used by any user. The seat they are using will be released, and they will lose the license.

• You are not a Group Administrator – you can only release a seat that you are using (on another computer). The seat will be available again.

To release a license, click on the drop-down arrow in the Seats field of the license which seat you want to release. Select the entry for the seat to be released and click the  button (or right-click the entry and select Release). What happens next depends on the mode in which the released license is being used:

• If the seat is used in normal mode, a dialog will appear asking for confirmation to proceed with the release. Click Yes to force-release the seat.

  

• If the seat is roamed, the Altium Honor Code dialog will appear. The dialog essentially asks for your promise, under the Altium Honor Code, that you will not use, or allow others to use, the roaming license on that other computer after its release. Read the text in the dialog carefully and, if you promise to honor the terms as stated – both in the dialog and the EULA – type I Agree in the available field. Then click the  button to proceed with the release.

  

Private Server Licensing

Connection to the Private License Service of the Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server (when the server's PLS mode is set to Local PLS) or Altium Infrastructure Server from Altium Designer is configured using the Private License Server Setup dialog. To access the dialog:

• If you are not signed in to your Altium Account, click the  button.

  

• If you are signed in to your Altium Account, click the Add License control and select Connect to Local Server from the menu that appears.

  

Refer to the Private License Service with Altium On-Prem Enterprise Server and Private License Service with Altium Infrastructure Server pages to learn more.

Standalone Licensing

Activating a Standalone License through Altium Designer

With a Standalone license, the only time you need to sign in to your Altium Account (through the Altium portal) is when you initially activate that license through Altium Designer. During this process, information about your PC is gathered – this is only done to ensure that the license is being used in accordance with the EULA. Other than that, once this type of license has been activated, you can work in a self-contained, offline fashion – the very definition of standalone.

Once signed in, the information on your Altium Account will be shown at the top of the License Management view, and the available licenses region of the view will automatically present the specific licenses available to you for use (both On-Demand and Standalone licenses).

When signed in, the Standalone licenses available for you will be presented in the License Management view.

For each Standalone license, the following information is presented:

• Product – what is being licensed.

• Subscription Renew – the subscription expiration date.

• Seats – if the license was activated by you or another user, this field will show 1/1. For a license that has been activated at least once, click on the drop-down arrow to the right of the numbers to show a pop-up providing details of the activation history for this license ().

• License Info – general license information: license type (Standalone), whether the license is term-based/perpetual/trial, and the activation code.

To activate a Standalone license, click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Activate command from the context menu. With a license activated, its tile will be labeled with the  icon and highlighted with a green border.

To use a Standalone license, activate it from the License Management view.

Having activated your Standalone license, you are free to sign out of your Altium Account and work offline with the license. This, after all, is the very nature of a Standalone license and an aspect put to use by many.

Adding a Standalone License File

A Group Administrator or a License Administrator for your Company Account can also activate a Standalone license file directly through a browser using the Company Dashboard. This is especially useful where client computers cannot access the internet for whatever reason. An admin user – who does have a connection to the internet – accesses and activates the licenses, then passes the relevant AFL file to each client user in the organization. Alternatively, the ALF file for a Standalone file activated through Altium Designer can be saved from the License Management view – learn more.

When you have a saved copy of the license file on the target computer, it can be added to the system in the following ways:

• If you are not signed in to your Altium Account, click  at the right of the button and select Add Standalone License File from the menu that appears.

  

• If you are signed in to your Altium Account, click the Add License control and select Add Standalone License File from the menu that appears.

  

Browse to and select the ALF file using the dialog that opens.

Reactivating a Standalone License

An activated Standalone license can be reactivated from the License Management view by clicking the  button in the license tile or right-clicking the tile and selecting the Reactivate command from the context menu.

To reactivate an already activated Standalone license, use the Reactivate option.

If you are not currently signed in to your Altium Account, the Sign In dialog will open for you to sign in. Once signed in, a dialog will appear alerting you to this fact and warning that using the license again may conflict with another user on the network if they are using the same license. If you are sure you are the only person using the license, click Yes to proceed with reactivation.

Backing up Your Standalone License File

To be able to use a Standalone license between two computers – for example, to work between the office and home (though not running the two instances of Altium Designer simultaneously!) – you will need to have a copy of the license file to transfer it to the other computer. This requires first saving or backing up the file. Backing up the license file also means you will not have to sign in to your Altium Account and reactivate should you accidentally delete the license file.

To create a backup of an activated Standalone license file, click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Save command from the context menu. Use the subsequent dialog to determine where to save the file.

To create a backup copy of your Standalone file, use the Save option.

Removing a Standalone License

To remove an activated Standalone license from a computer – essentially deactivating the license – click the  button in the license tile or right-click the tile and select the Save command from the context menu. A confirmation dialog will appear – click Yes to proceed.

To deactivate a Standalone license, use the Delete option.

Getting an Altium Designer Viewer License

The Altium Designer Viewer license allows you to view Altium Designer without using or needing a full feature license. Your Altium Account is all you need to create and obtain an Altium Designer Viewer license. The Altium Designer Viewer license has no expiration date and the subscription date is set to the date of the request for the license. The Altium Designer Viewer license is linked to your Altium Account and is not accessible from the Company Dashboard.

To obtain an Altium Designer Viewer license, sign in to your Altium Account, open the License Management view, and click the  button in the tile of the Altium Designer license. Once you have created an Altium Designer Viewer license, the  button within its tile will be changed to . This indicates that the license has already been made available for your Altium Account. You can use and release this license in the same way as a 1-seat On-Demand license.

Get an Altium Designer Viewer license right from the License Management view when signed in to your Altium Account.

Licensing Terminology