Introduction
This guide is intended to walk you through pulling a Technology Guard license from the B&R licensing server. This is useful in several scenarios:
- You would like to license an older Automation Studio version (< v4.6), but the updated security restrictions block connection. The latest Technology Guard software includes sufficient encryption.
- You have a single-seat Automation Studio license (TG dongle) that you wish to license on another PC. For example, there is no internet connection or the connection is blocked on the your PC.
- You have Automation Runtime licenses you would like to distribute to Technology Guard dongles without the full Automation Studio.
Installing a license to a Technology Guard Dongle
The following document will step through the procedure to place a license from the B&R Technology Guard server onto a licensing container (TG dongle or SW container). You will need the following hardware, software, and information to perform the procedure:
• A Windows 10 or 11 PC with an available USB port and access to the internet
• Access on that Windows PC to download and install software (PVI Development Setup, B&R software)
• USB Technology Guard dongle (0TG1000.02) or Software Container.
• (helpful) Your B&R website login credentials
• A purchased license on the B&R TG Server
A rough outline of the procedure is as follows:
- Download and install the PVI Development Setup with latest Technology Guarding software version.
- Setup Technology Guarding credentials and select the dongle.
- Activate the license online.
Install PVI Development Setup
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Open your web browser of choice, and go to the B&R website: https://www.br-automation.com/
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In the top-right corner of the page, click Downloads.
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In the Downloads window (A), select Product Groups – Software (B), then select Software – Automation NET/PVI (C), then click the link to download PVI Development Setup (D).
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Extract the downloaded .zip file using Windows, or the unzip utility of your choice.
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Within the resulting folder, double-click to execute the Install.exe (A).
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Select your preferred language, English or German.
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Click Install Now (A).
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Click Next.
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Read and check the checkbox to accept the terms of the License Agreement. Click Next.
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Review the destination directory for the installation. For most users, the default is fine. Click Next.
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On the Choose Components selection screen, expand Drivers and check USB: 1TG0500.02 (Technology Guarding) (A).
The rest of the default installed components work for most users.
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Click Install.
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Wait for the installation to finish.
Setup Technology Guarding
Note that Technology Guarding is undergoing a brand/icon refresh. Some icons may change with B&R Technology Guarding software version v1.7.0 and higher. The workflow remains the same for older versions of Technology Guarding.
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Open the Technology Guarding software. This can be found in the Start menu by searching for “Technology Guarding.”
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Click on “Change options…” (A) in the bottom-left hand corner of the Technology Guarding window.
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Within the options window, right-click on the B&R License server and select Edit server.
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Enter your B&R Website credentials for the Username and Password. Click OK.
If you don’t have a B&R login, placing anything into the username and password field will allow licensing as long as the 25-character key for the license is correct. It is better to place your correct credentials here to save time having to enter in every license key for each license you purchase. (ex. Username = ‘a’, Password = ‘a’)
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If your internet connection requires a configured proxy connection, enter the proxy information in the Proxy fields. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
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Click OK in the Options window to confirm.
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If you are using a Technology Guard dongle-based license, plug the Technology Guard dongle into a USB port on the Windows PC.
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In the B&R Technology Guarding main page, click the three dots (…) to the right of the Dongle selection (A). This will bring up the Select Dongle window.
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Within the Select Dongle window, select the license container or USB dongle you wish to install licenses onto (B). If there is more than one Technology Guard dongle on the PC, you can select one and click the Identify dongle(blink) to cause the Technology Guard dongle to identify itself by blinking.
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Within the Select Dongle window, click OK (C).
Assign the License(s) to the Technology Guard Dongle
- If you have the 25-character license key for your license, enter it into the License Key field with the format: xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
This field is optional if you included your B&R website credentials in the Technology Guarding server setup. For Automation Runtime PLC licenses, the 25-character license keys are rarely used.
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Within the B&R Technology Guarding main page, click Activate license online.
Note: Loading items from the server may take a few minutes.
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Once the available licenses have loaded, select the license (A) to be placed on the Technology Guard dongle or license container. Check the model number and quantity of licenses you would like to move (B). Click the left arrow to assign the license to the Technology Guard dongle (C). Repeat this procedure for as many licenses as needed on the Technology Guard dongle.
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Once all the Technology Guard licenses desired have been assigned to the dongle or license container (D), click Apply Changes to transfer the license (E). Activating the licenses may take a few minutes.
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When the license is activated, you will see the license listed on the main page under the dongle or license container.
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If using a Technology Guard dongle, it can now be removed from the Windows PC and connected to the appropriate hardware and used for software licensing purposes for the activated licenses.
Best of luck with your new Technology Guard licenses!
Best regards,
Austin