Scientific Volume Imaging b.v.
The license keys used by all Huygens Software are text strings, one per licensed package. A single license string may look as follows:
HuEss-2.9-wcnp-d2-tv-emnps-eom2008Dec31-e7b7c623393d708e-{frank@your.com}-4fabadbe86e8ca4344dd
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These license strings are provided by SVI via e-mail, and are stored in a text file in the software installation directory or the user's home directory. At start up a program like Huygens Essential searches for a file named huygensLicense which contains one or more license strings.
You are very welcome to apply for a free license string to test any of the Huygens Software functionalities. Please keep reading.
If you are not upgrading from a previous installation it is likely that a license is not yet available. To enable us to generate a license string for you we need the fingerprint number of your computer, the system ID.
If you have not done so already, start Huygens Essential. The system ID is displayed in the Help > About dialog. Send it to 
, you'll be provided with a license string. To prevent any typing error use the copy button to save the ID to the clipboard. You can stamp it into your mail message with the Edit > Paste button of your mail program.
Installing a license string is the same for all platforms, though on Linux, Irix and AIX only the superuser can do this.
(*) In some Windows systems (like Vista) it may be required that, for the purposes of the license installation only, the program is executed with administrator privileges. For that, right click on the program icon or menu entry and choose 'Run as administrator'. This happens only if the file huygensLicense in the program directory has restricted writing permissions, which is something the program installer tries to prevent as far as possible. Therefore this may not be necessary at all, and any user may be able to add license strings.
(**) Huygens Core doesn't have a graphical interface unless you run it with the -gui option but for the purposes of installing a license string any other Huygens program will do, like essential. Alternatively, you can add the license string directly to the license text file; see below.
(***) The key combinations for copy / paste generally are: Mac OS X: apple-c / apple-v; Windows: control-c / control-v; Linux, Irix, Aix: on most common desktops copying is done simply by marking the text area with the mouse, and pasting by either middle mouse click or control-v.
Please try to avoid typing the license string by hand: any small typing error will invalidate the license. With an invalid license, the software will remain in FreeWare mode.
In any case, you can also paste the license string directly to the license text file: see below.
It is no problem to install more than one license. The Huygens Software will automatically make all the options available that are enabled by the various valid licenses. You can for example have permanent licenses for some of the program options, and still add other temporal licenses that will enable functionalities that you want to test for free.
To apply for a test license, just Contact Svi!
When you have a permanent license while you have a valid maintenance contract you will receive automatically twice a year (spring and autumn) a new license for the new release.
When you have a permanent license while your maintenance contract has expired the license will continue to work as before on the computer it is installed on. However, you won't get a new license for the new release that will be available twice a year so you must not download and install that latest version unless you have a valid maintenance contract again.
While under maintenance you can migrate your license for free every two years to another computer with the same OS (calamities like fires, floods etc are not counted). That's usually quite enough. Simply email sales@svi.nl or support@svi.nl with your new Huygens sysID and you'llreceive a new license within 24 hours.
If your maintenance has expired that right doesn't exist anymore but to accomodate users that have really limited budgets they can then still migrate for a small fee their license (from 2.4 onwards) to another computer with the same OS while it keeps the same release number. E.G, when they have a 2.8 license they can get another 2.8 license for another computer with the same OS.
The most common problems arising when getting license strings and some tips for their solutions are summarized in License String Problems Imp Faq.
The license string is added to the file huygensLicense in the SVI directory. On the different supported platforms this is located in:
On AIX, Irix and Linux and Mac OS X an alternative location is the user's home directory. On OS X this is especially convenient when updating frequently.
You can also edit this file with a regular text editor and paste the license string on it.
You can have detailed information about your license strings by going to Help > License, select the license string you want to inspect, and click EXPLAIN LICENSE.
