About license keys and activation

This topic explains the cloud licensing mechanism used by RMH, and how license keys are activated for the licensed RMH apps (POS, Store Manager, Central Manager, and Central Connector/Central Client).

When you order RMH apps through the RMH Hub, license keys are generated for each app using a cloud licensing platform. Separate license keys are required to activate the RMH POS, RMH Store Manager, RMH Central Manager, and RMH Central Connector (RMH Central Client) apps.

License keys are not required to activate the administrative apps (RMH Store Administrator and RMH Central Administrator) or the Central Manager communication apps (RMH Central Server and the Flash Bridge). License keys are also not required to activate the free loyalty apps (RMH Store Loyalty and RMH Central Loyalty).

When you install a licensed RMH app on a computer and start the app for the first time, you are prompted to enter the corresponding license key from the RMH Hub to activate the app on that computer. A unique activation signature is created that is composed of the license key plus the device ID of the computer. This activation signature is saved to a file on the computer under C:\ProgramData\RetailHero.

Whenever you start a licensed RMH app, it checks for the presence of the activation signature file on the computer. If the file is not present or is not readable, the app shuts down. If the file is present and readable, the app contacts the cloud licensing service to verify that the license key in the activation signature is valid. If the license key is not valid, the app shuts down. If the license key is valid, the app then checks whether the maximum number of activations has been exceeded.

Each app's license key is assigned a maximum number of activations. The maximum number of activations is equal to the number of concurrent seats the customer purchases for each licensed RMH app plus 5 additional activations. So, for example, if a customer purchases 12 concurrent seats for RMH POS and 2 concurrent seats for RMH Store Manager, RMH POS can be activated on 17 computers (12+5) and RMH Store Manager can be activated on 7 computers (2+5).

If the maximum number of activations has been exceeded for an app's license key, the activation process fails and the app shuts down. This prevents fraudulent use of an app's license key on unauthorized computers. If the maximum number of activations has not been exceeded, the app then checks whether a concurrent seat is available to take from the relevant pool. Refer to About license keys and concurrent seats for more information.

It is important to understand that the 5 additional activations are not the same as 5 additional concurrent seats. For example, if a customer purchases 12 concurrent seats for RMH POS, they can install and activate the app on 17 computers (12+5), but they cannot operate the app on all 17 computers at the same time. The customer can only operate the app on 12 of the 17 computers at the same time, because they only purchased 12 concurrent seats for the app.