Using the CATALYST Professional License Air Gapped System Tool

The CATALYST Professional License Air Gapped System tool is designed for applying a license to an air gapped system. Use this tool to license software on computers that are behind a firewall or lack internet access.

The tool allows you to manage licenses by downloading them onto a portable external drive (e.g., a USB stick) and then uploading them to the air gapped system. Your license remains accessible for the duration of your purchase period of the software, unless returned early.

To use this tool, you only require internet access to sign in when acquiring the licenses; or when returning a license earlier than the expiry date.

To sign in and manage your licenses, select the provided hyperlink in the tool. This will open a browser where you can enter your credentials. If you do not have credentials, please contact your system administrator or the CATALYST Support Team for assistance at [email protected].

1. Downloading and Installing Licenses

This section explains how to download licenses onto a portable device and install them on a host computer without an internet connection.

1.1. Obtaining the Machine ID

You will need the Machine ID of the host computer (the one without internet access) to install the licenses successfully. The Machine ID can be obtained by running the dnpgetmachineid executable from the CATALYST installation folder.

1. Open a command prompt and navigate to the CATALYST installation folder.
   • The default location of the installation folder is found here: C:\PCI Geomatics\CATALYST Professional\exe
2. Type dnpgetmachineid.exe and hit Enter. The command will return your Associated Machine ID (See below).

3. Record the 9-digit value provided by this executable, as you will need this when downloading the licenses from a computer with internet.

1.2. Downloading the Licenses

To acquire and download the licenses, sign in on a computer with internet access.

To download the licenses, follow these steps:

1. Access the Download and Install Tab
   • Select the "Download and Install" tab at the top of the license air gapped system tool. Note, internet access is required for this step.
2. Sign In
   • Click the "Download Licenses" option and use the provided link to sign in.
3. View Licenses
   • Once signed in, a list of your available licenses will be displayed. If no licenses are shown, contact your system administrator or the CATALYST Support Team as your organization may not have any currently allocated.
4. Select License
   • Choose a license. Once selected, the associated license codes and their end dates will be shown in the utility. Note, the downloaded licenses will be valid for the duration of your purchase period.
5. Fill in Machine ID
   • Enter this Machine ID from the host computer in the appropriate field. Failure to provide the correct Machine ID will prevent the software from running on the host computer, even with installed licenses.
6. Select Portable Device
   • Navigate to the portable device (e.g., a USB stick) where the licenses will be downloaded.
7. Download Licenses
   • Click the "Download Licenses" button. The licenses will be automatically downloaded onto the portable device.
8. Transfer to Host Computer
   • Close the utility, unplug the portable device, and transfer it to the host computer for installation.

1.3. Installing the Licenses

For the next steps, sign in on the host computer.

To install the licenses, follow these steps:

1. Insert Portable Device
   • Connect the portable device used for downloading the licenses to the host computer.
2. Select License Location
   • Click the "Browse" button to navigate to the location on the portable device where the licenses are stored.
3. Display Licenses
   • Once you click OK, the licenses will be displayed in a list in the utility.
4. Install Licenses
   • Click the "Install Licenses" button to automatically install the licenses in the appropriate location.
5. Complete Installation
   • Close the utility and launch the desired CATALYST application on the host computer.

2. Returning Licenses

To return an offline license early, you must enable the return capabilities with an activation code, called a “return license code.” You must acquire the code from the CATALYST Support Team, which will then be made available in your list of licenses. To retrieve the return license code, you must have internet access and be signed in.

2.1. Downloading and Installing the Return License Code

This section follows the same steps as required for downloading licenses, except that retrieving the return license code is time-sensitive (typically, a couple of days).

To download and install the return license code provided by the CATALYST Support Team, follow these steps:

1. Access the Download and Install Tab
   • Select the "Download and Install" tab at the top of the panel.
2. Sign In
   • Click the "Download Licenses" option and use the provided link to sign in.
3. View Licenses
   • Once signed in, a list of your available licenses will be displayed. Because you requested to return a license early with the CATALYST Support Team, this list will now include a return license code.
4. Select Return License Code
   • Choose "Return License" to access the return license code.
   • The return license code will be displayed with its expiration date. Note that this code is granted for a short period. If not used within this timeframe, contact the CATALYST Support Team for a new code.
5. Fill in Machine ID
   • Enter the Machine ID of the host computer (the same ID used when acquiring the licenses). (If needed, retrieve the Machine ID again by running the dnpgetmachineid executable on the host computer using the command prompt.)
6. Select Portable Device
   • Navigate to the portable device where the return license code will be downloaded.
7. Download Licenses
   • Click the "Download Licenses" button. The return license code will be automatically downloaded onto the portable device.
8. Transfer to Host Computer
   • Close the utility, unplug the portable device, and transfer it to the host computer.
   • Use the "Browse" button to select the location on the portable device where the return license code is stored.
   • Once selected, it will be listed in the utility. Click the "Install Licenses" button to automatically install the return license code to the appropriate location.
9. Complete Installation
   • Close the utility. Upon relaunching it, the "Return Licenses" tab should now be available.

2.2. Returning Installed Licenses

To return the licenses, follow these steps:

1. Access the Return Licenses Tab
   • Select the "Return Licenses" tab on the utility, which will now be available.
2. View Installed Licenses
   • The list of licenses previously installed on the host computer will be displayed, along with the return license code.
3. Select Portable Device
   • Choose the portable device where the licenses will be transferred. Once transferred, move this device to a computer with internet access.
4. Transfer Licenses
   • Click the "Copy Licenses" button to transfer the licenses to the portable device. Note that after this transfer, you will no longer be able to run CATALYST software on the host computer.
5. Complete Transfer
   • Close the utility, unplug the portable device, and connect it to the computer with internet access.
6. Launch License Manager
   • On the computer with internet access, launch the CATALYST Professional License Air Gapped System.
7. Sign In
   • Sign in by selecting one of the hyperlinks in the "Download and Install Licenses" tab. If you have a return license code, you will have access to the "Return Licenses" tab.
8. Return Installed Licenses
   • Select the "Return Licenses" tab and choose the "Return Installed Licenses" option.
   • Use the "Browse" button to select the location of the portable device holding the licenses to be returned. The list of licenses to return will update automatically.
   • Click the "Return Licenses" button.