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Licence problems

Troubleshooting — Herzog CAB does not start, reports a licence error or finds no free seat

Herzog CAB cannot be started without a valid licence. Since version 2.0 there are two licensing routes — the customer account (standard case) and Wibu CodeMeter (existing customers with a dongle or CmAct licence). The following sections help with the most common error patterns of both routes. You will find the basics under Sign in and obtain a licence.

Customer account: messages at startup

Message Cause Remedy
The Sign in to your customer account dialog appears although the computer was already signed in The sign-in was cancelled — via Sign out this computer, Release seats or Block in the licence portal, or the lease expired after a long period without a connection. Sign in again; if the computer is blocked in the portal, an administrator must unblock it.
The Sign in to your customer account dialog with Herzog CAB needs to be activated again on this computer. and at the top the notice This computer’s sign-in to the customer account is no longer valid, for example after a password change. Please sign in again. The licence server has ended this computer's sign-in: the password was changed, the user was deleted in the customer account or the computer was signed out in the licence portal. Sign in again with your current password; Herzog CAB then obtains the licence again. If your user was deleted, sign in with another user of the account. Up to version 2.1.0 Herzog CAB stopped at not yet activated in this case; then Support can help.
E-mail address or password is not correct. Typing error or changed password. Reset the password via Forgot password in the licence portal.
The code is not correct. Second factor: code expired or the phone's time is off. Wait for the next code; let the phone set its time automatically. If the authenticator app has been lost, Herzog resets the second factor (support).
All seats taken dialog at startup: All seats of the account "…" are currently taken. All seats are currently occupied, in the program or in the browser. Currently working shows who occupies them. Try again as soon as someone closes Herzog CAB or signs out of the web app. A seat is released at the latest 15 minutes after the last activity. An administrator orders more seats under Subscription and order. Sign in with another account switches the account, Quit closes Herzog CAB.
No free seat notice during work: Herzog CAB has lost its seat in the customer account. The computer was without a connection or in sleep mode for a while, or the seat was released in the licence portal. In the meantime, all seats are occupied. Save your work and quit Herzog CAB. The program is not forcibly closed. It tries every five minutes to get a seat again. Try again checks immediately.
No free seat for: <module>. Please release or request a seat in the licence portal. (under Settings > Licence) No seat was free for this module. Below it you see who is currently working. An administrator releases a computer in the licence portal or orders more seats under Subscription and order.
This user is deactivated. The user was deactivated in the portal. Contact the administrator of the account (Users).
Too many failed attempts. Please try again later. The licence server slows down after several failed attempts from the same connection. Wait a few minutes.
The licence server cannot be reached … No connection to license.herzog-cab.com (internet, proxy, firewall). Check the connection. A computer that is already signed in keeps running with its lease: up to 24 hours, with an offline lease up to 30 days, with version 2.0.0 up to seven days. A connection is mandatory for the first sign-in.
no valid confirmation under Settings > Licence > Lease The lease could not be renewed recently (server not reachable or activation ended). Check the connection and click Renew lease now; if the module is expired or ended in the portal, renew it.
This account is blocked (message in the portal) Herzog has blocked the account; it no longer issues new licences. Contact support.

Away without internet for longer?

Without a connection, Herzog CAB only keeps working for up to 24 hours. So first take an offline lease for up to 30 days under Settings > Licence.

CodeMeter: "No valid licence" at program start

  1. Open the CodeMeter Control Center (double-click the tray icon at the bottom right, or via Windows search).
  2. Check whether a licence for firm code 6001037, article 88805 (full version, Product Code 200006) is displayed there.
  3. If there is no entry at all, the licence has not yet been imported – see Sign in and obtain a licence.
  • Is the dongle plugged into a free USB port? A different port or a direct connection to the computer (without a USB hub) helps with recognition problems.
  • The dongle must remain plugged in during the entire operation.
  • Are you already using the dongle on another computer? It only ever works on one computer at a time.
  • This licence is bound to the fingerprint of the computer and no longer works after a hardware change or computer relocation – see the notes on hardware change and relocation under Sign in and obtain a licence.
  • Check in the Control Center whether the status shows "Activation invalid" – in that case the activation file (.WibuCmRaU) is still missing, see step 4 under Sign in and obtain a licence.
  • Can the licence server be reached on the network? Check in CodeMeter WebAdmin (http://localhost:22350 on the client) under Server Search List whether the server is found.
  • Open the firewall between workstation and licence server – CodeMeter requires port 22350 (TCP/UDP).
  • Are all licence seats already occupied by other workstations? A colleague must then close Herzog CAB first.

Herzog CAB holds the seat of a network licence as long as the program is running, and only releases it when it is closed; after a crash the CodeMeter Runtime releases it. Several program windows on the same computer together occupy only one seat. (Up to version 2.1.0, the program released the seat again immediately after starting, so that the number of seats was not a limit.) If all seats are occupied, the All seats taken dialog appears at startup: "All seats of your Herzog CAB licence are currently taken. A seat becomes free as soon as Herzog CAB is closed on another computer. CodeMeter WebAdmin on the licence server shows who is working." Try again makes Herzog CAB check again, Quit closes the program.

"The Firm Access Counter has a value of 0" / Error 38

This error differs from the cases above: it means that the copy protection of Herzog CAB has blocked the licence for security reasons – for example because a debugger, a remote support tool or a virtualisation environment was detected while Herzog CAB was running. This can also happen with completely harmless software (remote maintenance, virus scanner).

Not a self-help case

This block can not be lifted by restarting, uninstalling or unplugging/replugging the dongle – the counter is in the licence itself. It must be reset by Herzog GmbH.

Proceed as follows:

  1. Open the CodeMeter Control Center and note the container serial number of the affected licence (firm code 6001037).
  2. Contact support and state the serial number and the exact error text.
  3. Herzog GmbH sends you back an activation file, which you import in the CodeMeter Control Center.

Licence check at a glance

This is how Herzog CAB checks the licence at program start:

flowchart TD
  S[Program start] --> CM{CodeMeter licence<br>present?}
  CM -- yes --> OK[Program starts]
  CM -- no --> M[Load stored lease,<br>renew silently at the licence server]
  M --> V{Lease valid?}
  V -- yes --> OK
  V -- no --> P{Computer known,<br>but no free seat?}
  P -- yes --> A[All seats taken:<br>Try again · Quit]
  A -- Sign in with another account --> L
  P -- no --> L[Sign in to your customer account]
  L -- signed in --> OK
Status Behavior
CodeMeter licence present, valid Program starts normally.
No CodeMeter container, computer signed in to the account Program starts normally; lease is renewed in the background.
No CodeMeter container, computer not signed in Sign in to your customer account dialog.
Lease expired, server not reachable Notice dialog; with a connection, the program starts again.
Licence expired / module ended Notice dialog, program does not start.
No valid licence Notice dialog, program does not start.
Firm Access Counter = 0 (Error 38) Program does not start, support case (see above).

Web app: no access

Message Remedy
Herzog CAB Web is not enabled for account …, or the trial has expired. Order an annual subscription under Subscription and order or enquire with sales. A licence without an end date (lifetime) only applies to the program, not to the web app. The data is retained.
All seats of this account are currently taken. Occupied: n of m seats. All seats of the account are occupied, in the program or in the browser. A seat is released as soon as someone closes Herzog CAB or signs out, on the web at the latest after 15 minutes without activity. An administrator orders more seats under Subscription and order.

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