| What is the licensing article about? | It explains how HELIOS 3D licenses are activated, checked, transferred, and troubleshot. It covers local HL USB dongles, network dongles, virtual SL keys, cloud licenses, Sentinel Admin Control Center, subscription validity, and license server rehosting. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Why is licensing important for HELIOS 3D? | Licensing controls whether HELIOS 3D can start, which modules are available, and how many users can work with the software at the same time. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which license types can be used with HELIOS 3D? | HELIOS 3D licenses may be provided as local HL keys, network dongles, virtual SL keys, or cloud-based licenses, depending on the customer setup. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| When should I use the licensing article? | Use it when HELIOS 3D does not start because no license is available, when a new key must be activated, when a license server is moved, or when the Sentinel Admin Control Center does not show the expected license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What must be installed before a license can be used? | The Sentinel driver must be installed on the workstation or license server where the license is managed. For local installations it is normally installed automatically; for copied installations or license servers it may need to be installed manually. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is an HL key? | An HL key is a physical USB dongle that represents the HELIOS 3D license. Losing the dongle means losing the license, so the article recommends considering electronics insurance. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does a HELIOS 3D USB dongle need permanent activation? | Yes. A delivered HL key usually contains a time-limited activation and must be registered and permanently activated by STÖHR+SAUER GmbH. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Do reinstallations require reactivation of an HL dongle? | No. Reinstallations or additional installations do not require reactivation because the key recognizes the activated program version and runtime. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which tool is used to collect license information for activation? | The tool SuSRUS.exe is used. It is located in the Client Setup\Hardlock folder of the HELIOS 3D installation or in the Sentinel_Driver_9.12 folder on the installation stick. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What is a .c2v file used for? | The .c2v file contains collected information from the protection key and is sent to STÖHR+SAUER to request license activation. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What is a .v2c file used for? | The .v2c file is the license activation or update file received from STÖHR+SAUER. It is applied in SuSRUS.exe using the Apply License File tab. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How do I activate a local HL dongle? | Install the Sentinel driver, plug the dongle into the workstation or server, run SuSRUS.exe, collect information for an existing protection key, save the .c2v file, send it to helios3d@stoehr-sauer.de, receive the .v2c file, and apply it with SuSRUS.exe. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How do I verify that activation was successful? | Start HELIOS 3D and check that it opens without a license warning. If it still waits for a Sentinel HASP license, open the Sentinel Admin Control Center and verify that the key is listed under Sentinel Keys. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does it mean if the key is visible but HELIOS 3D still cannot start? | The license may be present, but a required feature may be missing, expired, or fully occupied. Check features such as program start, database access, CAD access, update validity, and electric module access. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is network licensing used for? | Network licensing allows HELIOS 3D licenses to be provided from a license server so that client workstations can use available seats over the network. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is required for network licensing? | The client workstation must reach the license server over the network, and the Sentinel driver must be installed on both the client and the server. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which port is required for network license communication? | Port 1947 must be reachable for both TCP and UDP communication. Firewalls, VPN routing, name resolution, or blocked Sentinel communication can prevent license discovery. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I do if a network dongle is not detected automatically? | Open the Sentinel Admin Control Center at localhost:1947, check Sentinel Keys, then go to Configuration > Remote License Search Parameters, enable aggressive search for remote licenses, and enter the server name or IP address manually. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is the Sentinel Admin Control Center used for? | It is the browser-based control center for Sentinel license management. It shows available keys, license locations, key types, sessions, features, restrictions, and diagnostics information. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Where can I open the Sentinel Admin Control Center? | It can be opened locally in a web browser at http://localhost:1947. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What should I check under Sentinel Keys? | Check whether the HELIOS 3D license key is listed. Licenses that are not listed in Sentinel Keys will not be recognized by HELIOS 3D. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What information is shown for a Sentinel key? | The list shows information such as location, vendor, key ID, key type, configuration, version, sessions, and available actions. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What does the Features view show? | The Features view shows product and feature information, feature IDs, current logins, license limits, restrictions, and active sessions. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which HELIOS 3D feature IDs are mentioned? | The article mentions feature IDs such as 8351 for Program Start, 8352 for Database Access, 8353 for CAD Access, 8354 for Update Validity, and 8355 for Electric Module Access. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check first when there is a license issue? | First check whether the license key is visible in the Sentinel Admin Control Center. Then check the license type, required features, expiration dates, and whether all available seats are already in use. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does “Waiting until Sentinel HASP is available …” mean? | It means HELIOS 3D cannot find a valid license. The reason may be that no license is available, the dongle is not connected, the license server is not reachable, the demo license has expired, or required features are invalid. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if HELIOS 3D says the subscription has expired? | Check whether the installed HELIOS 3D version is newer than the update validity stored in the license. Use a covered HELIOS 3D version or apply the updated .v2c license file after subscription renewal. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Does an expired subscription always mean the license key is missing? | No. It can mean that the installed HELIOS 3D version was released after the subscription expiration date stored in the license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I do if the subscription was renewed but the warning still appears? | Check whether the latest .v2c license update file has actually been applied on the system that hosts the license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is a cloud license setup? | A cloud license setup provides license access through a cloud license server. It requires reliable network access between client workstations and the cloud license server. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Who should plan a cloud license setup? | Cloud license setups should be planned together with the customer’s IT administrator because they depend on remote access, network availability, identity strings, and server configuration. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is a client identity in cloud licensing? | A client identity defines which user or workstation may access the cloud license. It can be assigned to a single user or separately to individual workstations. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What does the identity string look like? | The identity string uses the format generic_string@public_IP. Users must enter it in their local Sentinel Admin Control Center in the Server name field. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is Remote Login Access used for? | Remote Login Access is required when users should be allowed to log in remotely to use the cloud license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is Remote Detach Access used for? | Remote Detach Access allows users to detach a license for offline work. It should only be enabled when offline work is required because detached licenses may block seats for other users until they are checked back in. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What must be documented for cloud license support? | Document which users or workstations received an identity, whether remote login access is enabled, and whether remote detach access is allowed. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Can I copy or clone a virtual SL license server? | No. Copying or cloning a virtual server can deactivate the SL key. A controlled license transfer is required when moving the license to a new virtual server. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Why is an SL license server sensitive to hardware or VM changes? | SL licenses are bound to server-specific hardware or virtual machine characteristics. Changes to these characteristics can trigger cloning protection and deactivate the license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which physical server properties are checked for SL licensing? | For physical servers, the hard drive serial number and motherboard ID are mentioned as key criteria. If both change, the system may deactivate all licenses. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| Which virtual server properties are checked for SL licensing? | For virtual servers, the virtual MAC address, host CPU data, and UUID of the virtual machine are checked. If any of these change, the protection mechanism can lock the key. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I do before changing license server hardware or migrating a VM? | Contact support before changing server hardware, replacing virtual machines, changing virtual MAC addresses, or migrating to another host. Clarify whether a temporary or permanent license transfer is required. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| How is an SL license server transferred? | Install the current SafeNet driver on source and target systems, run SuSRUS.exe on both servers, generate a fingerprint on the target server, generate a transfer file on the current server, and apply the transfer file on the target server. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
What is an .h2h file used for? | The .h2h file is the transfer file generated during SL license rehosting. It is applied on the target server to complete the license transfer. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What happens after the transfer file is generated on the current server? | At that point, the license exists only through the generated .h2h transfer file until it is applied successfully on the target server. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What is the risk of an irreparably deactivated SL key? | If the key is irreparably deactivated, a new paid key may need to be generated and activated. The article states a fee of €500 per license. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if the license is not found? | Check that the SafeNet Sentinel driver is installed on the relevant machines, that the dongle or SL key is connected or hosted correctly, and that the network license server is reachable if a network license is used. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if a feature is not available? | Confirm that the required feature is included in the license and that no restrictions, expiration dates, or seat limits are being exceeded. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
| What should I check if there are connection issues with a network dongle? | Check the network connection between the client and the license server, firewall rules, server discovery, Sentinel communication, and TCP/UDP access to port 1947. (Helios 3D | HELP CENTER) |
