Resolving Entitlement Certificate Format Issues in Device Administrator Offline Activation

[RobertAndriolo]

Issue

Customers performing offline license activation for EcoStruxure Building Operation (EBO) 7.x using Device Administrator may encounter issues specifically during the import of the Entitlement Certificate.

Product Line

EcoStruxure Building Operation

Environment

• Building Operation Device Administrator (v7)
• Software Companion Portal
• FlexNet Licensing Portal
• Offline systems (no internet access)

Cause

Due to security risks, retrieving Entitlement data via an HTML file is no longer possible. The option is still available in Device Administrator, but the HTML file has been replaced with a PDF attached to the purchase email, containing the same information. Unfortunately, we cannot import the PDF the same way as we did with HTML. This applies to all new licenses for Building Operation 7.1.1. A new method will be implemented in the next maintenance release

This limitation affects only the certificate import step, not the overall offline activation method described here: EcoStruxure BMS Server Licensing on Servers not Connected to Internet Workflow.

Resolution

The simplest way is to enable Internet access for Device Administrator and add the entitlement ID.

To activate licenses offline in Device Administrator:

1. New Feature in 7.1.2 has been implemented for the Export/Import of the Entitlements.  See page 12 in the attached Release Notes 
2. If this is not possible/available, there are several options, each differing in complexity and time requirements.
   1. Webhelp (Adding an Entitlement without the HTML file when a Field Server is not Connected to License Server (...), users can follow the following steps:
      • In Device Administrator, click Entitlements.
      • Click the Add Entitlement down arrow, then select Manually Enter the entitlement ID.
      • Click Next.
      • Click Skip. If you know there are no servers connected to the internet in the list, click Skip. If you do not click Skip, Device Administrator scans all servers on your list until it finds one connected to the internet.
      • In the Entitlement Products - Enter Manually list, enter the Activation ID, Description, and seat count for the product.
      • Click Add Product to add more products.
      • Click Add.
        Note: It is recommended to verify the Activation ID, Description, and seat count in mySchneider licenses before proceeding with the steps. When there is no connection between the EcoStruxure BMS Server and the License Activation Server, the Device Administrator cannot synchronize the number of licenses available for activation in the entitlement. Instead, Device Administrator assumes that all purchased licenses can be activated. 
   2. Contact support with your Entitlement ID, and they will send you an HTML version of your license for import into Device Administrator. (see Internal use only)
   3. Create a server list away from the site, using Device Administrator, that has Internet access.

      Caution: this will wipe the current server list, remove all certificates (if used), and remove all servers added to Device Administrator.

      • If the server list has already been created on site, save and export this list.

      • Off-site or on a PC with Internet access, import (from step 1) or create a new server list in Device Administrator.

      • Add the necessary entitlement IDs.

      • Save and export the server list.

      • Back on the on-site PC, import the exported server list to Device Administrator.

      • If using a new server list (that is, no servers added from Step 1), add the required certificates and servers.

      • Save this new list. It is advisable to export it as a backup in case of any issues.

      • Proceed with the offline activation. EcoStruxure BMS Server Licensing on Servers not Connected to Internet Workflow.

      • Once activated, remember to save and export the list for safekeeping.