Activation

Activation guide

A licence is verified locally and bound to the machine it was issued for. Nothing here needs an account.

Online

Activate online

Use this when the machine can reach the activation endpoint.

  1. Get the machine fingerprint

    Open the licence dialog, or run CommMonitor.exe --fingerprint. Add --json if you want to paste the values into an email.

  2. Activate with your key

    Paste the licence key into the dialog, or run CommMonitor.exe --license-activate <key>. The server address is the one in config.ini, section [license], key ActivationUrl.

  3. Check the result

    A successful activation writes license.txt into the data folder and the badge in the title bar switches to the licensed edition. Run CommMonitor.exe --license-status to read it back.

Offline

Activate a machine that never sees the Internet

The request file carries the machine fingerprint; the licence that comes back carries the signature.

  1. Generate the request

    Run CommMonitor.exe --license-request <key> request.txt on the isolated machine. The file contains the machine code, the licence key and a timestamp.

  2. Send it to us

    Email the request file to the address in the footer, from any machine. We return a signed licence file.

  3. Import the licence

    Copy the signed file back and run CommMonitor.exe --license-import <file>. The signature is verified before the file is written to the data folder.

  4. Keep the fingerprint stable

    The licence binds to hardware identifiers collected in a fixed order. If you replace a motherboard or disk, send the new fingerprint and we re-issue the licence.

Where things live

Files and paths

Everything the licence needs stays in the user's own data folder.

  • Data folder: %LOCALAPPDATA%\CEIWEI\CommMonitor-Overseas
  • Licence file: license.txt in that folder
  • Settings: config.ini in the same folder; an older copy next to the executable is read as a fallback
  • Verify without importing: CommMonitor.exe --license-verify <file> (exit code 0 = valid, 1 = rejected, 2 = wrong usage)

Offline grace

Perpetual licences are not affected by time. Subscription licences keep working without a connection for a grace period, 30 days by default, unless the licence payload states a different number.

The grace window is a convenience for machines that are not always online. It is not a security control, and it is not why your licence is trusted: the signature is.

Errors

Activation and licence error codes

The application reports one of these codes together with the reason it saw.

Activation and licence error codes
CodeMeaningWhat to do
CM-7001No licence file, or the file could not be readImport a licence, or check that the file is not blocked by the file system.
CM-7002Signature invalid, or the licence belongs to another productAsk us for a licence issued for this product.
CM-7003Licence format not supportedRe-export the licence; an older or hand-edited file is rejected.
CM-7004Licence expiredRenew, or ask for a licence with a perpetual validity.
CM-7005The licence does not match this machineSend us the current fingerprint from --fingerprint.
CM-7009The system clock was movedCorrect the clock and re-import the licence.
CM-7010Offline for longer than the grace periodConnect the machine once so the licence can be validated again.
CM-7015The licence payload could not be canonicalisedThe file was modified after signing; request a fresh copy.

Stuck on an activation error?

Send the error code and the output of --fingerprint to the address in the footer and we will take it from there.