Find the answers to the most common questions about the Rational ptoducts.
Common questions
Q: Where can I get more information on licensing and Rational key requests?
A: The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits.
These quick start guides will help you log into the License Key Center and will step you through the process of generating license keys.
Q: Will I ever need to return a License Key and request a new one for a product I already have?
A: If you are moving your Rational product to a new host/machine, you will need to return your license key and request a new one for the new host/machine. License keys are generated for a specific host name and host ID cannot be transferred or moved. The only way to move the product to a new host/machine is to return the key and request a new one.
In the Rational License Key Center left-hand menu:
- Select View and Return Keys.
- Select the product that needs to be returned.
- Select the host that needs to be returned.
- Mark the checkbox next to the Return button.
- Click the Return button.
For older versions of Rational products, you may need to return a key file to the Rational License Key Center and request a new one to eliminate the expiration date tied to the key file. This process should not affect the majority of users as most products that had expiration dates have already expired.
Q: What Rational products require a license before use?
A: The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits. Most IBM Rational products require license keys in order to use them.
Q: What is a license key?
A: License keys are required for certain products before they can be used. If you downloaded a product requiring a license key, you would be unable to use the product until you request and receive the license key for it. The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits.
Q: What is a license activation kit?
A: A license activation kit is available at no-charge and can be downloaded from the Software Catalog. The license activation kit is a permanent license for products that require one and must be installed within the first 30 days after installing the product. Although these products are available for immediate use as soon as you download them, if you do not install the activation kit, after 30 days you will receive a message that your trial license is about to expire. The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits.
Q: What Rational products require a license activation kit and how do I get one?
A: The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits. Products that require an activation kit require that you download a license activation kit in addition to downloading the product itself. Only Version 7.0 of these products require a license activation kit. Products are available for immediate use but require that the license activation kit be installed within the first 30 days of use. License activation kits are available at no cost, can be downloaded from the Software Catalog, and are a permanent license for the installed product.
If you install a Rational product without installing its activation kit, after 30 days you will receive a message that your license is about to expire. The simplest way to find the appropriate kit is to access the Software Catalog, then search for your product in the text field. One of the available downloads will be the license activation kit for the product.
Q: How do I install a Rational license activation kit?
A: After downloading the appropriate kit, unzip the package. Open the Installation Manager for the Rational product installation. Select the option for license installation on the main panel. When the Installation Manager has started, the program will ask for the location of the license file. The license file location will be where you saved the unzipped activation or enablement kit file. Import the license file to complete the activation.
Q: How long are license keys active and do they have an expiration date?
A: Academic Initiative members receive permanent license keys. Keys are valid for use on a single host/machine and cannot be transferred or moved.
Q: What are Floating license keys?
A: Some Rational products (such as ClearCase LT) only offer floating license keys. Floating keys are managed by a license server and the client machines running the product will be configured to get the key from the license server. If you already have a Rational License Server at your site, you can generate your floating keys based on the license server machine’s host information. If you do not have the Rational License Server installed, download it from the Software Catalog where you downloaded the product itself. Install the Rational License Server software and generate your floating keys based on the license server machine’s host information.
Q: What are Authorized User license keys?
License keys for Authorized User entitlements are generated for the machine on which the product will run. For example, if you want to run Rational Rose Enterprise on computer A and computer B, you will need to generate two Authorized User keys; one for each machine. To do this, generate a key using the host information of computer A and then go through the process again using the host information of computer B.
Q: What is the welcome email?
The welcome email is sent to you before you can access the Rational License Key Center. It contains important information and instructions for accessing the Rational License Key Center including your account number and a temporary password.
You must be an Academic Initiative member in order to request access to the Rational License Key Center. If you have not already signed up for the Academic Initiative, then join now. You will need your IBM user ID and password as well as the password sent to you in the welcome email in order to access the Rational License Key Center.
The first time you log in to the Rational License Key Center, you will use the temporary password that was sent in the welcome email. Please note that this email will be sent from rational-license-keys@subscribenet.com and might possibly be in your SPAM folder. Please be sure to check if you do not see it in your main email in-box.
After logging in for the first time, you will receive the following message: "Your password has expired. A new password must be established before you can proceed." This indicates that you will need to update and create a new permanent password.
Please do not cut and paste the temporary password because sometimes it will not be accepted by the Web site. Instead, manually type in the password. After changing your password, please save it in a secure place for future access to the Rational License Key Center.
Other questions about Rational products
Q: Where can I download Rational software?
A: The Academic Initiative Software Catalog contains all of the Rational products available for download as well as those available on CD only. Most IBM Rational products require license keys in order to use them. The list of Rational products by license type shows which products require license keys or activation kits.
** Please refrain from downloading products that have the word "evaluation" in the title. These products are not fully functional versions of the product and are not intended for Academic Initiative members.
Q: Where can I get Rational technical support and more information?
A: These quick start guides will help you log into the License Key Center and will step you through the process of generating license keys.
Q: What Rational products require a license before use?
A: Visit the Rational License Server delivery and support page
Q: What is my account number and what should I do if I lost it?
A: Academic Initiative users do not have account numbers. Your school name serves as your account reference. To access your account, all you need is your email address and your password. If you have forgotten your password, you can request that it be sent to you by email by using the forgot password link on the Rational License Key Center page. Please do not click the "do not have a password" link; this link is not for Academic Initiative members.
Q: What is host information?
A: The host ID and hostname are attributes associated with your host machine. During the license key generation process, you will be asked to enter the hostname and the hostid of your computer. These unique identifiers are built into the license keys and allow them to run only on your computer. On the page where the Rational License Key Center asks you for the host information, you can select the hostname and hostid hyperlinks which will launch a pop-up help window. If you are using a Windows system, you can download this small tool (200kb) which will display your hostname and hostid for you and then copy/paste those values into the Rational License Key Center page.
Q: What is Disconnected Mode?
A: If the license key type is Floating and it is applied to a main license server, the students can point to the main server and obtain a key. If they choose to use the product at home, they can use Disconnected Mode, which would allow the student to check out a key from the server and run that product key for 72 hours. When 72 hours have expired, they would need to re-connect to the license server again to obtain a key.