Getting Started: Activating MIKAIA

In this MIKAIA^® University app note, we will walk you through the necessary steps to unlock the features that are locked in MIKAIA^® lite. Whether you’re evaluating MIKAIA^® studio or have purchased a license, activating MIKAIA is is an easy and straightforward process.

MIKAIA^® is a Windows 64-bit software available in two editions: MIKAIA^® lite and MIKAIA^® studio. Essentially, there is just one version of MIKAIA^®: If it detects a license file, it will identify iteself as MIKAIA^® studio, if not, it will operate as MIKAIA^® lite, with many image analysis functionalities locked (indicated by a red lock icon).

License options when purchasing MIKAIA^® studio

Duration: By default, we offer perpetual licenses, meaning that once activated, the features are available indefinitely, without any additional costs.

Users: A license can be node-locked, meaning it is tied to a specific PC. Alternatively, we offer single-user or multi-user floating licenses. In the latter case, the activation file is imported onto a server within your network, allowing MIKAIA^® to be installed on any computer in your network or a home office laptop connected via VPN. Upon startup, MIKAIA^® will automatically detect the license server and, if a user-slot of the single- or multi-user license is available, it will launch as MIKAIA^® studio, else as MIKAIA^® lite.

Evaluation: We offer voucher codes for evaluating MIKAIA^® ahead of a potential purchase. See details below.

Installing MIKAIA^® lite

MIKAIA^® lite is available as an installer via www.mikaia.ai and as a portable version:

	Type	Admin rights required
MIKAIA® Installer	EXE	Yes
MIKAIA® Portable	ZIP	No

The installer requires admin rights on the local computer for execution. It installs all required files in the local program files directory and creates shortcuts in the Start menu and on the desktop. Uninstallation can be performed through the built-in Windows uninstallation procedure.

The portable version is a ZIP file containing the required files and can be extracted to any location. A small caveat is that is does not install the CodeMeter runtime automatically, which is required to generate license request files or import license files. However, the CodeMeter intstaller is contained in the zip and can be installed manually.

If you want to evaluate the features that are locked in MIKAIA^® lite, get in touch (mikaia@iis.fraunhofer.de) and we are happy to provide voucher codes that let you temporarily use the locked features.

Activating MIKAIA^® studio

After a fresh installation, when MIKAIA^® has not yet been activated, most image analysis apps will be locked, as indicated by a red lock icon. The window title will read “MIKAIA^® lite”.

The locked features can be unlocked through the “License Info” dialog, which is accessible via the “Help” menu:

Features exclusive to MIKAIA^® studio can be activated in one of two ways:

1. For evaluation purposes: By importing one or multiple voucher codes. Each feature execution consumes one voucher code.
2. Permanent or time-limited activation by importing a license or activation file

Option a: MIKAIA^® evaluation / One-time voucher codes

To try out the features exclusive to MIKAIA^® studio before making a purchase, you can use voucher codes provided by us. For image analysis apps, each execution of an app will consume one voucher. Please note that vouchers will be validated through a web server, so an internet connection is required.

Unlike activation files, vouchers are not tied to a specific computer.

Vouchers can be imported in one of two ways:

1. From a file containing multiple vouchers (one per line)
2. By entering the voucher directly into the text box

Once vouchers have been imported, both the “Features” table in the “License Info” dialog and the apps in the app center will show how many vouchers are left.

Option b: Importing a license file

MIKAIA^® uses the “CodeMeter” copy protection framework by Wibu Systems GmbH. The “CodeMeter” runtime is installed automatically as part of the MIKAIA^® installation. When the MIKAIA^® Portable deployment method is used, which does not involve an installation, the CodeMeter runtime needs to be manually installed (unless it is already installed on the computer, e.g., from a previous MIKAIA^® installation). The CodeMeter installer is contained within the MIKAIA^® Portable Zip archive.

The activation process can be completed offline, meaning that generally, no internet connection is required. The activation requires 2 steps:

1. On the designated MIKAIA^® computer (or license server in case of a floating or network license), the user generates an “Activation Request File” (*.licreq) that includes the computer’s unique fingerprint. The file needs to be emailed to mikaia@iis.fraunhofer.de or your sales contact.
2. Based on the “Activation Request File”, we will issue an “Activation File” (*.lic) and return it by email. This file can only be successfully imported on the computer where the request file has been generated. The activation file contains details on which features are unlocked and for how long.
   (Attention: Do not issue any additional request files. Importing an activation file works only if it was created based on the activation request file that was created last on the target computer.)

Once the activation file is imported into MIKAIA^®, the software is unlocked and its name changes from MIKAIA^® lite to MIKAIA^® studio.

Network / Site License

Activating a network license is similar to activating a single node-locked license. The returned Activation File indicates whether it is node-locked and specifies the number of parallel users allowed.

For a network license, the Activation File must be requested and imported on a computer that remains powered on. It is not necessary to open MIKAIA^® on this computer, as the CodeMeter service operates in the background, ready to respond to activation queries from other (client) computers. Ensure that the server is made “visible” to other computers (see instructions below).

MIKAIA^® can then be installed on any computer within the same network or virtual network. The MIKAIA^® instances are referred to as “clients”, while the instance where the Activation File was imported functions as the “license server.” When a MIKAIA^® client is run on a computer within the same local network, it will automatically detect the license server. The “License Info” dialog will display “Network” in the “Type” column. If the number of network users is limited to ten, up to ten users can simultaneously start MIKAIA^® on different computers. If an 11^th user attempts to start MIKAIA^®, an error message will appear, indicating that no free license slots are currently available.

How to make the license server “visible” to other computers in the network

Before the network / site license can be detected by other computers, the server has to be made “visible”:

1. Open the Windows Start Menu, type “CodeMeter,” and select the “CodeMeter Control Center.”
   CodeMeter (by Wibu Systems) is the copy protection system integrated into MIKAIA^® and is automatically installed as part of the MIKAIA^® installation.
2. In the CodeMeter Control Center, you will see at least one entry related to MIKAIA^®. A green icon indicates that a valid license has already been imported. Click the “WebAdmin” button in the bottom-right corner.
3. The CodeMeter WebAdmin page will be opened in your default web browser. Go to “Configuration”|”Server” and click “Enable” in the “Network Server” section.

Congratulations! Now MIKAIA^® is running, and other computers in the network will be able to detect the site license.

(Troubleshooting: if the MIKAIA client still does not detect the license server, try adding the client computer name to the client list on the license server: 1) on server, open WebAdmin, go to Configuation|Server|License Access Permissions, then add the client’s hostname or IP address to the client list and click “Apply”. )

Using MIKAIA^® in a home office (via VPN connection)

If the MIKAIA^® license server is located within the same local network, no additional steps are necessary. However, if a MIKAIA^® client is being run on a remote computer connected through a virtual private network (VPN), such as in a home office setup, the client may not automatically detect the MIKAIA^® license server. In this case, you will need to configure the server’s computer name or IP address:

1. Open the CodeMeter WebAdmin Console as described above.
2. In the Configuration menu, go to Basic and click on Server Search List.
3. Click the “Add New Server” button and enter the name or IP address of the always-on computer where the MIKAIA^® license server is installed (for example, “10.54.74.13”). Then click “Apply.”
4. Restart the MIKAIA^® client, and it will successfully locate the license server.

The network license discovery service requires that port 22350 is open. If the network server cannot be discovered, please contact your IT department to ensure that the license server is accessible using the specified name or IP address and that port 22350 is not blocked.