Installing and uninstalling cartridges

Before installing cartridges, the License Server itself must be activated! See the article on activating the License Server.

Cartridge license PDF

To install a cartridge, you need to obtain a License PDF for the process or credit cartridge you want. This is a PDF document; you can open it to see the details of the cartridge before you install it.

Installing a cartridge

Once you have the cartridge license PDF, use the following command to install it in a License Server (the --cartridge command can be used locally or remotely):

licenseServer --cartridge <Path to Cartridge License PDF>

// Example

licenseServer --cartridge "Cartridge License.PDF"
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PLEASE NOTE:

Local:

If the --cartridge command is used locally, the --cachefolder option has to used with the same value that was used for the --keycode command. 

Remote:

If the --cartridge command is used remotely on a running license server the --cachefolder must not be used, instead the --licenseserver option must point to the running License Server. If the remote License Server was started with the --password option, the --password option must be used with the same value.

If you use multiple License Servers for fail-over reasons, it is advisable to install all cartridges on one single License Server. They will synchronize the cartridge information amongst themselves automatically.

The License Server now outputs information you need to copy and paste into an email and send to the activation email address. The generated information contains all instructions to do this. After receiving the resulting reply email from the callas activation server, activate the cartridge with the License Server as follows:

// Example

licenseServer --install [--password=<server password>] [--licenseserver=<licenseserver address>] <Path to Cartridge Activation PDF>

licenseServer --install --password=1234 --licenseserver=localhost "Cartridge Activation.pdf"
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Please note:
Since the information about the cache folder is included in the Activation Cartridge.pdf, no --cachefolder option is available for the --install command.

The License Server will confirm activation if you provided the correct path to a valid activation PDF. Remark that an activation PDF can only be used on the same system it was requested from and that it is only valid for 48 hours after it has been requested.

What if you want to upgrade only some of your processes to a newer major version (e.g. version 11) while leaving the rest using the older version (e.g. version 10)?

This is definitely possible. pdfToolbox 11 could use the version 11 Cartridge and pdfToolbox 10 would use the version 10 Licenses first and would fall back to the v.11 if there are no more v.10 Licenses available.

In other words: switching to 11 would not exclude the use of pdfToolbox 10.

Uninstalling cartridges

Cartridges can be uninstalled by using the --uninstall command. 

This command deletes the cartridge from the License Server and outputs information that must be sent to [email protected] in order to reset the activation counter. Only if the activation counter is reset, a new activation can be requested. 

The --uninstall command requires the activation code for the cartridge to uninstall. The activation codes for all installed cartridges can be retrieved by using the --status command. Like some other call the --uninstall command can be used locally by providing the --cachefolder option or remotely by using the --licenseserver and --password options.

$ ./licenseServer --uninstall --cachefolder=./1/ V7XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXCNY8C2LEHQ2CUHC6AS
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Watch a video about 'Installing cartridges' here: