Activating SQL Backup

When you download a Red Gate Software product, you have a 14 day trial period in which you can evaluate the product. When your trial period expires, you are invited to purchase the product. You are then sent a serial number (printed on your invoice), which you use to activate SQL Backup. You can, of course, purchase and activate the product prior to the expiry of the trial period, if preferred.

SQL Backup is licensed per SQL Server. If you have a number of SQL Server instances registered with SQL Backup that are all on the same SQL Server, you need to activate only one of the instances. The status of SQL Backup on the SQL Server for a registered SQL Server instance is displayed in the Registered SQL Servers pane in the graphical user interface. You can activate SQL Backup on a SQL Server if one of the following icons is displayed to the right of the name of the SQL Server instance:

	SQL Backup is activated for a trial period on this SQL Server.
	The SQL Backup trial period has expired. To use SQL Backup with this SQL Server instance, you must activate SQL Backup for the SQL Server.

You can click the icon to start the activation process, or right-click the name of the SQL Server instance and click Activate License.

You can activate a SQL Server by Internet or by email.

The activation server uses hardware attributes from your computer. The hardware attributes that are sent to the activation server do not contain any details that might pose a security risk. However, if you are concerned about security and would like to see the information that is transferred, use email activation; the emails show exactly what information is sent to the activation server, and received back from the server.

Note that you cannot automate activation using the command line. However, if you are not able to activate a SQL Server using the graphical user interface, you can use the program ProductActivation.exe which is provided with SQL Backup. For example, you may wish to use this program to activate cluster nodes.

Activating by Internet

When you activate by Internet, the Red Gate activation server is contacted and returns an activation response and an encrypted key to unlock the software. Note that you should receive the activation response within a few minutes of sending your request. If you do not, and you are sure that your Internet connection is valid, try again using email activation.

Activating by email

Use email activation if:

you do not have access to the Internet
your network is protected by a firewall or uses a proxy server that interrupts contact between your product and the activation Web service
you are concerned about security
Internet activation is unsuccessful

When you activate by email, you must copy the text provided in the Activate License wizard and send it in a plain text email to activation@red-gate.com; if you use a format other than plain text for your email, activation may fail.

Do not send multiple requests for activation in the same email, as activation may fail.

You should receive an email from the Red Gate activation server within a few minutes. When you receive the email from Red Gate Software, open the attached text file and copy the text into the empty text box in the Activate License wizard.

Activating clusters and multiple servers

If you have purchased a SQL Backup license for multiple SQL Servers, you can activate multiple SQL Servers at the same time. For example, you may want to do this if you are installing on a cluster.

For more information, see Clusters and Multiple SQL Servers.

Re-activating SQL Servers

If you need to re-install the product on the same computer, for example following installation of a new operating system, you can re-activate the product using the same serial number. If you need to change the computer on which the product is installed and your current serial number does not work, contact the Red Gate support team at support@red-gate.com.