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Licensing Guide

Watchdog is licensed per deployment. Every Watchdog instance is issued a license key by EUNOMATIX that sets how many BrowserMon endpoints the instance may license and the date the license expires.

Validation is offline. Watchdog validates the key locally at start-up, so no outbound connection to EUNOMATIX is required to run a licensed deployment.

License Entitlements

A Watchdog license defines the following entitlements:

Entitlement Description
Endpoint count The maximum number of BrowserMon controllers that may register against this Watchdog instance at the same time.
Expiry date The date the license stops being valid. After this date Watchdog will not start.
Authorization code A code issued alongside the license key. Watchdog only accepts the license when the configured authorization code is the one issued with that key.

Endpoint counts and license duration are agreed at purchase. For a trial license, an increased endpoint count, or a renewal, contact sales@eunomatix.com.

License Configuration Parameters

License settings are defined in the [default] section of watchdog.conf:

[default]
mode=local
bmkey=<your-license-key>
authcode=<your-authorization-code>

  • mode — Specifies whether licensing is validated locally or against a cloud service.

    • local (default): the license key in watchdog.conf is used. This is the supported mode.
    • cloud: not available. If you require cloud licensing, contact sales@eunomatix.com.

  • bmkey — Your unique license key, provided by EUNOMATIX. Paste it exactly as supplied, in full and on a single line, with no line breaks or spaces.

  • authcode — The authorization code provided by EUNOMATIX with your license key. It is required to activate the license.

Watchdog will not start without valid license settings

A missing, truncated, or mismatched bmkey / authcode, or a mode other than local, causes Watchdog to stop during start-up. Check the Watchdog log for the reason before restarting.

After editing watchdog.conf, restart Watchdog for the new license to take effect.

How Validation Works

  1. At start-up Watchdog validates bmkey together with authcode. Both must be the values issued by EUNOMATIX for this deployment; if either is wrong, altered, or incomplete, the license is rejected and Watchdog stops.
  2. The license period is applied. If the license has expired, Watchdog stops with a license-expired error. Otherwise the number of days remaining is written to the log.
  3. The licensed endpoint count becomes the registration cap for that run.
  4. Every 4 hours while Watchdog is running, the license is re-checked and the result is written to the log, so an approaching expiry is visible in the logs well before it takes effect. A license that has expired or been changed is rejected the next time the service starts.

Endpoint Limits

Controllers register with Watchdog through POST /api/check-license/. Watchdog tracks the controllers that have registered since it last started and compares that count against the licensed endpoint count.

  • While the count is below the licensed limit, a new controller is registered and receives its configuration.
  • Once the limit is reached, any unregistered controller receives 403 with the message No devices available. Already-registered controllers continue to be served normally.
  • Each successful registration is logged as <registered>/<licensed> so you can see how much of the entitlement is in use.

The list of currently registered controllers is available at any time from GET /api/get-licenses/ — see the API Reference. The registry is held in memory, so restarting Watchdog clears it and controllers re-register on their next check-in.

Troubleshooting Licensing Issues

1. Confirm the license settings are correct.

Check the [default] section of watchdog.conf — mode must be local, and bmkey and authcode must match the values supplied by EUNOMATIX exactly. A line break or trailing space inside the key will invalidate it.

2. Read the Watchdog log.

Licensing failures are logged with a WD code. Full descriptions are in the Log Reference.

Code Meaning What to do
WD2021 Invalid Auth Code The authcode is not the one issued with this bmkey. Re-copy both values.
WD2030 Invalid BMKEY format The key is truncated or malformed. Re-copy the full key as a single unbroken line.
WD2040 / WD2050 Verification error / verification failed The key was not accepted. Confirm you are using the key issued for this deployment and Watchdog version.
WD2070 License is expired The expiry date has passed. Contact EUNOMATIX for a renewal key.
WD3001 Cloud mode not valid mode is set to cloud. Set it to local.
WD3002 Inappropriate licensing mode mode is missing or set to an unrecognised value. Set it to local.
WD2002 Limit reached The licensed endpoint count is fully consumed. See below.
WD1002 / WD1006 Invalid license An API request was refused because the license is not valid. Restart Watchdog and check for the errors above.

3. If controllers are being refused with No devices available.

Call GET /api/get-licenses/ to see which controllers currently hold a registration. If the list contains machines that are decommissioned or no longer running BrowserMon, restarting Watchdog clears the registry and lets the active controllers re-register. If the list reflects your live estate, the deployment needs a larger endpoint entitlement — contact sales@eunomatix.com.

4. After any license change, restart Watchdog and confirm the log records a valid license with the expected number of days remaining.

FAQs

Q: When does my license start, and when does it expire?

The license period begins on the date the key is issued and runs to the expiry date agreed at purchase. The days remaining are written to the Watchdog log at every validation.

Q: What happens when the license expires?

Watchdog stops at start-up with a license-expired error and no longer serves configurations. Controllers that cannot obtain a valid response keep using their last known configuration until a valid license is restored.

Q: How is a Watchdog license renewed?

Contact sales@eunomatix.com for a replacement key and authorization code, then update bmkey and authcode in watchdog.conf and restart Watchdog. Renewal terms are covered by the EUNOMATIX End User License Agreement at https://www.eunomatix.com/eula.

Q: Does the endpoint count apply per controller or per user?

Per controller. Each BrowserMon controller registers once, identified by its GUID, regardless of how many users or browser sessions it monitors.

Q: Do I need internet access for licensing?

No. License validation is performed locally against the key in watchdog.conf, so Watchdog licenses air-gapped deployments without any outbound connection.

Q: Can one license key be used on more than one Watchdog instance?

No. A key licenses a single Watchdog deployment and its endpoint count. Contact sales@eunomatix.com if you need to license additional instances.