1.3 Webots license system
Starting with Webots 5.3, a new license system was introduced to facilitate the use of Webots, which replaces the previous system based on the webots.key license files. The new system relies on a USB dongle, which you can easily move from one computer to another.
The Webots dongle is automatically recognized under Windows and Mac OS X. No driver installation is necessary. Under, Linux it works for the root user without installing any driver. However, to make it work for any Linux user, you should follow the installation procedure located in the linux / webots / driver_usb_dongle folder of the Webots CD-ROM or on our web site. On some Linux systems, it may be necessary to set a global environment variable with the following command line:
export USB_DEVFS_PATH=/proc/bus/usb |
This should be set globally in /etc/profile, so that you don't have to set it for every user when they log on.
Figure 1.1: The Webots USB dongle
After purchasing your copy of Webots, you should receive a USB dongle (see Figure figure 1.1). This USB dongle contains encrypted information, including your name, organization, country, type of license, expiration date of your Premier service (for support and upgrades), etc. This information can be read in the Help/About... window.
Please read your license agreement carefully before using Webots. This license is provided within the software package. By using the software and documentation, you agree to abide by all the provisions of this license.
1.3.1 Dongle license
The dongle you have received should include a printed label with "PRO#" or "EDU#" followed by a number. If the label contains "FLT#", this means that this dongle is a floating license dongle and is intended to be used with the Webots floating license server (see below). Otherwise, you can simply plug your dongle into a computer on which Webots is installed. This will will enable your license rights and allow you to use Webots on this computer.
It is very easy to develop your Webots applications on several computers (i.e., a laptop, a desktop computer, a home computer, an office computer, etc.) and to move your USB dongle to the platform on which you are working or demonstrating your work.
The Webots USB dongle should be plugged in before you start Webots and should not be removed until after you close the program.
If your rights change, for example because you renewed your Premier service for support and upgrades or you upgraded from Webots EDU to Webots PRO, then you can update the information on your Webots dongle from the Update Dongle information... menu item of the Help menu in Webots.
1.3.2 Floating license
If you purchased a Webots license including a floating license server, you should have received a USB dongle with a printed label including the text "FLT#" followed by a number, as well as instructions on how to download and install Webots floating license server, called lserv3. The lserv3 program allows to run Webots concurrently on several machines specified by their IP addresses (or their names). Hence, with the floating license, it is not necessary to have a dongle for every computer on which you want to run Webots. Instead, there is only one dongle (with label "FLT#" followed by a number), that must be plugged into the computer that runs the lserv3 program. The lserv3 program grants access to Webots to the specified computers, and it also ensures that the number of computers simultaneously running Webots doesn't exceed the maximum specified by the dongle.
It is recommended to install lserv3 on a server machine, i.e., a computer that is always powered on. lserv3 is available for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. It allows execution of Webots on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X machines.
If you need further information about license issues, please send an e-mail to:
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