Forum Discussion

Artegic's avatar
Artegic
Level 6
12 years ago
Solved

cannot remove expired maintenance serial

After renewing my maintenance contracts I'm trying to remove an expired maintenance contract serial number as told by the instructions for activating new maintenance contracts. I have added two new serial numbers for "(Maintenance) Backup Exec 2012" and "(Maintenance) Agent for Applications and Databases" and removed the expired serial number for "(Maintenance) Agent for Applications and Databases", but when I try to delete the expired serial number for "(Maintenance) Backup Exec 2012" I get a message box saying "Product licenses must not be deleted" and the expired maintenance entry stays on the list.

2012
Backup and Recovery
Backup Exec
Licensing
Windows Server (2003-2008)
  • Laurie_Downey's avatar
    Laurie_Downey
    12 years ago

    Artegic,

    Is there more than one Backup Exec Server in the environment?  If not than I would try placing Backup Exec back into trial mode then re-adding the keys. You can complete this by following the steps below:

    1. Browse to the Backup Exec Licenses folder. The default location is provided here: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH188088 (Program Data is hidden folder)
    2. Copy the "Licenses folder and it contents to another location such as the desktop
    3. Once copied to a safe location, delete the SLF files (or contents) from inside the "Licenses" folder loacated in the Backup Exec install directory
    4. Restart backup Exec services
    5. From the Backup Exec console click on the BE icon in the upper left corner and point to Installation and licensing
    6. Select “install options or licenses on this Backup Exec Server”
    7. When the dialog box opens up, select next
    8. Uncheck all the boxes for licenses keys, agents and maintenance keys
    9. Click next and follow the prompts until the installation “finished”
    10. Reboot the Backup Exec Server
    11. Once rebooted go back into the “Install options or licenses on this Backup Exec Server” from step 5
    12. Add the correct keys by either manually inputting the serial number or using the “Import from file” option and browse to the folder copied to the desktop with the SLF files, and add the correct keys one at a time until all the keys have been provided: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH178483
    13. Click on next
    14. Ensure that the boxes for any agents or other various keys are checked and follow the prompts to complete the installation until “finished”
    15. Reboot the Backup Exec Server
    16. Confirm the correct license keys and maintenance keys are present by going back to the location listed in steps 4 &5

7 Replies

  • AmolB's avatar
    AmolB
    Moderator
    12 years ago

    Check if below article helps

    http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH181692

  • Laurie_Downey's avatar
    Laurie_Downey
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Artegic,

    Can you confirm that the key you are attempting to remove is actually the maintenance key and not the product activate key? Also, after adding the new keys and without trying to remove the referenced product maintenance serial number, try rebooting the Backup Exec Server.

  • Artegic's avatar
    Artegic
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Regrettably it doesn't.

    That article addresses the case where one actually tries to remove the serial number of a product license and so the message is correct. This is not what I am trying to do.

    As stated in my original posting, I am trying to remove the serial number of an expired maintenance contract. The article even states that "[only] Maintenance Contracts numbers can be removed". So it actually confirms that this should work and not produce the error message shown.

  • Artegic's avatar
    Artegic
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Laurie,

    absolutely. The two are easily distinguished. The product key has "N/A" in the "end date" column while the one I'm trying to delete has "13.02.2014" there, and the newly installed one has "13.02.2015".

    The new maintenance keys were added five months ago, shortly before the old ones expired. At the time I noticed I couldn't delete the old keys and decided to try again after they were actually expired, but only got around to doing that today. In the meantime, the Backup Exec server has been rebooted many times.

  • Laurie_Downey's avatar
    Laurie_Downey
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Artegic,

    Is there more than one Backup Exec Server in the environment?  If not than I would try placing Backup Exec back into trial mode then re-adding the keys. You can complete this by following the steps below:

    1. Browse to the Backup Exec Licenses folder. The default location is provided here: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH188088 (Program Data is hidden folder)
    2. Copy the "Licenses folder and it contents to another location such as the desktop
    3. Once copied to a safe location, delete the SLF files (or contents) from inside the "Licenses" folder loacated in the Backup Exec install directory
    4. Restart backup Exec services
    5. From the Backup Exec console click on the BE icon in the upper left corner and point to Installation and licensing
    6. Select “install options or licenses on this Backup Exec Server”
    7. When the dialog box opens up, select next
    8. Uncheck all the boxes for licenses keys, agents and maintenance keys
    9. Click next and follow the prompts until the installation “finished”
    10. Reboot the Backup Exec Server
    11. Once rebooted go back into the “Install options or licenses on this Backup Exec Server” from step 5
    12. Add the correct keys by either manually inputting the serial number or using the “Import from file” option and browse to the folder copied to the desktop with the SLF files, and add the correct keys one at a time until all the keys have been provided: http://www.symantec.com/docs/TECH178483
    13. Click on next
    14. Ensure that the boxes for any agents or other various keys are checked and follow the prompts to complete the installation until “finished”
    15. Reboot the Backup Exec Server
    16. Confirm the correct license keys and maintenance keys are present by going back to the location listed in steps 4 &5
  • Nick_Elmer's avatar
    Nick_Elmer
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Hi Argegic,

    From your other thread I believe you are using Backup Exec 2012 correct? You have not upgraded to Backup Exec 2014? I ask because in the previous release, you might have received product licenses that also contained maintenance licenses (one slf with both types of licenses inside, maintenance and product licenses). In the older 2012 release you are running into the problem where we cannot remove the expired maintenance license without affecting the product license because they both exist in the same SLF file. In Backup Exec 2014 we have addressed this limitation in our licensing logic. We have also changed our license templates to reduce the occurence that this will happen.

    If you are still using Backup Exec 2012 and you have combined licenses, you can work with the license group to get updated SLF files generated which do not contain both types. Or you could upgrade to Backup Exec 2014.

    Thanks
    Nick

  • Artegic's avatar
    Artegic
    Level 6
    12 years ago

    Laurie,

    thanks for your detailed reply. Mine is indeed a single media server, but given the complexity of the procedure you propose I'll postpone this problem until I can upgrade to Backup Exec 2014, hoping it'll then go away all by itself.

    Thanks anyway.