Activating TIA Portal V15 USB License via Automation License

Overview

Siemens ships TIA Portal V15 (released March 2018) with a hardware-based license model that uses a USB license key (a so-called license stick) or, alternatively, a network-based floating license served by the Automation License Manager (ALM). When a new engineering station is commissioned, the most common confusion is that the TIA Portal installer does not prompt for the license — the portal simply installs and starts. License enforcement happens the moment the user creates a device (a SIMATIC S7 CPU, an HMI panel, a SINAMICS drive, or a SIMOTION configuration) or runs a feature that is keyed against the license database.

This guide covers the full lifecycle of a TIA Portal V15 USB license:

1. Locating the ALM installed by the TIA Portal setup.
2. Activating a USB license on a single engineering station.
3. Verifying that TIA Portal recognizes the license.
4. Centralizing licenses on an ALM server for floating use.
5. Backing up the Certificate of License (CoL) for disaster recovery.
6. Restoring a license after a disk crash via Siemens support.

License Architecture in TIA Portal V15

Every commercial TIA Portal V15 license is bound to one of three delivery forms, all of which are managed by ALM V6.0 (the version installed by the TIA Portal V15 setup):

The license database that TIA Portal reads at startup is located by ALM in the following order:

1. Local license storage on the engineering PC: C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\License\ (or C:\Program Files (x86)\Siemens\Automation\License\ on 32-bit ALM).
2. Connected USB license stick.
3. Network license server registered via ALM (Settings → Connections).

If a valid license is reachable through any of these paths, TIA Portal V15 will use it transparently; the user does not select the source from inside the portal. When the license is missing, TIA Portal V15 only signals the missing license when the protected function is invoked (e.g., opening the device configuration of an S7-1500, compiling an HMI, or generating a WinCC runtime).

Prerequisites

Before activating a USB license, confirm the following on the engineering PC:

• Operating system: Windows 7 SP1 (64-bit), Windows 10 (64-bit, build 1607 or later), or Windows Server 2012 R2 / 2016. Windows 11 is officially supported only from TIA Portal V17 onward; on V15 it is a best-effort configuration and ALM V6.0 may need to be updated to V6.0 SPx for USB stack compatibility.
• User rights: Local administrator for the initial license transfer; standard user rights are sufficient for daily use once the license is local.
• USB driver: The ALM installs its own Sentinel HASP SRM runtime. If the USB stick is not detected, install the runtime from Support\HASP\setup.exe on the TIA Portal DVD1.
• Free disk space: Approximately 2 GB for TIA Portal V15 plus the .NET / SQL prerequisites; the ALM itself uses less than 100 MB.
• USB stick is intact: Do not reformat, partition, or write non-Siemens files onto the stick; doing so corrupts the embedded HASP key.

Locating and Starting the Automation License Manager

ALM is installed automatically with TIA Portal V15 and is independent of the portal itself. There are three reliable ways to start it:

1. Start menu: Start → Siemens Automation → Automation License Manager (or Automation License Manager V6.0 if multiple versions are present).
2. Command line: "C:\Program Files\Siemens\Automation\alm\ALM.exe".
3. From inside TIA Portal: Project → Licensing → Automation License Manager.

The ALM main window has two views: Plug-in drive (left pane) and Local drive (right pane). For a USB stick the left pane shows the stick letter (e.g., E:\) with the license name and a small green check indicating validity.

Activating a USB License on the Local Engineering Station

The recommended workflow is to transfer the license from the USB stick to the local drive only when the stick must be removed for a long period. Otherwise, leaving the license on the stick is the safest option because the stick is itself the backup medium.

1. Insert the USB license stick into a free USB 2.0 or 3.0 port. Wait until Windows finishes the driver install (the Sentinel HASP driver logs a Device is ready event in the system log).
2. Start the Automation License Manager.
3. In the left pane, expand the USB stick entry. The license appears with its catalog number (e.g., 6ES7822-1AA05-0YA5 for TIA Portal V15 Combo) and a status of Valid.
4. Optional — transfer to local drive: drag-and-drop the license from the left pane (USB) to the right pane (local). ALM prompts for confirmation, requires local administrator rights, and copies the license cryptographically. This is the correct Siemens-supported transfer — it is not the same as a manual file copy.
5. Remove the USB stick once the transfer is complete if you do not need it for other stations. The license on the local drive is now independent of the physical stick and survives reboots.

Verifying License Recognition Inside TIA Portal

After activation, confirm that TIA Portal sees the license:

1. Start TIA Portal V15.
2. Open or create a project. Add an S7-1500 CPU (e.g., 6ES7516-3AN02-0AB0) to the device tree.
3. Open the device configuration. The first time a license-protected action is triggered, the portal may display a yellow warning triangle on the project tree node.
4. Click Project → Licensing → License analysis. The dialog lists all detected licenses, their catalog numbers, and the target products they cover. The status must read License sufficient.
5. Compile the project (Ctrl+B). A successful compile without the warning dialog confirms the license is fully active.

If the dialog still reports License missing or invalid, perform a structured check against the table in the Troubleshooting Matrix section below.

Network Licensing via the ALM Server

For multi-user environments, the ALM can run as a service on a dedicated Windows server and serve floating licenses to the entire workgroup. The USB stick is attached to the server, and client PCs request licenses transparently.

Server-side configuration

1. Install TIA Portal V15 (or at minimum the ALM component) on the server.
2. Plug the USB license stick into the server.
3. Start the ALM. Confirm that the stick is visible in the Plug-in drive pane.
4. Enable the ALM service: Start → Programs → Siemens Automation → Automation License Manager → Settings → Activate License Server. The service ALMService is registered and starts automatically.
5. Open the Windows firewall ports 4410/tcp and 4411/tcp for inbound traffic from the engineering network.

Client-side configuration

1. On each engineering PC, start the ALM.
2. Open Settings → Connections, click Add, and enter the server hostname or IP, e.g., license-srv01.corp.local on port 4410.
3. Click Test. A successful handshake returns License server reachable.
4. Start TIA Portal V15. The portal queries the configured server first; a license is checked out automatically and returned when the portal closes.

For 24/7 commissioning where engineers forget to close the portal, configure an automatic return after timeout under ALM → Settings → Time-out; a typical production value is 30 minutes.

Backing Up the License: Certificate of License (CoL)

The USB stick is the only physical copy of the license Siemens can recover. If the stick is lost, stolen, or damaged, the only path back to a working license is via the Certificate of License (CoL) — the paper or PDF document delivered with the software that carries the order number, the license number, and the product catalog reference.

1. Locate the CoL. For TIA Portal V15 Combo purchased through Siemens DI, it is included as CoL_*.pdf in the delivery package, or accessible via the Siemens Industry Online Support portal under the registered user account.
2. Store at least two copies: one in a fireproof safe on site, one in a geographically separate location (e.g., encrypted cloud archive or off-site tape).
3. For IT-managed pools, document the mapping CoL order number → catalog number → host (server or PC) → date commissioned in the asset management system. This is the data Siemens will request for any recovery.

Disaster Recovery and License Restoration

If the engineering PC suffers a disk failure, follow the Siemens-recommended procedure published in the official FAQ at support.industry.siemens.com — License handling FAQ (entry 772175):

1. Reinstall Windows and TIA Portal V15 on the new hardware.
2. If the USB stick survived, simply plug it in; the license is recognised immediately.
3. If the USB stick was lost, contact Siemens Industry Online Support via the regional hotline or the Support Request form. Provide: order number, license number from the CoL, the original product catalog number (e.g., 6ES7822-1AA05-0YA5), and proof of purchase.
4. Siemens issues a new license key (typically a replacement USB stick or a license file) within 5–10 business days, depending on the regional support contract.

For workgroups, the recovery target should be the ALM server rather than individual PCs. Restoring the server first brings all clients back online as soon as they re-authenticate.

CPUs and Components That Do Not Require a License Key

Not every SIMATIC component consumes a TIA Portal license. Several recent controllers bundle the engineering rights with the firmware or are licensed per runtime instance. The most relevant for V15-era hardware is the SIMATIC ET 200SP CPU 1515SP PC (F). Per the official commissioning documentation (docs.tia.siemens.cloud — CPU 1515SP PC (F): Installing license keys), the S7-1500 Software Controller CPU 1505SP (F) V2.x is permanently coupled to the CPU 1515SP PC and does not require a separate TIA Portal license key to operate. Activation is performed once on the host PC through a separate runtime license tied to the CPU serial number, not through the ALM.

Other categories where the ALM is not the source of truth:

Always cross-check the License analysis dialog against the device catalog before assuming a license is missing — false positives are common when the wrong option package is selected at project creation.

Troubleshooting Matrix

Verification Checklist

After any license operation, run through the following list before signing off the engineering station:

• USB stick is detected in Plug-in drive of the ALM (or local drive entry exists).
• License catalog number on the stick matches the CoL and the project target products.
• TIA Portal V15 Project → Licensing → License analysis reports License sufficient for all required option packages.
• A test compile (Ctrl+B) on a minimal project completes without warnings.
• For floating deployments, at least one client can check out and return a license cleanly.
• CoL is filed in the corporate asset register, with a backup copy off-site.

Field-Proven Caveats

• Do not store the CoL on the same disk as the license. A disk crash will take both.
• Avoid plugging the stick into a KVM-switched USB port. The HASP key may not enumerate correctly when the channel is switched away.
• TIA Portal V15 is the last major release to support Windows 7 SP1. Mixing Windows 7 and Windows 10 clients in a floating ALM pool is supported, but ensure all clients have ALM V6.0 SPx installed to avoid version-mismatch dialogs.
• Upgrading to V15.1 or V16 is a new license. A V15 USB stick does not unlock V15.1 or V16 features; check the catalog matrix in the Siemens Industry Mall before commissioning.