Resolving SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.0 'No Valid License Key Found' Errors on CFC/SFC Charts

When a fresh SIMATIC PCS 7 V7.0 engineering station is activated with a 14-day trial license, the operator typically expects unrestricted access to every chart in every project. The reality is more constrained: PCS 7 licensing is component-aware, time-bound, and in some cases size-bound by the number of process objects (PO) the trial will permit. This article walks through the diagnostic flow used by experienced PCS 7 commissioning engineers to recover from No valid license key found. The application will be closed. errors thrown by the CFC or SFC editor.

1. Symptom Definition and Reproduction Matrix

The failure surface for this error is wider than a single product. The CFC and SFC editors are licensed as separate software components inside the PCS 7 suite, so it is possible for one to load and the other to refuse. Capture the following information before changing anything:

2. PCS 7 V7.0 Licensing Architecture

PCS 7 V7.0 uses the same Automation License Manager (ALM) infrastructure as the rest of the SIMATIC family. The relevant components are:

• ALM Service — almservice.exe (path %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\bin\almservice.exe on x86 and ...\AutomationLicenseManager\x64\... on x64). Runs as Local System by default.
• ALM GUI — almsrv.exe or the start-menu "Siemens Automation License Manager".
• License key storage — Local license keys are stored in the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Keys and on the physical/redundant license key USB dongle (if used).
• Trial license files — Activated via the Web License Key Download portal, then imported by the ALM into the registry. Time-bombed to 14 calendar days from first activation on that machine.
• Component-level checks — Each SIMATIC application (CFC, SFC, WinCC Explorer, PCS 7 OS Runtime, SFC Visualization, APL Library, etc.) calls the ALM with a feature ID. The ALM responds with a granted/denied/expired/exceeded verdict.

3. Root Cause Matrix

Across field reports, four root causes account for the majority of these errors. The matrix is ordered from most to least common in V7.0 deployments.

4. Cause 1: Automation License Manager Service Is Not Running

The ALM service is the only daemon that mediates between the CFC/SFC editor and the actual license entitlement. If it is stopped, the editor will throw No valid license key found on the very first request, even when the license key is present in the registry.

4.1 Service verification (manual)

1. Right-click My Computer → Manage → expand Services and Applications → Services.
2. Locate Automation License Manager. The service name is almservice, display name Automation License Manager.
3. Confirm Status is Started and Startup Type is Automatic.
4. Double-click and review the Log On tab. The default is Local System account; do not change to a domain account unless your IT policy explicitly mandates it.
5. Check the Recovery tab: configure First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent failures to Restart the Service with a 1-minute restart delay. A failed ALM that does not auto-restart is the most common cause of repeat errors after a reboot.

4.2 Service verification (command line)

:: Confirm the service is installed
sc query almservice

:: Start it if stopped
sc start almservice

:: Enable auto-start
sc config almservice start= auto

4.3 Domain-joined workstations and IT-managed machines

When the engineering station is part of an Active Directory domain, group policy may override the service start type to Disabled. Symptoms are unambiguous: the service is "Disabled" in services.msc, and the station functions correctly only when logged in over VPN or when the workstation is removed from the corporate LAN.

Coordinate with your IT administrator and either:

• Add the workstation's computer account to a GPO exception that allows the ALM service to run, or
• Whitelist the executable almservice.exe in the application control / antivirus exclusion list, or
• Provide a local administrator account that bypasses the policy for the engineering user.

5. Cause 2: Trial License Does Not Cover the Requested Component

The 14-day trial license is a bundle, but not every feature inside the bundle is automatically granted. The trial's feature list is generated when the license key is downloaded from the Siemens Industry Online Support portal and is keyed to the components enabled in your specific download profile. If a previous engineer downloaded only the SFC component for evaluation, you will see SFC in ALM and CFC absent.

5.1 How to inspect

1. Open the ALM.
2. Switch to the My License Keys tab.
3. Look for entries named SIMATIC PCS 7 SFC and SIMATIC PCS 7 CFC. The "Validity" column should read a non-zero number of days.
4. Switch to the Missing License Keys tab. Any component listed here is what is preventing the corresponding editor from launching.

5.2 Correction

If a component is missing, re-run the Automation License Manager → Web License Key Download workflow, select the missing component, and transfer the new key file back to the engineering station. The trial countdown is not reset by adding components; the original 14-day window remains in force.

6. Cause 3: Project Size Exceeds the Trial PO Ceiling

Siemens trial licenses for PCS 7 are time-limited and frequently size-limited. Field reports consistently cite a 250 process object (PO) ceiling for trial activations on V7.0. Siemens does not publish this number prominently; the value is enforced silently by the ALM when the editor enumerates the chart's PO count at load time.

6.1 How to count process objects

1. Open the S7 program in the CFC editor.
2. Choose Options → Chart Statistics (or Options → Cross References → Chart Reference Data).
3. Locate the line labeled Process objects or Number of POs. This is the figure the ALM compares against your license ceiling.

If the chart shows more than your ceiling and the trial license is the only one installed, the editor will close with the same error message you are seeing on "in-house" charts while still opening the smaller example charts.

6.2 Workarounds

• Request a full development license for the engineer, not a trial, with a sufficient PO count.
• Use the rental license mechanism described in Section 5.2.
• Open the project in read-only mode where supported (CFC does not allow this; SFC has a limited view-only mode by removing the edit entitlement).
• Generate a downscaled test image of the project (copy the multiproject, delete blocks until the PO count is below the ceiling) for read-only review. This is a temporary learning exercise, not a production change.

7. Diagnostic Flow Diagram

The decision tree below is the procedure to follow before touching the registry or contacting Siemens support. Inline SVG is used so it renders in any HTML viewer.

8. Step-by-Step Resolution Procedure

The following procedure is the order that experienced PCS 7 support engineers apply. Each step ends with a verification action; do not proceed if the verification fails.

Step 1 — Capture the symptom

1. Open SIMATIC Manager.
2. Open the failing in-house project.
3. Attempt to open a CFC chart and an SFC chart, recording the exact error message and which editor closes.
4. Note the time of the failure.

Step 2 — Verify ALM service state

1. Open services.msc.
2. Check the Automation License Manager row. Status must be Started; Startup Type must be Automatic.
3. If the service is Stopped, right-click and choose Start. Re-run Step 1.

Step 3 — Verify license key in the ALM GUI

1. Open Siemens Automation License Manager from the Start menu.
2. Switch to My License Keys. Verify that a non-expired entry exists for both SIMATIC PCS 7 CFC and SIMATIC PCS 7 SFC.
3. If a component is absent, switch to Missing License Keys and note the exact text — it is the most useful information for the Siemens support team if escalation becomes necessary.

Step 4 — Re-download the trial key with the missing component

1. Open the ALM and choose Web License Key Download.
2. Log in with the credentials supplied when the trial was issued.
3. Select the missing component (for example, SIMATIC PCS 7 CFC) and click Download.
4. Confirm in My License Keys that the component now appears with the remaining days of the original 14-day window.

Step 5 — Project size check

1. In SIMATIC Manager, open the S7 program.
2. From the menu, Options → PCS 7 → License Information. This dialog reports the project's PO count and the license ceiling. Compare the two values.
3. If the project exceeds the ceiling, request a permanent or rental license from your licensing contact.

Step 6 — Final verification

1. Close and reopen SIMATIC Manager.
2. Open the in-house project.
3. Open at least one CFC chart and one SFC chart. Neither should report the license error.
4. Save the project to confirm write access is also licensed.

9. License Key Storage and Registry Inspection

For advanced diagnostics, the ALM stores its state in the Windows registry. The locations below are read-only diagnostic paths; do not edit them.

To enumerate the keys from the command prompt:

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Keys" /s
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Trials" /s

10. Network Floating Licenses and License Server Configuration

If your site uses a floating license server (license server, not local key), the engineering station must reach the server on TCP port 4410 (License Manager) and TCP 4411 (License Server). Verify with:

telnet lic-server 4410
telnet lic-server 4411

If the connection fails:

1. Open the ALM on the engineering station.
2. Choose View → Settings → License Server.
3. Confirm the server name matches the hostname of the floating server and that the port is the default 4410.
4. Restart the ALM service after every change: sc stop almservice && sc start almservice.

If the engineering station is on a different subnet, ask the network team to confirm the firewall allows inbound and outbound TCP 4410/4411 and that no DPI/IPS is silently dropping the traffic.

11. PCS 7 V7.0 Service Pack Compatibility Notes

The trial license, once activated, is tied to the ALM build that issued it. Mixing service packs on the same engineering station can lead to false negatives. The table below records the tested combinations; it is field-derived, not contractual.

12. Recovery from License Time-Bomb or Expired Trial

Once the 14-day window expires, the trial key remains visible in ALM but is no longer honored. The only supported path is to:

1. Request a permanent license or a rental license from the Siemens licensing portal.
2. Activate the new key on the engineering station.
3. Restart the ALM service to clear the cached expired entitlement.

If the trial expired because the engineering station was off-network for an extended period, the ALM cannot "pause" the countdown. The only way to preserve days is to avoid activating the trial until the engineer is ready to work continuously. For new-hire onboarding, defer activation to day 1 of the work assignment, not to the date the media was installed.

13. License Migration from a Departed Engineer

For softkey transfer between two engineering stations, the procedure is:

1. On the old station, open ALM and select the license. Choose Export → License Key File and save to USB.
2. On the new station, open ALM, choose Import → License Key File, and select the saved file.
3. Restart the ALM service.

This transfer decrements the available activations on the original key. Most PCS 7 keys are issued for 1-2 simultaneous activations; check the key's Number of Activations field in the ALM GUI before exporting.

14. Verification Checklist

Use this list as a punch list before closing the troubleshooting ticket.

• [ ] almservice is Started and Automatic.
• [ ] My License Keys lists every component the engineer intends to use (CFC, SFC, OS, APL, etc.).
• [ ] Each license shows a non-zero number of remaining days.
• [ ] Missing License Keys tab is empty.
• [ ] The S7 program's PO count is below the active license's PO ceiling.
• [ ] A representative in-house CFC chart opens without the license error.
• [ ] A representative in-house SFC chart opens without the license error.
• [ ] The engineer can save changes to the chart (write entitlement confirmed).
• [ ] A simulated service restart (sc stop almservice && sc start almservice) does not re-trigger the error.
• [ ] A workstation reboot is performed and the same chart still opens.

15. Escalation Notes for Siemens Support

If all of the above is verified and the error persists, the following data is the minimum that Siemens support will request. Collect it before opening the case.

• PCS 7 version and service pack (from SIMATIC Manager → Help → About).
• ALM version (from Help → About in the ALM GUI).
• Screenshot of the My License Keys tab.
• Screenshot of the Missing License Keys tab.
• Windows event log entries under Applications and Services Logs → Siemens if present.
• The PCS 7 License Information dialog (Options → PCS 7 → License Information) showing the project's PO count.
• Output of reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\AutomationLicenseManager\Keys" /s as a text file.
• The trial key's order number (looks like 6FC...) and the email address used to download the key.

Submit the case through the Siemens Industry Online Support portal. Web Request (SR) is preferred over phone for these cases because the licensing team works from the portal queue, not the phone queue.

16. Frequently Asked Questions