Resolving TIA Portal V11 SP1 License Expired Errors: ALM Recovery

Resolving TIA Portal V11 SP1 License Expired Errors: Automation License Manager Recovery Procedure

Engineers upgrading from earlier releases of Siemens TIA Portal to V11 SP1 frequently encounter an unexpected License Expired warning every time a ladder (LAD), function block (FB), or function (FC) editor is opened, even though the previous build never enforced a license check. The root cause is almost always a 21-day trial license that was silently activated during the first launch of TIA Portal V11 SP1, which then expires and is reported by the Automation License Manager (ALM). This reference documents the exact diagnostic path, the registry/service fingerprint that ALM uses to detect a corrupted license store, and the field-proven recovery sequence that avoids a full Windows rebuild.

1. Problem Description and Symptom Matrix

The license warning is not always the same dialog. Matching the exact text to the recovery branch is critical, because Siemens separates Trial, Single User, Floating, and Master/Farm license enforcement into independent code paths inside CCLicSrv.exe.

2. Root Cause Analysis: How V11 SP1 Changes License Enforcement

Pre-SP1 releases of TIA Portal V11 (Basic, Comfort, and Professional) used a permissive license check that only triggered at compile time. SP1 tightened enforcement so that opening any FBD/FB/FC editor, dragging a block from the library, or invoking the Compile > Software (rebuild all) command calls CCLicSrv.dll via the local Automation License Manager (ALM) COM interface.

Three failure modes are responsible for roughly 90% of V11 SP1 license complaints:

1. Silent 21-day trial activation. The first launch of TIA Portal V11 SP1 on a clean workstation checks the ALM store under %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\Licenses. If no valid license key is found, ALM transparently activates a 21-day trial and writes a registry marker under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Trial\TIA_Portal_V11_SP1. After day 21, every editor call returns the expired warning.
2. Trial/Floating coexistence. Engineers who upgrade a workstation that already hosts a floating license server still receive the trial because ALM prefers a locally-installed key when present. The trial and the floating client request collide, and ALM flags the trial as deactivated while still throwing the warning, producing the contradictory symptom quoted in the field report.
3. Dispatch number mismatch. Online activation through the ALM web form requires the 20-digit Dispatch Number printed on the CoL (Certificate of License) plus the workstation-specific Host ID. V11 SP1 ALM hides the dispatch number field when a trial is selected, so engineers cannot complete a serial-to-license conversion without re-running the installer.

3. Architecture: Automation License Manager (ALM) Communication Path

Understanding the ALM topology is required before any troubleshooting. ALM runs as two Windows services plus one RPC server, and TIA Portal queries it on every editor transaction.

3.1 Service and Port Matrix

4. Preconditions and Required Artifacts

Before opening the ALM UI, gather the following items. Missing artifacts are the single largest source of repeat tickets.

• Certificate of License (CoL) paper sheet inside the TIA Portal V11 SP1 product box. Contains the 20-digit Dispatch Number and the 20-character License Key.
• Serial number from the front of the DVD case (format: 6 letters + 7 digits, e.g., TF1A101... prefix varies by region).
• Automation License Manager V5.2 SP2 or later - install before TIA Portal V11 SP1 if doing a clean image.
• Local administrator rights on the engineering workstation.
• If using floating licensing: the IP/hostname of the license server and confirmation that UDP 4410 and TCP 4411 are open bidirectionally.
• A confirmed Siemens Support Request number if the dispatch number is unreadable.

5. Step-by-Step Recovery Procedure

The procedure below assumes the symptom is the dialog "License for TIA Portal V11 SP1 has expired" appearing on every FB/FC editor open, with a 21-day trial previously activated. Engineers should run the steps in order; do not skip the registry backup.

5.1 Capture Current State

1. Close all instances of TIA Portal and ALM.
2. Open Automation License Manager from the Start menu (or run almservice.exe /ui from %ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\License Manager\Bin).
3. Switch the left combo to License key. Screenshot every entry: name, status (Valid / Expired / Missing), expiration date.
4. Switch to Missing license key. Screenshot the list of features requiring a license that are not currently covered.
5. Switch to Installed software. Confirm TIA Portal V11 SP1 is listed at build 11.1.x.y.
6. Export the registry key for backup:

reg export "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Trial" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ALM_Trial_Backup.reg" /y
reg export "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Licenses" "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\ALM_Licenses_Backup.reg" /y

5.2 Stop ALM and Clear Trial Marker

1. Open Services (services.msc), stop ALMService and Sinec-License-Server if present.
2. Delete the trial marker:

reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Trial\TIA_Portal_V11_SP1" /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Trial" /f

3. Move (do not delete) any trial license file from %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\Licenses to a backup folder. File naming follows *.lic; the trial key is identifiable by a validity tag of "21" (days).
4. Restart ALMService.

5.3 Reinstall TIA Portal V11 SP1 with CoL Data

1. Uninstall TIA Portal V11 SP1 via Control Panel > Programs and Features. Select Uninstall/Repair > Uninstall. Do not run Repair; it preserves the trial state.
2. Reboot. Confirm the TIA Portal installation folder (%ProgramFiles%\Siemens\Automation\TIA Portal V11) is removed; if not, delete manually.
3. Insert the TIA Portal V11 SP1 DVD (or mount the ISO). Run Start.exe as Administrator.
4. The installer prompts for a license. Select Transfer license from license server if a floating server is configured, or Activate via Internet for a single-user key.
5. When prompted, enter the Dispatch Number from the CoL. The wizard validates it against the Siemens License Server over HTTPS (port 443) to www.siemens.com/automation/license via the ALM web activation plugin.
6. Restart the workstation. The ALM will now show a valid Single-User License for TIA Portal V11 SP1 with a non-expiring date.

5.4 Floating Server Configuration

If the customer uses a floating license server (typical in plants with 5+ engineering seats), point each workstation at the server rather than activating locally:

1. Open ALM > Settings > License Server.
2. Enter the server hostname (do not use an IP; ALM uses the host fingerprint).
3. Click Test Connection. A green check confirms UDP 4410 and TCP 4411 are reachable; a red X indicates firewall blocking on the server or workstation side.
4. Click Activate. Restart TIA Portal.

6. Resolving the "Trial Deactivated but Warning Persists" Symptom

The symptom quoted in the field report - "How can you deactivate the Trial License when the message appears indicating that the Trial License has been deactivated, although the Floating License has been installed?" - is a known ALM behavior. Two coexisting license types are returned to TIA Portal: the deactivated trial and the active floating. TIA Portal's editor displays the first hit from the licensing cache, which is always the trial because it has a higher priority in CCLicSrv.dll.

6.1 Forced Deactivation Script

The ALM UI exposes a Deactivate button only on trial keys. If the button is greyed out (typical when a floating license supersedes the trial), use the command-line tool bundled with ALM:

If the command returns License not found, the trial marker is orphaned in the registry. Remove it manually per step 5.2 and reboot.

6.2 Priority Override

For floating environments, set the registry DWORD LicensePriority to 2 (Floating preferred) under:

7. Verification Checklist

After recovery, run the following verifications before resuming live programming. Each check corresponds to a specific failure mode observed in the field.

1. License Visibility Test. Open ALM > License key. TIA Portal V11 SP1 must show status Valid with no expiration date or with the contract date in the future.
2. Editor Open Test. Open a project containing a function block. The editor must open without a license warning dialog. Repeat 10 times to confirm cache is clean.
3. Compile Test. Compile the project (right-click > Compile > Software (rebuild all)). The progress bar must reach 100% with no License missing message.
4. Download Test. Connect to the S7-1200/1500 CPU and download the hardware configuration. The action must complete with Download successful.
5. Online Test. Go online with the CPU. Confirm the block icons are solid (not hatched), indicating online/program status.
6. Service Restart Test. Reboot the workstation. TIA Portal must come up clean without any warning dialog.
7. Log Review. Inspect %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\Logfiles\LicenseManager.log for any <ERROR> entries on the current date.

8. Troubleshooting Matrix

9. Firmware and Version Compatibility Notes

• TIA Portal V11 SP1 (build 11.1.0.0) - first release with tightened editor-level license enforcement. Targeted fixes in V11 SP1 Update 2 (build 11.1.2.0) reduced false warnings when a floating license was assigned but a stale trial marker remained.
• Automation License Manager V5.2 SP2 (build 5.2.2.0) - minimum version for TIA V11 SP1. Earlier V5.1 ALM versions do not recognize the new SP1 license signature and will report every key as missing.
• V11 SP2 (build 11.2.0.0) and V12 (build 12.0.0.0) rebase the license schema; a V11 SP1 key is NOT forward-compatible with V12. Engineers migrating to V12 must request a new dispatch number from Siemens.
• S7-1200 firmware V2.x and V3.x CPUs work with V11 SP1. V4.x firmware requires TIA Portal V13 or later; license enforcement remains consistent across firmware versions, but the project compatibility check will fail before license check, so engineers may not see the license warning if the firmware is incompatible.
• S7-1500 firmware V1.x works with V11 SP1 Update 2. V2.x firmware requires V12 SP1.

10. Preventive Measures and Best Practices

1. Centralize floating licenses. Plants with 5+ engineering workstations should run a single ALM server to avoid the trial-vs-floating conflict inherent in mixed-mode installs.
2. Image the workstation. Capture a Sysprep image immediately after a clean V11 SP1 install with the license properly activated. Do not capture before activation, or the trial will be baked into the image and expire simultaneously on every clone.
3. Disable trial auto-activation. For controlled environments, set the registry DWORD DisableTrial to 1 under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation\Licensing\Policy before the first launch of TIA Portal. This forces ALM to fail fast at startup rather than activating a 21-day trial that will eventually expire.
4. Document the dispatch number. Store the 20-digit CoL dispatch number in the plant CMMS or a password manager. Recovery is impossible without it.
5. Schedule upgrade windows. Major TIA Portal upgrades (V11 > V12, V13 > V14, V15 > V16) typically require new license keys. Coordinate with Siemens Support to obtain upgrade dispatch numbers before the cutoff date.
6. Monitor ALM logs. Add the ALM log directory to your SIEM or backup. A sudden spike in License missing entries indicates trial expirations approaching.

11. Escalation Path to Siemens Support

If the procedure in Section 5 does not resolve the issue, escalate with the following information attached to the support request. Engineers who skip this checklist are typically asked to provide it before ticket progression, which adds 24-48 hours of delay.

1. Screenshots of ALM showing all three views: License key, Missing license key, Installed software.
2. Output of reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Siemens\Automation" /s saved to a text file.
3. The most recent 200 lines of %ProgramData%\Siemens\Automation\Logfiles\LicenseManager.log.
4. The CoL serial number and dispatch number.
5. The result of almservice.exe /info run from an elevated command prompt.
6. Confirmation of Windows user account control (UAC) status and whether the engineer is logged in as a local administrator.

12. Frequently Asked Questions