Resolving WinCC Server License Error A9WSEC0700 Missing

1. Problem Summary

On a SIMATIC WinCC v7.x server (logs dated 2011 indicate WinCC 7.0 SP3, build 9.00.4035.00 SP3 Standard Edition) the WinCC Explorer reports a server license error. The Control Center starts in Demo Mode Runtime enabled and then drops to Demo Mode Runtime expired exactly one hour later (the standard WinCC demo grace period). Every restart repeats the same cycle: Runtime starts, the server application AppRT:Mcp_Server requests license A9WSEC0700 (Simatic WinCC SERVER), the request returns NoLicense ... Exists = No, and the project reverts to demo mode. Production cannot rely on a one-hour Runtime window, and a full Demo Mode expired event shuts the visualization down. The same problem appears on a configured WinCC client (logs dated 08/08/2011) where license A9WRC?0700 (Simatic WinCC RC Runtime + Development) is missing and the editors fall back to Demo Mode Editors.

The official Siemens support portal documents this exact symptom and provides a workaround for a single-user project: What do you do if you get a server license error in a WinCC single-user project? The remediation described in that article, together with tag/archiving limits, is expanded below for a multi-station distributed WinCC system.

2. Decoding the WinCC Diagnose Log

The diagnose log is written by the WinCC License Service and lives in the project diagnostics directory. Each line is a self-describing record of one license event. The most important markers are:

Two parallel log sources must be correlated: the binary diagnose log (events such as InitLicense, NoLicense, ExitLicense) and the textual License_Info log in the project \Diagnostics folder (lines starting with timestamps such as WinCC Licensing Mode -> Tags:2422 and No runtime licence: Type:AppRT:Mcp_Server Key: -> Activating demo mode). The Tags: value reports the total number of process tags the project would request if the license allowed it.

3. License Key Reference Table

The diagnose file references six distinct license keys. Every WinCC server installation must own at least the keys marked Server in the table below; a WinCC client needs the keys marked Client.

The tag count reported by the License_Info log is 1912, 2397 or 2422 in this case. The SIFLA9WRC30700 license caps power tags at 2048, so the project is within the RC power-tag envelope, but the server seat itself (A9WSEC0700) is absent. Tag count is a separate, secondary issue that must also be addressed, especially for the archive subsystem.

4. Root Cause Analysis

Three independent defects converge to produce the symptom pattern shown in the logs:

1. Missing server license A9WSEC0700. This is the primary cause. The WinCC Runtime requires a server license even when a multi-tag RC license is installed, because the server process (AppRT:Mcp_Server) is a distinct seat. Without A9WSEC0700 the server explicitly logs NoLicense RT | Name of License = A9WSEC0700 | Exists = No and the system flips to demo mode. The fix is described in the Siemens support article 109779625.
2. Tag-count vs. archive-count mismatch between ES and CAS. The accompanying discussion on the same case describes a station that used 1516 archive tags against a 1500-tag license. The Tag Logging editor on the ES reported 1499 / 512, but the CAS archive count remained at 1516 until an Entire Download of the CFC was performed. The mismatch comes from an out-of-date archive configuration on the CAS: the server still holds the old archive list, and the license check is therefore computed against the higher count.
3. Client editor license A9WRC?0700 missing. A WinCC client used for engineering (not just viewing) needs the RC editor license. The diagnose line NoLicense ED | Name of License = A9WRC?0700 | Exists = No is the trigger for Control Center - Demo Mode Editors enabled and the matching one-hour expiration. A pure-viewer client uses SISLA9WRT30700 only; any client used to edit graphics or archives must also carry the RC seat.

5. Solution Path 1: Install the A9WSEC0700 Server License

The official Siemens support article 109779625 states that the missing server license is the root cause of the Server license error in a single-user project. The fix is to transfer the matching A9WSEC0700 license to the WinCC server and to remove the duplicate RC license from the client. The procedure is identical for a distributed system.

1. Open Automation License Manager (ALM) on the WinCC server.
2. Connect the license storage medium (USB dongle UMD or a network license server) to the WinCC server.
3. Verify that ALM shows the key A9WSEC0700 in the target computer list. If the key is on a different machine, use ALM > Edit > Connect target system or move the license via ALM > License > Move.
4. Stop the WinCC Runtime service (Siemens WinCC RT shell) and close the WinCC Explorer.
5. In ALM, perform License > Transfer from the source to the local computer; the destination disk appears in the right-hand pane with the green check icon when the transfer succeeds.
6. Restart the WinCC Runtime service and re-open the WinCC Explorer.

If the WinCC server is the license server for the WinCC client, the client should reference the server (not a local copy) for the SISL RT license, while the server keeps SIFL RC plus A9WSEC0700 locally. Remove any stray SIFL/SISL license from the client to avoid the dual-seat conflict.

6. Solution Path 2: Reduce Tag and Archive Count

Even after the server license is installed, an over-limit archive count will re-trigger the demo cycle. The Tag Logging subsystem uses two counters: archive tags (the long-term archived count, capped by the license) and power tags (live tags, capped by the RC/RT license). The WinCC Licensing Mode -> Tags: line in the License_Info log shows the archive-tag total, while the ES view of Tag Logging shows the configured archive tags in the format used / power-tag limit.

1. Open the WinCC Explorer on the engineering station (ES) and select Tag Logging. Note the used count in the bottom-right of the screen (e.g. 1499 / 512).
2. Open the WinCC Explorer on the central archive server (CAS) and select Tag Logging. The used count there is the authoritative value for the license check.
3. If the ES and CAS counts differ, perform an Entire Download of the CFC (CFC chart) on the ES. This is the documented field procedure: the CAS archive configuration is rebuilt from the ES so that the CAS count matches the ES count.
4. If the CAS count still exceeds the license, uncheck Long-term archiving on the CFC blocks that contribute the lowest-value tags. Each block adds one archive tag; reducing the count to a value below the license ceiling removes the overflow.
5. Reboot the CAS, OS server, ES, and the WinCC clients in that order so that all stations pick up the new archive list.

The WinCC 7.0 SP3 server here is logging Tags:2422 on 20.06.2011 and Tags:1912 on 10.08.2011, indicating that the user already reduced the project from 2422 to 1912 archive tags. With the 2048 power-tag SIFLA9WRC30700 license the project is now within the envelope, but the A9WARC0700 (User Archive) and A9WOP10700 (Connectivity Pack) options also need their respective licenses if those options are enabled in the project.

7. Solution Path 3: Client-Side License

The client diagnose log (08/08/2011) shows SISLA9WRT30700 (WinCC RT 2048) loaded and A9WRC?0700 (RC editor) missing. This is the inverse of the server problem: the client has its Runtime tag license but no editor license. The symptom is Control Center - Demo Mode Editors enabled and ED DemoMode expired one hour later.

1. Decide whether the client is a viewer-only client or a configurable client. A viewer-only client needs SISLA9WRT30700 (or equivalent) and the server must carry the matching server base license.
2. If the client is used for editing (graphics, archives, scripts), transfer A9WRC?0700 to the client in ALM and remove any conflicting SIFL license from the same client.
3. Re-launch the WinCC client. Verify that NoLicense ED | Name of License = A9WRC?0700 no longer appears in the diagnose log.

8. Step-by-Step Recovery Procedure

1. Capture the current state. Copy WinCCDiagnose.log, License_Info.log, and the project \Diagnostics folder to a backup location. This is the evidence of the error and is required when opening a Siemens support request.
2. Verify the installed licenses in ALM. Open ALM on the server, list all Siemens AG keys. Confirm the presence of A9WSEC0700, the SIFL/SISL RT license, and any option keys (Connectivity Pack, DataMonitor, User Archive).
3. Install the missing server license. Transfer A9WSEC0700 to the server per Section 5.
4. Audit archive tags. Compare ES and CAS archive-tag counts per Section 6. Adjust CFC blocks and perform the entire CFC download.
5. Align client licenses. Move or remove the SIFL RC license from clients; transfer A9WRC?0700 to clients that perform engineering.
6. Reboot in the correct order. Reboot OS server (CAS), then ES, then the WinCC server, then the clients. Restarting in this order prevents the CAS from serving a stale archive list to the ES during the boot phase.
7. Bring Runtime up and watch the diagnose log live. Start WinCC Explorer on the server, then start Runtime. In the same session, tail WinCCDiagnose.log in a second viewer (for example, with Get-Content -Wait in PowerShell) so that you can see NoLicense events as they occur.
8. Wait one hour. The first demo-cycle interval is one hour. If Demo Mode Runtime expired appears at the one-hour mark, the fix is incomplete. If the system holds Runtime continuously for several hours, the fix is correct.

9. Verification Checklist

Use the checklist below to confirm a clean recovery. All items must be true before the system is handed back to production.

10. Troubleshooting Matrix

11. Common Pitfalls and Field Notes

• Order of reboot matters. Rebooting the clients before the CAS reverts the system to the stale archive list and re-introduces the NoLicense cycle. Always reboot the CAS first.
• Two power-tag licenses on the same client cause silent conflicts. The WinCC License Service refuses to use two SIFL licenses from the same vendor on the same computer. The lower-count license wins. Remove the higher-count license to avoid surprise overage messages.
• Tag Logging limit is per-archive-tag, not per-power-tag. The license message Relevant Limit = 0000002048 refers to power tags. The archive limit is implicit and is what the WinCC Licensing Mode -> Tags: line in the License_Info log measures.
• The demo-mode period is hard-coded to one hour in WinCC v7.x. There is no configuration knob to extend it. The only path to continuous Runtime is to install the matching license.
• License keys are case-sensitive and version-pinned. A9WOP10700 is a WinCC v7 license key and will not license a WinCC v6 project. Conversely, 6AV6 381-1BP00-0Ax0 (a v6 license) will not satisfy a v7 installation.
• Time on the server must be stable. Time jumps (NTP correction, manual change) can reset the demo-mode clock and re-arm the one-hour timer. Synchronize the WinCC server with a domain time source.
• Virtual machines and suspended states re-trigger the demo cycle if the license is on a USB dongle that loses contact while the VM is suspended. Use software-bound licenses (network license server) for VM-hosted WinCC servers.

12. Preventative Measures

After a clean recovery, take the following steps to prevent recurrence:

1. Add an ALM inventory step to the change-management procedure. Every project hand-over must include a list of expected ALM keys, and the keys must be verified on the target computer before the system is accepted.
2. Tag-count and archive-count thresholds should be defined in the project specification. Aim to keep the project 20% below the licensed ceiling so that growth during commissioning does not push it over the limit.
3. Schedule a monthly check of the License_Info log; Demo Mode events are the leading indicator of a license mismatch.
4. For WinCC v7.0 SP3 (build 9.00.4035.00) and earlier, plan an upgrade to a current WinCC version. Newer builds add more graceful license-failure recovery and a clearer message text in the diagnose log.
5. Document the license topology in a diagram (server holds which keys; each client holds which keys) and store it with the project. The diagram is the single most effective way to shorten future troubleshooting sessions.

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