---
title: "Use a commuter license"
canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/Tracker41/14320185/Use%20a%20commuter%20license"
format: markdown
---
You can check out (borrow) a seat from a network license so that it can be used for the number of days that you specify, on a machine that is not connected to the license server network. You can check out a seat to:

- A machine on your network (see [Check out to a network machine](#CheckOutNetwork)), so that Tracker can subsequently be used when the machine is no longer connected to your network; or
- A machine that is not connected to your network (see [Check out to a remote machine](#CheckOutRemote))

When a commuter license is no longer needed, it is checked back in again, so that it can be used from the license server network as usual. Licenses are automatically checked in at the end of a specified check-out period, or can be manually checked in early (not applicable to remotely checked-out licenses). For more information, see [Check in a commuter license](#CheckInCommuter).

> Macro (scroll-pagebreak)

## > Macro (anchor)

Check out to a network machine

You can check out a seat from an existing license for use on a machine on your license server network, so that Tracker can subsequently be used on the machine when it is no longer connected to your network.

**To check out a seat to a machine on the license server network:**

1. On a network machine that you want to use remotely, open the advanced **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box by doing one of the following:
  - Start Tracker. On the **Help** menu, click **About**. In the dialog box, click **Licensing**; or
  - Click the **Start** button, then **All Programs > Vicon > Licensing > Product Licensing**.
2. In the **License Server** list in the top part of the dialog box, right-click on the license that has the seat that you want to check out and click **Check Out**.
3. In the **Check Out License** dialog box, specify the number of days for the license to be used remotely and then click **Check Out**.  
Checked out licenses are flagged with **Commuter** in the **Type** column in the **License Server** list in the top part of the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box.

## > Macro (anchor)

Check out to a remote machine

In addition to checking out a license to a network machine (see [Check out to a network machine](#CheckOutNetwork)), you can also check out a license to a machine that is running the Vicon Product Licensing, but is not connected to the network containing the license server. This involves the following procedures:

- [On the remote machine: Generate a locking code](#GenerateLockCode) and send it to a user of a machine on the license server network.
- [On a network machine: Check out a commuter license](#NetworkCheckOut) and send it to the remote user.
- [On the remote machine: Save and activate the commuter license](#RemoteActivate)

** **> Macro (anchor)

**On the remote machine: Generate a locking code**

1. To open the advanced **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, do one of the following:
  - Start Tracker and in the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box click **Advanced Licensing**; or
  - Click the **Start** button, then **All Programs > Vicon > Licensing > Product Licensing**.
2. In the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, click **View Remote Locking Code**.
3. In the **Current Machine Locking Code** dialog box, type the email address of a person to whom the network license server is available, and click **Send**, or to save it to a string to send later, type or browse to the required location and filename, click **Save to File** and close the dialog box.  
The person with access to the license server can then check out a commuter license for use on the remote machine, as described in the following steps.

> Macro (scroll-pagebreak)

** **> Macro (anchor)

**On a network machine: Check out a commuter license**

1. To open the advanced **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, do one of the following:
  - Start Tracker. On the **Help** menu, click **About**. In the dialog box, click **Licensing**; or
  - Click the **Start** button, then **All Programs > Vicon > Licensing > Product Licensing**.
2. In the **License Server** list at the top of the dialog box, right-click on a license that permits commuter licensing for the required product.  
If the selected license permits commuter licensing, the context menu displays a **Check Out** option and at the bottom of the dialog box, a **Check Out** button is displayed.
3. Click **Check Out** and in the **Check Out License** dialog box:
  1. Specify the number of days for which you want to use the license remotely.
  2. Expand the **Advanced Options** by clicking the downward pointing arrow on the right, and click **Remote Check Out**.
  :cross_mark: **Caution**   
Do not overestimate the number of days for which the license will remain checked out. After a remote check out, you cannot check the license back in again until the number of days that you specified has expired.
4. In the **Remote Commuter License Check Out** dialog box, enter the locking code string for the remote machine that was sent by the user of the remote machine, as described in [On the remote machine: Generate a locking code](#GenerateLockCode), and click **Check Out**.
5. In the **Save Commuter License** dialog box, type or browse to a path and filename for the saved commuter license, click **Save to File** and then close the dialog box. The commuter license is saved as a license file (*.lic).
6. Email the saved commuter license file to the remote user.  
The remote user can then save and activate the checked-out commuter license on the remote machine, as described in the following steps.

** **> Macro (anchor)

**On the remote machine: Save and activate the commuter license**

1. Save the file that was sent to you as described in [On a network machine: Check out a commuter license](#NetworkCheckOut) above to the Windows desktop (or any other suitable location).
2. To open the advanced **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, either:
  - Start Tracker and in the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box click **Activate License**; or
  - Click the **Start** button, then **All Programs > Vicon > Licensing > Product Licensing**, and then click **Activate License.**
3. Depending on whether you are using the file as it was received from the license network user or a text string copied from the file, either:
  - In the **License File Activation** field, type or browse to the location of the license file (.*lic*) and click **Activate from File**; or
  - Copy the text to the **License Activation string** field and click **Activate from String**.
4. Close the **Activate a License** dialog box.  
In the **License Server** list in the top part of the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, checked out licenses are flagged with **Commuter** in the **Type** column.

> Macro (scroll-pagebreak)

## > Macro (anchor)

Check in a commuter license

Licenses that have been checked out are checked back in and made available for use from the network in either of the following ways:

- If the specified check-out period has expired, the license is automatically checked back in.
- If the license is no longer needed for remote use, you can check it back in early.

> ℹ️ **Note**   
> ℹ️ This does not apply to licenses that were checked out using **Remote Check Out**, which remain checked out until their check-out period expires.

  
**To check in a license manually:**

1. To open the advanced **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, do one of the following:
  - Start Tracker. On the **Help** menu, click **About**. In the dialog box, click **Licensing**; or
  - Click the **Start** button, then **All Programs > Vicon > Licensing > Product Licensing**.
2. In the top part of the dialog box, click on the license you want to check in and then click **Check In License**.

> ℹ️ **Important**   
> ℹ️ You cannot check in a license that was checked out using **Remote Check Out** before its check-out period has expired. You set the check-out period when you check out a license. To see how many days are left on a commuter license, in the **License Server** list in the top part of the **Vicon Product Licensing** dialog box, find the relevant license and look at the date in the **Expiry** column.