Upgrading DOORS 9.7.2.6 to 9.7.2.11 with a Hardware Dongle License, Version Compatibility, Licensing Query
Hi everyone,
I am currently using IBM Rational DOORS 9.7.2.6 with a local hardware dongle license (Rainbow/Sentinel client-node license).
We are planning to upgrade our DOORS client and server environment to 9.7.2.11 specifically to benefit from the recent bug fixes and stability improvements regarding the "Export to Word" feature, which is critical for our engineering documentation process.
However, our local vendor informed us that our current hardware dongle license will not work on any version higher than 9.7.2.6.
I would like to clarify a few points with the community and IBM experts:
Technical Limitation vs. Maintenance Contract: Is there a hard technical block in the Rainbow/Sentinel driver or the FLEXlm licensing mechanism between minor versions 9.7.2.6 and 9.7.2.11 that invalidates a hardware dongle? Or is this purely related to the "Maintenance/Support expiration date" embedded in the .lic file?
Workarounds or License Regeneration: If the issue is just the version limit inside the current license file (.lic), can we regenerate a new license file via IBM Passport Advantage that targets our existing FLEXID (dongle ID) to support 9.7.2.11, provided our entitlement is valid?
Alternative Solutions: If hardware dongles are completely deprecated or restricted in newer point releases, what is the recommended migration path to move to 9.7.2.11 without losing our license entitlement?
Any guidance, technical documentation, or similar experiences on upgrading minor versions with hardware dongles would be highly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.