License Options
Hard Dongle or Soft License
- "DFL" or soft licenses available for all modules since Fall 2018
- Can be moved from one computer to another in seconds
- Eliminate risk of lost or stolen dongles
- Run DFL on AWS instances starting with SonarWiz 7.7 and later
- Run DFL on Azure starting with 7.7.5 in April 2021
- Offline DFLs for secure facilities available with 7.8 Aug 2021
- Not tested or supported on other VMs - see below for details
Module Options
- Field (collection) or Office (processing) any module
- Field (collection) & Office (processing) any module
- Field Suite or Office Suite - all modules sidescan, sub-bottom, bathymetry, single beam, magnetometer
- Field & Office Suite - all modules sidescan, sub-bottom, bathymetry, single beam, magnetometer
- Network - Academic discount
Rent or Lease
- Rent or lease-to-own SonarWiz Office Suite for $1,000 per week or $3,250 per month
- 90% of the rental cost may be applied to the purchase of a new license if made within 3 months
- 60% of the rental cost may be applied to the purchase of a new license if made within 12 months
Trade Up Policy
CTI is pleased to offer a special discount to new users of SonarWiz software. We know you have invested a lot of time and money in other hydrographic programs, and we would like to make the transition to owning SonarWiz a bit easier. Please email or call +1-650-967-2045 for program details.
License Manager - How To & FAQs
CTI License Manager
The standalone utility for managing licenses on a user PC is called CTI License Manager. This tool currently allows you to:
- Activate a license
- Deactivate a license so that it can be moved to another PC
- Update a license if it has been changed by CTI staff (e.g. EMA date extended)
Internet access is required for activation, and the license must be activated on the machine on which it will be used. The activation process creates a license file that is uniquely tied to that specific PC. In addition, SonarWiz will periodically attempt to validate the license by contacting our database server. If, after repeated attempts, our server cannot be reached because there is no internet connection, SonarWiz will display a reminder message.
A license can be activated many times on the same, or a different PC. However, multiple concurrent activations of the same license are blocked by the system. In other words, if I activate a license on machine A, and then wish to activate it on machine B, I first have to deactivate it on machine A. Deactivation of a license is done by pressing the Deactivate button on CTI License Manager. Internet access is required for this.
Each new activation of a given license is called an installation. Thus, an active license is identified by its license ID and its installation ID.
License Activation
The user is responsible for activating a license on their PC. First close SonarWiz to prevent accidental damage to the license file. Then run CTI License Manager and press the Activate button.

Enter the License ID and Key supplied by CTI.

Deactivating a License
You would typically deactivate a license so that it can be moved to another machine. Deactivation is done by closing SonarWiz first, then launching CTI License Manager and using the Deactivate button. Doing this deletes the license file on the current PC and flags that installation of the license as deactivated in our database.
FORCE DEACTIVATION
Starting with SonarWiz 7.9.1, we have added the ability for users to force a Deactivation first without having to contact Chesapeake for assistance. Close SonarWiz, run CTI License Manager, click the Deactivate button. A new dialog window appears:

Click "Yes” button, and then you will see a warning message:

If you do wish to continue, press "Yes" and then enter the License number and Activation key. SonarWiz should now launch and recognize the license. If you have any issues please contact Support for assistance.
Move a License
Deactivate on machine A, then Activate on machine B. In order to activate the license again, you will need the original license ID number and activation key (password).
Refreshing (Updating) a License
You will need to refresh a license after it has been edited by CTI staff. For example, after an new EMA expiry date has been set, or a new module has been purchased. To refresh the license, simply close SonarWiz, launch CTI License Manager and press the Refresh button. You do not need to know the license ID or password.
No support for VM Environments
SonarWiz hard dongles can run on Parallels Desktop for Mac since the Gemalto-Sentinel dongle driver provides an installation option for it. However, Chesapeake does not test on or support the use of SonarWiz on Apple Macs. SonarWiz DFLs are not tested on and Chesapeake Technology cannot explicitly endorse the use on any of the following virtualization solutions (list intended to be suggestive, not exhaustive):
- Citrix Hypervisor
- IBM z/VM
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- Oracle Virtualization
- QEMU
- Redhat Virtualization
- VMware Workstation Player
- VMware Fusion
- VirtualBox
- Xen Project
Privacy Concerns
Please click to read the Chesapeake Technology Privacy Policy and learn what personal information is collected over the internet, why it is collected and what is done with it.