No License file in my boot partition of my asiair pro sd card

astronebulee

Hi
whilst i was backing up my sd card for the first time i saw i had no license file in my boot partition. How can i get my license file as if all goes wrong i have no license.

w7ay

astronebulee How can i get my license file as if all goes wrong i have no license.

Newer versions of ASIAIR no longer store the license in the BOOT partition, although I have not had a problem with using the legacy license method (copying a license file that I had squirreled away).

You follow the new instructions (basically boot the ASIAIR, follow the instructions on taking a picture of the QR code on the screen that contains your ASIAIR serial number, and let your ASIAIR contact ZWO's server to get the microSD card blessed). If you have no internet access while out at the dark site, you are out of luck.

If you have a copy of the original microSD card (if your ASIAIR is old enough to contain the license file) you can copy it over to see if it works (works for me), and bypass needing to contact unknown servers. If you had bought a new ASIAIR which did not come with a license file, you won't have a choice. The legacy method will probably go away with any new versions of the hardware too, so you just need to get used to it.

Chen

astronebulee

w7ay You follow the new instructions (basically boot the ASIAIR, follow the instructions on taking a picture of the QR code on the screen that contains your ASIAIR serial number, and let your ASIAIR contact ZWO's server to get the microSD card blessed). If you have no internet access while out at the dark site, you are out of luck.

Thank you, I have got the qr code by adding my serial number into zwo website but how do I scan it from the zwo app on my phone or tablet to get the thing blessed?

IntheWind59

w7ay Chen, what is the legacy license method? I downloaded ASIAIR (v1.4) from Google drive. What does the License QR Code do for you and how do you use it? I own an ASI AIR Pro, the ZWO license was not present in the Boot file, only had ASIAIR_Config.txt, Do Not Delete any file here, and the Image folder). I had tried using disk utility, and ApplePi-Baker to make a backup of my MicroSD card. To date no luck. BTW, I am using a MacBook Pro. I would greatly appreciate some help here. Thank you and have a nice day.

w7ay

astronebulee

I have always done it the legacy way. But the ASIAIR App should ask you to scan the QR code from an unlicensed firmware.

Once you confirm, the camera should start to play (that is how other QR code scanners, like for HomeKit, works), point the iPad camera at the QR code on your desktop computer that you received, zoom the iPad to frame the QR pattern and that should do it.

I assume you can even print the QR code out so you can just scan a piece of paper.

Chen

astronebulee

w7ay astronebulee

I have always done it the legacy way. But the ASIAIR App should ask you to scan the QR code from an unlicensed firmware.

Once you confirm, the camera should start to play (that is how other QR code scanners, like for HomeKit, works), point the iPad camera at the QR code on your desktop computer that you received, zoom the iPad to frame the QR pattern and that should do it.

I assume you can even print the QR code out so you can just scan a piece of paper.

Chen

When I powered on my asiair pro it never asked me ti scan any qr code so I was guessing that mine is already licensed? I have since powered on my asiair pro and the app just goes to the equipment list

w7ay

astronebulee

I just downloaded the original v1.4 ASIAIR firmware from the Google drive and uncompressed it to an IMG file.

Then used ApplePi Baker to burn a 32GB Samsung microSD card.

Booted fine (even has the extra loud beep from the v1.4 days.)

Upon connection to my iPad, the v1.6.2 ASIAIR app tells me that there is new firmware (8.11) while the firmware on the microSD card is the original 4.35 that was issued for the Raspberry Pi 4 version of the ASIAIR. The serial number on the upper right corner of the ASIAIR screen is correct.

After telling the ASIAIR app to go ahead and update the firmware, it eventually rebooted (with a softer beep), and a Completed button at the bottom of the screen.

Once I did that, I see this screen to Re-authorize (since the microSD card has not yet been blessed).

I then clicked on the Authorize Online button (bottom of screen). It auto authorized at that point, and shows this next screen. There was no need to go through a QR code, unless you had on the first screen asked it to authorize offline ("Have a license QR code" at bottom right of screen)..

At the same time, ASIAIR also saved the QR code to the iPadOS's Photos album so you can authorize offline in the future. (Be sure to give the ASIAIR app to access your Photos album.)

Tapping "OK" at the bottom of the screen got me into the initial setup window (mount, cameras, EFW, EAF selections).

Tapping on Enter in the initial window gave me the normal ASIAIR window.

Chen

astronebulee

Hi
My AAP upgraded to 8.11 the first time I powered it on and had no qr scan come up atall, I have a qr code from zwo after entering my sn into their website and now have a qr code I'll try seeing if my app has permission to access my photos album in my tablet tgsdt may help but still no further forward, so my sd card isn't blessed then, very strange

w7ay

astronebulee still no further forward, so my sd card isn't blessed then, very strange

Does the ASIAIR hardware boot all the way so you can see the main window of the ASIAIR app and you can select a camera or filter wheel? If so, your copy of the firmware is licensed.

When you update the firmware on the microSD card, the license is automatically transferred. You only need to bless the card if you had downloaded a completely unlicensed image of the microSD card (like the example I showed above), or if you plug your existing card into a different ASIAIR box which has a different serial number.

Like the original case, the license (which is no longer stored in the BOOT partition of the microSD card, but in a different partition) is also backed up and restored. You only need to re-bless the image when you use that backed up image on a different ASIAIR.

Chen

astronebulee

Yes my AAP boots up fine, I've even used it once with my scop and camera so all works OK. I see what you say that the licence file does not appear in the boot partition anymore on the new AAP. Which partition is the license file in rhen please, as if I ever need to put a back up sd card into my AAP then I'll surely need the license code. So how can I locate my license file then please.

w7ay

astronebulee Which partition is the license file in rhen please, as if I ever need to put a back up sd card into my AAP then I'll surely need the license code.

As I mentioned earlier, if you restore a backup for the same ASIAIR box, the restored microSD card will remain licesed.

It is when you move the microSD card to a different ASIAIR that you need to get it relicensed. Or if you download the unlicensed image from the Google drive.

You can just relicense any unblessed microSD card by using the QR code.

To see the other partitions on the microSD card, your computer will need to be able to read the Linux ext4 file format. On macOS, you can buy the ExtFS kernel extension from Paragon Software, for example, assuming you have some rudimentary knowledge of Linux or Rasbian.

But why do it the hard way? Just use the QR code process to license any unlicensed microSD card..

Chen

astronebulee

OK, still confused really. But as long as my AAP is working fine it must be licensed. I have obtained a qr code from this link https://asiair.en.zwo.biz/#/license
By typing in my s/n code that is on my startup screen in the app.
So should I need to install my sd card onto another AAP then I have the license, correct?

Tech@ZWO

astronebulee
I thought you are just backing up sd card for the first time, do you have a second AAP? If no, no need to find another AAP to do such thing.

scoobydoo

The license is linked to the serial number of the motherboard in the AAP. If you have another AAP device it will need its own license.

astronebulee

I have backed up my sd card and was just wondering where the licence file was, Chen has said its on another part of the sd card. I have now registered my s/n from the licence website on zwo and now have a qr code in any eventually that I need to re authorise my AAP. I don't not have a second AAP. Just wondered as all the videos oibe I've seen showed the license file in the boot partition. But now know its not the same on the new AAP now. I've used the device a couple of times with no issue getting it to work.

Chaz

If you select, "show all files and folders", it will show up. Had the same issue. :-) They made it a hidden file. :-)

astronebulee

Chaz If you select, "show all files and folders", it will show up. Had the same issue. :-) They made it a hidden file. :-)

Thank you so much Chaz this has sorted and now I can see my licence file along with all the other files. Wish someone just said how to do this before all the previous chats to Chen. Thank you again and now all sorted.

IntheWind59

Chaz Chaz, you are dying that the ZWO license file is a hidden file? What do you mean by "show all files and folders?" Can you do that on a MAC? My ASIAIR works fine, but I cannot get it to load when I put into my ASIAIR ti verify that the new backup will work. Any suggestions? One other thing, how do you use the QR code? Thanks.

johnpd

Is this the LICENSE.broadcom file?

JohnD

astronebulee

johnpd Is this the LICENSE.broadcom file?

Hi john
No the license file is in the boot partition, you have to check the box hidden items and the at the bottom you should have a file zwoair_license.

johnpd

Thanks,
Had I bothered to scroll all the way to the bottom of the list, I would have seen it. I stopped when I saw the other "license" file.
JohnD