Authority Console

01 · Getting started

The Authority Console is the STUDIO BODs workspace for licensing BLT Server itself. Customer administrators use their own BLT Server console to manage their applications and application licenses.

1. Open authority.blt.solutions/console.
2. Select Sign in with Microsoft. Allow the Microsoft sign-in popup if your browser blocks it.
3. Select the configured owner account, contact@studiobods.com, and complete any Microsoft authentication prompts.
4. The console opens on Overview. Use the left navigation for Customers, Subscriptions and Servers.

Select Sign out in the top bar when finished. This clears the console session and its displayed private data; other Microsoft applications remain signed in. A page reload may require you to sign in again.

Prepare first, activate later

Create the customer and save the agreed subscription settings whenever they are ready. You do not need an installed Server or activation request for these first two steps.

02 · Your workspace

The bottom-left sidebar, below Licensing authority and STUDIO BODs · Owner access, shows the Authority version, build number and abbreviated source revision. Include this label when reporting a problem. A build made outside CI is labeled Local build.

Overview shows totals for customers, all subscriptions (registered plus drafts), Servers and drafts awaiting activation. Select a total to open its inventory. Awaiting Server activation lists up to five saved drafts; use Continue setup or View drafts to resume. The onboarding shortcuts sit below the current inventory and access information.

Scan the list, then open Details

Compact rows keep the important facts aligned. Select Details beside a record to reveal its actions, notes and full information. On a Server, this includes renewal contact, last issued authorization, API/database readiness, runtime and source revision. Expand Registration and public identity inside Details for the full instance ID and public key. Details can be opened with the keyboard and stay open when you refresh the current record. Narrow screens stack labeled fields; the full version/build remains in Details.

The subscription register has three views: All subscriptions, Drafts · awaiting activation and Registered. The All view groups drafts separately from registered subscriptions. A draft has agreed settings but is waiting for the Server identity; it does not authorize a Server. Registered subscriptions have an Organization ID.

Enter a name or identifier in the search field and select Search. Select Clear to return to the full list. Refresh reloads the current view and search. The loaded count is the number of matching records currently displayed. Lists load in batches of up to 50 records of each kind; select Load more when available. The footer confirms when all results are loaded.

Health labels distinguish Ready, Needs attention, Stale, Not reported and Offline. Color supports these words. Subscription access is a separate column: an active subscription does not prove the application is healthy. Open User manual from the sidebar for this guide.

03 · Manage customers

1. Open Customers and select Add customer.
2. Under Customer setup, choose New customer. Enter a unique Customer ID, such as customer-001, and the Company / customer name. This permanent reference links the customer to subscriptions and cannot be changed after creation.
3. Optionally add Contact name, Contact email and Notes.
4. Select Save changes. Confirm that the customer appears in the directory.

To update a record, open its Details, select Edit customer, change its contact details or notes, then save. The Customer ID is read-only for an existing record.

Match an existing subscription

1. Select Add customer, then choose Match an existing subscription under Customer setup.
2. Search by subscription, customer or organization ID. Select a result under Existing subscription; use Load more subscriptions if needed.
3. The console fills and locks the Customer ID from the subscription. If that customer already has contact details, they load for editing.
4. Enter or update the company and contact details, then select Save changes.

Customer records describe the customer. Editing a name or contact email does not change purchased dates, move a subscription or replace a Server key.

04 · Prepare a subscription

Save the customer’s purchased term and licensing policy before receiving a Server activation request. The saved record is a draft; no Organization ID or Server key is required yet.

1. Open Subscriptions and select Add subscription, or use Prepare a subscription on Overview.
2. Enter a unique Subscription ID, such as subscription-001.
3. Search for and choose the Customer. The Customer ID is filled automatically.
4. Choose SelfHosted for a customer-hosted Server or Managed for a STUDIO BODs-operated instance.
5. Enter the purchased dates and explicit timing policy below, then select Save draft.

The draft is stored in Authority and remains available after closing the dialog, reloading the page or signing in again. Open the draft’s Details and select Edit settings to revise it. The Subscription ID and Customer ID remain fixed.

After registration, open Details and use Edit subscription to extend the purchased end date or change access; see Renew, suspend or restore access.

On a registered subscription, its ID, Customer ID and Organization ID are read-only. For corrections to ownership or registration bindings, contact the authority administrator instead of creating substitute identities.

Dates and time zones

Subscription editor fields are labeled UTC. Dates shown in inventory rows and Details use your browser’s local time zone, so the same instant may appear with a different hour or calendar date. Convert local business deadlines to UTC before entering them.

05 · Register a BLT Server

What the customer supplies

During installation, the customer enters an Organization ID for their Server, together with host details and the first administrator account. Use an organization reference agreed with STUDIO BODs, such as customer-org. The current preview wizard labels this Test organization ID and offers test-org as a test default. The Server creates or loads its signing identity during setup.

Under Activation mode, the customer chooses Online for automatic licensing contact or Offline for a permanently disconnected Server. The installer supplies trusted Authority verification in both modes and configures the renewal address automatically for Online. No trust-file path or renewal URL is entered by the customer. Tell the Authority operator which mode was selected so registration matches.

Once installed, the customer Server administrator runs:

sudo /opt/blt-server/current/blt-server license-request > server-activation-request.json

This command takes no customer or subscription information. It exports the configured Organization ID, the instance ID derived from the Server’s public key, and that public key. The customer transfers the complete server-activation-request.json file to STUDIO BODs. It contains public identity data; no private key or administrator password is included. Customer ID and Subscription ID are selected by the Authority operator.

Step 1 · Choose customer

1. Open Servers → Register Server, or continue from a subscription draft. The three steps are shown at the top of the dialog.
2. Search by company name or Customer ID and choose the Customer. Use Load more customers when available. If missing, add the company in Customers first.
3. Select Continue.

Step 2 · Prepare subscription

1. Under Subscription setup, choose Choose saved draft or existing subscription.
2. Search and select the Prepared subscription for this customer. Review its dates and offering. Saved drafts await an Organization ID; registered subscriptions show their fixed organization.
3. If no draft has been prepared, choose Prepare a new subscription draft, enter the agreed settings and select Save draft and continue. The draft is saved at this point, so you may close and return later.
4. With a prepared subscription selected, choose Continue.

Step 3 · Activate Server

1. Paste the complete exported JSON into Server activation request (public JSON). This is the only step that needs the request.
2. Enter a recognizable Server name, select Online renewal or Permanently disconnected under Activation mode, and optionally add notes.
3. Select Check activation request. The console verifies the public key and instance identity and rejects a Server already registered. It fills the read-only Organization ID.
4. For a draft, that organization will be bound on registration. For a registered subscription, it must match the subscription’s organization. If it differs, go Back and choose the correct subscription or obtain the correct Server request.
5. Review the result, then select Register Server.

Back revisits earlier choices before registration. Changing a request requires checking it again. Dates and policy are preserved when a draft becomes a registered subscription.

Complete Online activation

With Online selected during installation, trusted Authority verification and the renewal address are already configured. After the Authority operator registers the request using Online renewal, the running Server obtains its license automatically. The customer Server administrator checks:

sudo /opt/blt-server/current/blt-server license-status

Verify an active license and the first successful renewal in the Authority Console. The Server also sends its version and application readiness every five minutes. If the request has not been registered, installation remains available but paid application operations stay restricted.

Edit Server details

Open the Server’s Details and select Server details to change its name or notes. This changes descriptive metadata only. Expand Registration and public identity to inspect its instance ID, subscription reference, registration time and public key.

06 · Issue an offline activation file

Use this workflow for a permanently disconnected Server registered with Permanently disconnected activation mode.

1. Review the subscription dates and access state before issuing the file.
2. Find the Server in Servers, open Details and select Activation file.
3. Confirm issuance. Your browser downloads <instanceId>.license.json.
4. Transfer the file securely to the intended customer Server.
5. With Offline selected during installation, trusted Authority verification is already installed and automatic licensing contact is disabled. The Server administrator imports the returned file:

   sudo /opt/blt-server/current/blt-server license-import \
     --file /secure/server-license.json
   
   sudo /opt/blt-server/current/blt-server license-status

   Replace /secure/server-license.json with the actual transferred file path.

The signed file is bound to the registered instance key and current subscription terms. It does not export a private key. A different Server identity cannot use it.

07 · Understand Server status

Read subscription state and last issued authorization together. They describe different facts.

A subscription can be Suspended while its Details still show an earlier valid authorization. The changed state reaches an Online Server on its next successful renewal. Refresh the inventory after that exchange to see the new recorded authorization.

08 · Renew, suspend or restore access

Extend a subscription

1. Open Subscriptions, find the record, open Details and select Edit subscription.
2. Update Ends at (UTC) to the agreed purchased end. Review grace, renewal and outage policy; change them only when intended.
3. Confirm Subscription access is Enabled and save.
4. For Online Servers, check the next successful renewal. For Offline Servers, issue and deliver an updated activation file.

Suspend a subscription

1. Open the subscription’s Details, select Edit subscription and change Subscription access to Suspended.
2. Select Save changes and read the suspension confirmation.
3. Confirm only when you intend to restrict the subscription’s Servers.

On their next successful renewal, connected Servers receive signed suspension and enter restricted mode. Data, administration and recovery remain available; paid application services are disabled. Applications contacting the restricted Server receive entitlement denial. Disconnected applications remain subject to their own signed grant and offline-use terms.

Restore access

Edit the subscription, choose Enabled, verify the purchased dates and save. Online Servers need a successful renewal to receive the changed authorization. Offline Servers need a newly issued file imported on the host. Enabling an expired subscription without extending its dates does not create a new purchased term.

09 · Troubleshooting

When escalating, provide the affected record IDs, action attempted, time with time zone and displayed error. Exclude access tokens, passwords, private keys and authentication codes.

10 · Quick reference

Identifier format: customer, subscription and organization IDs use 1–128 ASCII letters, digits, dashes, underscores or periods. A Server instance ID is generated from its public key; copy it from the activation request.

Field limits: company/customer name, contact name and Server name: 256 characters; contact email: 320; notes: 4,000; inventory search: 128.

Save or cancel: use Continue and Back through onboarding, then the registration action on the final step. Subscription drafts use Save draft; customer and registered subscription editors use Save changes. Cancel closes pending edits; after a failed onboarding save, check the inventory for records already saved.

Keep a printable copy: use your browser’s Print command and select a printer or Save as PDF. Navigation is hidden in the print layout.