Troubleshooting Online Activation Failures
When you try to activate NovaBACKUP online, you might see an "Activate offline" prompt or an "Activation failed" error. This usually means the backup client can't reach our License Server. The quickest fix is often DNS or firewall related.
What to do if activation fails: When you try to activate NovaBACKUP online, you might see an "Activate offline" prompt or an "Activation failed" error. This usually means the backup client can't reach our License Server. The quickest fix is often DNS or firewall related.
Quick check: Most NovaBACKUP licenses don't support offline activation. If online activation fails, you'll likely need to fix the network connection rather than try offline activation.
How to test the connection:
Open PowerShell and run this command:test-netconnection -Port 443 -ComputerName ls.novabackup.com -InformationLevel "Detailed"test-netconnection -Port 80 -ComputerName ls.novabackup.com -InformationLevel "Detailed"Look for "TcpTestSucceeded : True" in the output. If you see "False," there's a connection issue.
If the test fails:
- Check if you're on a VPN and disconnect if you are
- Temporarily disable your firewall and retry
- If it still fails, you likely have a DNS problem
Fix DNS issues: Edit your network adapter settings to use these public DNS servers:
- 8.8.8.8 (Google)
- 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare)
Then rerun the PowerShell test. If it works, you can leave these DNS settings or add them to your router and reboot.
Still having issues? Run ping ls.novabackup.com to check if DNS is resolving properly.