Licence and settings

What requires a licence

Obscura Vault never holds your own files hostage: everything that gets your data back stays available without a licence. The licence opens what produces new preservation evidence.

An action subject to the licence is refused when you start it, before any work, with a message that says why and what to do: sign in, get a licence, reconnect to the Internet, remove a device, free up room.

Your plan may also limit certain counts (for example the number of offsite destinations: only those this library sends to count, and the limit is asked at the first send to a new destination; adding one to restore is always possible). Plans, prices and limits are presented at https://vault.obscuraflow.app/en/pricing; the Account & Licence screen shows those of your plan.

Account and licence

Obscura Vault › Account & Licence…, the licence status button in the toolbar, and Settings… › Account & Licence open the same screen.

It shows:

• the licence state (“Licence active”, “Licence active until …”, “Licence to recheck: connect this Mac to the Internet”, “No Obscura Vault licence on this account…”) and the plan’s name;
• the signed-in Account, with Recheck Licence (asks the server for the licence again) and Sign Out; or, with no account, the Sign In form;
• What the Licence Includes: each feature, open or locked, and those Included without a licence;
• Plan Limits: Offsite Destinations and Devices, the limits Vault applies (the number of projects and the archived volume are not limited by Vault, so they are not shown). “unlimited” when the plan sets no limit. Detailed usage is shown when the server can be reached;
• Devices: the Macs using the licence, with their version and last connection. The one you are on comes first, marked This Mac.

Remove a device

When the licence is already used on the maximum number of devices, the screen says so with the figures, for example “Device limit reached: 3 devices on a plan that allows 2.” Remove another Mac: click Remove on its line. Its slot is freed; it will have to sign in again to use the licence. Then click Recheck Licence. The Mac you are on offers no Remove: the server would refuse it for good.

Offline

The signed licence is kept on the Mac (License folder of the library) and is checked offline. It is bound to this Mac: copied to another Mac with the library, it opens nothing there, and that Mac gets its own at its first connection. It remains valid offline for the period set by the server — 30 days by default since the last check. After that, paid features wait for a connection: “Obscura Vault has not been able to check its licence for too long. Connect this Mac to the Internet once to get the paid features back.” Everything else keeps working.

At launch, Vault checks the stored licence, then refreshes it with the server if a session exists.

Licence messages

• “This account has no Obscura Vault licence. An Obscura Flow or Obscura Catalog licence does not apply to Obscura Vault: each app has its own.”
• “This account has an Obscura Flow — or Obscura Catalog — licence, which does not apply to Obscura Vault.”
• “The licence server does not recognise Obscura Vault yet. Your account is not at fault: try again later or contact support.”
• “Licence server unreachable. The last licence checked on this Mac remains valid offline.”
• “Your session has expired: sign in again to check the licence.”
• “Your Obscura Vault licence has expired. Renew it to get the paid features back.”
• “This licence is already used on the maximum number of devices. Remove a device to free a slot.”
• “The licence is dated in the future: check this Mac’s date and time.”
• “The licence signature is not valid: the file may have been modified. Sign in again to retrieve it.”
• “This licence was issued for another Mac: connect this Mac to the Internet to get its own.” Recheck Licence asks the server for it again.

Settings

Obscura Vault › Settings… (⌘,) has three tabs.

General

Library Location: the folder holding the database, the licence cache and the library’s settings (see Where Vault keeps its data). Show in Finder opens it. The location cannot be changed from the interface.

Language and Appearance:

• Language: System (the default) follows the language of macOS: Vault speaks the first of English or French listed in System Settings › General › Language & Region, and French when neither is. English or Français set a language for Vault alone, whatever the Mac’s. The new language applies the next time Vault starts, everywhere at once: screens, menus, macOS windows (open, save, alerts), help, legal texts, dates and numbers. Relaunch Now relaunches Vault right away; while an operation runs (import, archive, transfer, audit), the button stays inactive until it finishes. The choice is the one macOS also offers in System Settings › General › Language & Region › Applications: both stay in agreement.
• Appearance: System (the default) follows the light or dark mode of macOS, and changes with it; Light and Dark apply whatever the Mac’s setting. The change is immediate, in every Vault window.

Both settings apply to this Mac only: they are not stored in the library.

Compte et licence (Account and licence)

The same screen as Obscura Vault › Account & Licence… (see above).

Updates

• Installed Version.
• Automatically Check for Updates: Vault checks by itself whether a new version is published.
• Check for Updates… checks right away.

A development copy or a locally signed copy does not check for updates; the tab then shows “Automatic updates not available yet”.

Other settings

Other settings are in the screens they concern:

• the automatic audit frequency: Integrity › Automatic library audit (chapter 4);
• the number of backups kept: Backups (chapter 8);
• the issuer, key and timestamping of certificates: Certificates › Settings… (chapter 9);
• offsite destinations: Offsite (chapter 7).