Generating a machine fingerprint for AppScan Enterprise

Generate a unique machine fingerprint that's required to obtain a license file from the My HCLSoftware (MHS) portal for AppScan Enterprise. Use this utility to generate a machine fingerprint key without needing to first run the full AppScan Enterprise Configuration Wizard. This is useful for administrators who need to acquire a license file from the MHS portal before starting the AppScan Enterprise installation process. The standard installation process for AppScan Enterprise includes a Configuration Wizard that also displays this fingerprint key. This utility provides a method to retrieve only the key.

Before you begin

Important:
You must run this utility on the same computer where you plan to install the AppScan Enterprise server. The license will fail validation if the fingerprint is generated from a different computer.
  • You must have Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 17 installed and properly configured on the computer where you plan to install AppScan Enterprise.
  • If AppScan Enterprise is already installed, you can use its bundled JRE. The required JRE is included with the AppScan Enterprise server installation and is typically located in the \Liberty\jre subdirectory.

To verify that the JRE is installed and configured correctly:

  1. Open a Command Prompt window.
  2. Enter the following command and press Enter: 
    java -version

    • A successful response displays the Java version information.

    • An error message such as java is not recognized indicates that the JRE isn't installed or isn't configured in the system's PATH variable. See the Troubleshooting section for help.

Procedure

  1. Download the HCL AppScan Enterprise Fingerprint Generator utility from the My HCLSoftware (MHS) portal.
    Note:
    This utility is available for AppScan Enterprise version 10.9.1 and later. To find the download, navigate to: Downloads > HCL AppScan > AppScan Enterprise > [version]. The file is typically named ase_fingerprint_[version].zip.
  2. Extract the MHSFingerPrint.exe file from the downloaded zip archive.
  3. Open a Command Prompt window and navigate to the directory where you extracted the executable file.
  4. Run the utility with the generatefingerprint argument: MHSFingerPrint.exe generatefingerprint

Results

The license fingerprint appears in the Command Prompt window as a single line of alphanumeric text, like this:

What to do next

After you copy the fingerprint key, use it on the MHS portal to get your license file. For complete instructions, see Generating and applying the license file.

Troubleshooting

Error: "Could not find Java Runtime Environment" or "java is not recognized"

This error occurs when a compatible JRE isn't installed or isn't correctly configured in the system's environment variables.

To resolve this issue, you must create a JAVA_HOME environment variable and update the Path variable.

  1. Create a JAVA_HOME system environment variable that points to your JRE installation directory (for example, C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-17.

  2. Update the Path system environment variable to include the path to the JRE's bin directory (for example, %JAVA_HOME%\bin).

Error: No output is displayed or application exits immediately

If the JRE is installed correctly but the utility doesn't display a fingerprint, try the following solutions:

  • Verify that you are running the command exactly as shown in Step 4, including the generatefingerprint argument.

  • Close the Command Prompt window, open a new one with Administrator privileges, and run the command again.

  • Check the properties of the MHSFingerPrint.exe file to ensure that it hasn't been blocked by Windows or altered by antivirus software.