How to Change the Licensed Domain Name or IP Address of a Centova Cast Licence

Updated: 8 October 2026 · Applies to: Centova Cast v3 (current release 3.3.4) with a re-issuable licence, steps according to Centova; licence server connection check tested on Debian 13

A Centova Cast v3 licence is tied to the domain name or IP address it was first issued for. To move it, re-issue the key in your centova.com client area (Manage Product Licenses, select the licence, Re-issue license key), then log in to the server as root, delete the old key file and restart Centova Cast. According to Centova, the change takes effect immediately. If your Centova Cast licence came with a Ucartz dedicated server, open a support ticket with Ucartz for the re-issue instead of using centova.com.

When you need to re-issue the licence

• You moved Centova Cast to a new server.
• The server's IP address changed. Centova Cast then reports License validation failed: Unlicensed IP address.
• You changed the domain name the licence was issued for.

Steps

1. Authorise the re-issue (licence owner, no server access needed). Log in to the Centova client area, click Manage Product Licenses, select your Centova Cast licence and click Re-issue license key. Ucartz dedicated server customers with an included licence open a support ticket for this step instead.
2. Make Centova Cast request a new key (root access on the server). Log in over SSH as root (or switch to root with sudo -i) and run:

   rm -f /usr/local/centovacast/etc/license/license.key
   /usr/local/centovacast/centovacast restart

   Only license.key is removed. Your licence key itself is stored separately in /usr/local/centovacast/etc/license.conf, so leave that file alone.
3. Check the panel. Log in to the Centova Cast web interface as admin. If the IP address changed, update each stream with the new IP address and correct the IP addresses or hostnames under Management > Hosts, as Centova describes for server moves.

If there is no "Re-issue license key" link

According to Centova, there are two reasons:

• The licence has never been issued. Nothing to re-issue: install Centova Cast normally and the installer registers your domain name automatically.
• It is an old non-reissuable licence. Its licensed domain name cannot be changed. These licences are not locked to an IP address, though, so you can move to a new server as long as the domain name moves with it: enter your existing key on the new server.

Moving Centova Cast to a new server

A server move combines the re-issue with a copy of your data. Centova's migration procedure, in short:

1. Update the old server to the latest Centova Cast version (/usr/local/centovacast/sbin/update, see how to update Centova).
2. Re-issue the licence as above. According to Centova, the old server is then left without a valid licence but keeps working normally for several days, which gives you time to move.
3. Install Centova Cast on the new server exactly as on the old one, with the same streaming server and AutoDJ software.
4. Stop Centova Cast on both servers, copy the database with mysqldump and the /usr/local/centovacast/var/vhosts/ folder with rsync, restore them on the new server, run /usr/local/centovacast/sbin/fixperms and start Centova Cast.
5. Update the IP addresses, set the cluster authentication key under Management > Hosts to match /usr/local/centovacast/etc/rpcshadow on the new server, and test every stream before you change DNS or cancel the old server.

Every step needs root access on both servers. Take a backup first (see backing up Centova Cast accounts).

If the new key cannot be fetched

Centova Cast validates its licence with license1.centova.com to license4.centova.com. If it reports that it cannot contact the licensing servers, a firewall is usually blocking outbound connections or the server's DNS resolver is broken. Test from the server:

for h in license1.centova.com license2.centova.com; do
  timeout 5 bash -c "</dev/tcp/$h/80" && echo "$h port 80: connected" || echo "$h port 80: failed"
done

A working server prints:

license1.centova.com port 80: connected
license2.centova.com port 80: connected

When a host name cannot be resolved, the line ends in failed and bash also prints Name or service not known, which points to DNS. If a test fails, check your server firewall and DNS, or ask your data centre to allow outbound connections to those hosts. To install a different key altogether, for example after a trial, see how to switch from a Centova trial licence.

A Centova Cast dedicated server from Ucartz comes with the Centova Cast licence included.

Official documentation: Changing licensed domain name or IP address in Centova Cast v3 and Migrating a Centova Cast v3 installation.