# Upgrading from monthly to perpetual getting an error code **URL:** \ **Category:** Wowza Streaming Engine\ **Created:** [March 27, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401 "2014-03-27T07:04:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wade\_DeWerff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Wade\_DeWerff](https://community.wowza.com/u/Wade_DeWerff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:04am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/1 "2014-03-27T07:04:14Z")
We have version 3.x and we upgraded from monthly to perpetual license by replacing the license key in the Server.license file but after the service was restarted we got the following error code: ERROR: License key is not valid or license file does not exist and running as a service (exiting) I see in the docs that the cause is the result of a perpetual AddOn license key being used without a valid Wowza perpetual license in place. We do not have any AddOns at the moment so I’m not sure how to resolve. ---
**Author:** ![sal\_jefferson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sal\_jefferson](https://community.wowza.com/u/sal_jefferson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:40am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/2 "2014-03-27T07:40:36Z")
Hi there, licenses for versions 3.x and 4.x are not compatible. Make sure you are using the correct license for the Wowza version you are running. Salvadore ---
**Author:** ![Daren\_Johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee59a6/32.png) [@Daren\_Johnson](https://community.wowza.com/u/Daren_Johnson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/3 "2014-03-27T22:53:56Z")
Hi, Yes, you’ll need a new Wowza Streaming Engine 4 developer license. You can just request a new [developer license here.](https://www.wowza.com/media-server/developers/license) The license you’ll receive will be for the Wowza Streaming Engine 4. Daren ---
**Author:** ![sal\_jefferson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sal\_jefferson](https://community.wowza.com/u/sal_jefferson)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:51am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/4 "2014-03-27T07:51:35Z")
Yes, Wowza Streaming Engine is Wowza 4.x, The previous version was Wowza Media Server. So it sounds like you are using a 4.x license for a 3.x version of Wowza. Salvadore ---
**Author:** ![Wade\_DeWerff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Wade\_DeWerff](https://community.wowza.com/u/Wade_DeWerff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 7:42am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/5 "2014-03-27T07:42:54Z")
The new license type is Wowza Streaming Engine Perpetual License — 1 Year Maintenance & Support. Is that the 4.x version? ---
**Author:** ![Wade\_DeWerff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Wade\_DeWerff](https://community.wowza.com/u/Wade_DeWerff)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2014, 8:12am UTC](https://community.wowza.com/t/upgrading-from-monthly-to-perpetual-getting-an-error-code/41401/6 "2014-03-27T08:12:25Z")
Thanks. We also have a developer license for our development environment that we would also like to upgrade to 4.x. Will we need a new developer license for that as well?