The classic procedure to install a LISTSERV LAK (either a new evaluation LAK or a production LAK) is as follows:

      1. Create a disk file with the license information supplied. If you received the license registration form electronically, simply delete the mail headers and other extraneous information (you do not need to remove the instructions found at the top of the LAK). If you received it via FAX or postal mail, you will have to retype the information. Please observe spacing carefully. To make the LAK easier to transcribe, we always insert multiple blanks where one is needed. Thus, unless you see a big white space on the FAX, you should not insert any blank. 
      2. Make a backup copy of the file you have just created. 
      3. Install a copy of the file under the name LICENSE.MERGE in the product's main directory. This would be MAIN\LICENSE.MERGE relative to your LISTSERV root directory (eg C:\LISTSERV\MAIN\LICENSE.MERGE) if you installed LISTSERV under C:\LISTSERV).
      4. Start LISTSERV (or stop and restart it if it was already running). It will compile the new LAK, verify its integrity, and merge it into its license database. If no error was detected, it will then delete the LICENSE.MERGE file. This is why you must make a backup copy of the license file before activating it. The LAK will of course remain in the license database, but you may need the original in case of hardware failure. 
      5. Verify that LISTSERV is running with your new LAK by issuing the command SHOW LICENSE either by e-mail or at the LISTSERV command prompt (in interactive mode).

Important: The LICENSE.MERGE file MUST be a flat ASCII text file (Unicode is not supported).

If you create the LICENSE.MERGE file with NOTEPAD, please note that by default the NOTEPAD application will save your file with a .txt extension (e.g., if you type license.merge in the "Save as" dialog box, NOTEPAD will actually save license.merge.txt). If this happens you must rename the file to license.merge or LISTSERV will not see it on startup.  You can avoid this problem by enclosing the name of the file in double quotes, i.e., when you are prompted for the filename in the "Save as" dialog box, enter "license.merge"  (you must use the double quote marks!) and press the OK/Save button.  If you use the double quotes, your file will be saved  as license.merge and not as  license.merge.txt .