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Snapshot Offline Installation

Overview​

This guide explains how to install Snapshot On-premise on a machine without internet access. You will learn how to download the Snapshot Docker image on an online machine, transfer it using a removable device, and run Snapshot offline.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker installed on both machines
  • One machine with internet access
  • One target machine without internet access
  • A removable storage device (USB flash drive, external disk, etc.)

Install or Upgrade Snapshot Offline​

1. Download the Snapshot Docker image (online machine)​

On a machine with internet access, run:

docker pull platerecognizer/alpr

2. Save the Docker image to a file​

docker save platerecognizer/alpr > alpr.tar

Optionally, compress the image to reduce file size:

xz -9 alpr.tar

3. Transfer the image to the offline machine​

Copy the file (alpr.tar or alpr.tar.xz) to a removable device and physically move it to the offline machine.

4. Load the Docker image on the offline machine​

For an uncompressed image:

docker load < alpr.tar

For a compressed image:

docker load < alpr.tar.xz

Generate the seed.conf File​

The seed.conf file contains the hardware fingerprint (HW Fingerprint) of the offline machine and is required to activate Snapshot offline.

1. Run Snapshot to generate seed.conf​

Run the command below from the directory where you want the license folder to be created.

info

Using ./license means the license directory will be created inside the current working directory where the Docker command is executed.

docker run --rm -t -p 8080:8080 -v ./license:/license/ \
  -e CREATE_SEED=1 -e LICENSE_KEY=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY -e TOKEN=YOUR_API_TOKEN \
  platerecognizer/alpr

After execution:

  • A folder named license will be created in the current directory
  • Inside it, the following file will exist:
./license/seed.conf

2. Send the seed.conf file​

Send the generated seed.conf file to the Plate Recognizer team so the license can be processed for offline usage.

Copy device.conf and config.dat to the Offline Machine​

1. Receive the updated license files​

After processing the seed.conf, you will receive two files:

  • device.conf
  • config.dat

These files authorize Snapshot to run on the offline machine.

2. Required directory structure​

The files must be placed using the following structure:

license/
├── .snapshot/
│   └── device.conf
└── config.dat

Important notes​

  • If the .snapshot directory does not exist, it must be created manually
  • If device.conf and/or config.dat already exist, they must be replaced with the newly generated files
  • Always ensure you are using the latest files provided

After completing these steps, Snapshot can be executed without an internet connection.

warning

When running Snapshot normally, make sure to remove the CREATE_SEED=1 environment variable. This variable should be used only for generating the seed.conf file.

What if the license changes?​

If the license is modified after device.conf and config.dat are generated:

  • The same seed.conf file must be reprocessed with the new license
  • New device.conf and config.dat files will be issued
  • The new files must replace the existing ones on the offline machine