HikCentral Error Codes and Solutions

HikCentral is a Central Management System (CMS) designed for managing distributed sites or large groupings of cameras recording on Hikvision NVRs, DVRs, and CVRs.

HikCentral is pre-loaded on a Windows-based server. It works for the Hikvision logo and OEM version sold under third-party brand names.

It may happen that HikCentral shows various errors or failed messages that may prevent the software from working properly.

In this guide we’ve listed some of the main error codes of HikCentral, the reason why they show up and the steps you need to follow to fix the issues.

HikCentral: Failed Messages, Error Codes, and their Respective Solutions

Failed to install HikCentral with prompt “LicesneClean.exe stopped working”

Question: Failed to install HikCentral with prompt “LicesneClean.exe stopped working ”. Why?

Solution: The system interface is not compatible with the LicenseClean tool. Check whether the system is in the HikCentral’s list. If not, change the system.

Failed to install the web control with prompt “NPF failed”

Question: I tried to install the web control, but failed and received an error message “NPF failed”. Why?

Reason: This might be caused by the following two reasons:

• The previous web controls have not been uninstalled completely.
• Other programs in the system occupied NPF.

Solution: Make sure that the web controls that were previously installed are uninstalled completely. Quit NPF tools that use SADP (such as Wireshark, SADP, iVMS-4200, etc.). Then restart the computer.

Failed to log into HikCentral with error “vsm.dll[7]”

Question: In Rose redundancy mode, when the host VSM server switched to the spare VSM server, I failed to log into HikCentral and received an error message “vsm.dll[7]”. Why?

Reason: You have enabled the NGINX service on the host VSM server but have not enabled it on the spare VSM server. Since the Rose Replicator does not supervise the NGINX service, the NGINX service on the spare VSM server cannot be started automatically which causes the failure of login.

Solution: When installing HikCentral in Rose redundancy mode, manually start the NGINX services both on the host VSM server and the spare VSM server.

Failed to log into HikCentral with prompt “Invalid token”

Question: Failed to log into HikCentral and received a prompt “Invalid token”. Why?

Reason: The CPU model of the HikCentral server is not compatible causing token encryption error.

Solution: Change the HikCentral server’s CPU to mainstream models such as Intel Core, Xeon.

Failed to log into the Control Client with error code “VSM217”

Question: Failed to log into the Control Client and I received an error message with the error code “VSM217”. Why?

Reason: The Control-Client version is inconsistent with the HikCentral VSM server.

Solution: Install the Control Client of the same version as the HikCentral VSM server.

Failed to activate the system in online mode with error code “1103”

Question: I tried to activate the system in online mode, but failed and received an error message with the error code “1103”. Why?

Reason: This might be caused by the following two reasons:

• The HikCentral VSM server could not connect to the license server.
• The license server is not available currently.

Solution: Make sure the HikCentral VSM server can connect to the Internet when activating in online mode.
Try online activation later.

Failed to activate the system and prompt “There are errors in Flex response” (code: 1104)

Question: I tried to activate the system, but failed and received an error message with error code “1104” and prompt “There are errors in Flex response”. Why?

Reason: The version of the license does not match with the current HikCentral version.

Solution: Check whether the license’s supported HikCentral version matches with the current HikCentral. If not, please apply for a new one.

Failed to activate the system in offline mode with prompt “Operation Timeout”.

Question: I tried to activate the system in offline mode, but failed and received a message “Operation Timeout”. Why?

Answer: The activation in offline mode will fail if the time offset between the VSM server’s time and the standard time is more than 24 hours. You should change the VSM server’s time to the standard time.

Failed to import response file when activating in offline mode (error code: 1105)

Question: I tried to import the response file to HikCentral when activating it in offline mode, but failed and received an error message with error code “1105” and prompt “Operation is out of sequence. Restart the operation” Why?

Reason: The imported response file does not match with the exported request file. It might be caused by the following two reasons:

• The activation is not completed within 24 hours after the request file is exported from HikCentral.
• You clicked repeatedly when exporting the requested file from HikCentral, which made the first request file invalid.

Solution: After you export the requested file from HikCentral, please upload it to Hikvision Official Website to get the response file within 24 hours and import it to HikCentral for activation. Do not click “Export the license request file repeatedly when exporting the requested file from HikCentral.

Failed to activate the system with error code “1108”

Question: I tried to activate the system, but failed and received an error message with the error code “1108”. Why?

Reason: This might be caused by the following two reasons:

• The license’s activation code has been used by other HikCentral VSM servers.
• The license version does not match with the current HikCentral version.

Solution: Deactivate the HikCentral VSM server that has used the activation code, and then activate the license on the new HikCentral VSM server. If you can’t find which server has used the license, please contact Hikvision technical support. Check whether the license version matches the current HikCentral version. If not, please apply for a new license.

Failed to activate the system with error code “1113”

Question: I tried to activate the system, but failed and received an error message with the error code “1113”. Why?

Reason: You activated the expansion license without a base license.

Solution: Apply for a base license and activate it first.

Failed to activate the system with error code “1114”

Question: I tried to activate the system, but failed and received an error message with the error code “1114”. Why

Reason: HikCentral VSM server time has been modified.

Solution: Modify the server time as the correct time

Failed to activate the system with error code “1116”

Question: I tried to activate the system, but failed and received an error message with the error code “1116”. Why?

Reason: The number of resources in the current system exceeded the license limit.

Solution: Apply for license according to the current number of resources.

License failed to take effect after being activated.

Question: I activated the system successfully, but the license didn’t take effect and it couldn’t be found in the Web Client’s license list. Why?

Reason: When both sale license and trial license exist in HikCentral, only sale license will take effect since its priority is higher than trial license. As a result, the trial license will not take effect and couldn’t be found in the license list.

Solution: Confirm the type of license in the current HikCentral is a sale license or a trial license, to ensure that the license can be used normally.

Failed to detect online devices in Windows 10 with error “2002: SADP in not running”

Question: In Windows 10 operating system, the online devices cannot be detected in the Physical View of the Web Client, and I received an error message “2002: SADP is not running” after I clicked Refresh All. Why?

Reason: The web browser didn’t have administrator rights. The SADP component in the plug-in requires administrator rights to get data from the network adapter.

Solution: Choose one of the solutions to solve this problem:

• Run the web browser as administrator.
• Or turn off the system’s account control function on the computer which runs the Web Client.

Why does error code 11116 occur when displaying a live view on the smart wall?

Question: When I want to display a live view on the smart wall, it displays an error message with error code 11116. What’s going on?

Answer: If you add a decoding device in WAN, you must enable the VSM server’s WAN access and set its network parameters or displaying live view and alarm on the smart wall will fail and display error code 11116. To enable the WAN access function log in to the Web Client and enter System → WAN Access.

Failed to view live video in more than 4 windows with error code “SMS17”

Question: Succeeded to view live video in 1-window but failed to view live video in more than 4 windows and I received an error code “SMS17”. Why?

Reason: The Control Client has been set as switching the video stream type automatically. By default, when the window proportion of the displaying area is smaller than one-fourth, the Control Client will get substream for live view. If the camera does not support sub-stream, it will cause failure.

Solution: Adjust the threshold for main/sub-stream to be smaller than the current window division on the Control Client. Log into the camera’s web page to check whether it supports sub-stream.

Failed to view live video when the WAN access was enabled

Question: I have enabled the WAN access in HikCentral and entered the correct LAN IP address, but I couldn’t view the live video on the Control Client and smart wall. Why?

Reason: When WAN access is enabled, the Control Client and smart wall will access devices in proxy mode and get video streams via Streaming Gateway. When the Control Client and smart wall request more than 200 channels video stream simultaneously, which exceeds the Streaming Gateway’s limitation, it will cause failure.

Solution: Do not enable the WAN access when the HikCentral clients, VSM server and devices are in the same LAN.

Failed to view live video with error message “HCHetSDK4”

Question: I tried to view a live video, but failed and received an error message “HCHetSDK4”. Why?

Reason: The channel No. is incorrect because there are newly added cameras or deleted cameras on the encoding device locally.

Solution: Perform the following steps:

• In the Physical View of the Web Client, click Refresh to get the new status of the encoding device’s cameras.
• In the Logical View of the Web Client, delete the cameras of which the channel No. is incorrect and add them again.

Failed to view live video with prompt “Runtime exception. Secret key error.”

Question: I tried to start live video, but failed and received a prompt message “Runtime exception. Secret key error”. Why?

Reason: The NVR has enabled stream encryption, and the video stream of the live view has been encrypted. However, you didn’t enter the encryption key in HikCentral, which caused the failure of decoding.

Solution: Choose one of the solutions to solve this problem:

• Disable the stream encryption function in the NVR with the following steps: Enter the web page of the NVR. Click System → Security → Security Service to enter the security service page. Unselect Stream Encryption.
• Enter the correct encryption key of the NVR in the encoding device’s details page in Physical View of HikCentral Web Client.

Failed to view live video or video is not fluent when hardware decoding enabled

Question: When hardware decoding was enabled, I can’t view the live video (and I received an error code “2311”) or the live view is not fluent. Why?

Reason: The performance of the graphics card of the PC running the Control Client is insufficient causing the failure of H.265 video stream decoding.

Solution: If the video’s encoding format is H.265, change your computer graphic card to a higher level.

Failed to download video files when playing back with error prompt “SDK9”

Question: I tried to download video file when playing back the video of the Hikvision 2-line network camera, but failed and received an error message “SDK9”. Why?

Reason: The Hikvision 2-line network cameras don’t support playback and downloading video files simultaneously due to the limit of camera performance.

Solution: Pause the playback and then download video.

The video has no image or audio after it is downloaded in AVI format

Question: After I download and save the video files in AVI format, the video has no image or audio when playing. Why?

Answer: To save the video file in AVI format, the video’s encoding format should be MPEG4, H264, or MJPEG, and the audio encoding format should be AAC, G711A, or G711U. Data such as ATM information, POS transaction information, and temperature information cannot be saved in the video files in AVI format.

Why is the time of video in VSPlayer inconsistent with the downloading time?

Question: After downloading a video file of larger than 2 GB, when I play the video with VSplayer, the video time in VSPlayer is inconsistent with the start and end time of downloading. Why?

Reason: When the video is larger than 2 GB, it will be automatically divided into two files to be downloaded. When you click Open to play the video, only the first file will be played.

Solution: Manually play the video in the downloading directory.