# Admin console (/enterprise-offline/license-server/admin-console)

The admin console is the web application your administrators use to manage licenses and monitor SonicCloud usage. Your IT team provides its address.

## Sign in [#sign-in]

1. Open the admin console address in a web browser.
2. Enter your user name and password.

If your browser shows a certificate warning, stop and contact your IT team. Your session ends automatically after a period of inactivity.

## Roles and access [#roles-and-access]

The admin console uses role-based user management. Each administrator has their own account, and what they can do in the console depends on their role.

## Import a license [#import-a-license]

Use this when you first set up and at each renewal.

1. Open **Licenses**.
2. Select **Import License**.
3. Choose the `.lic` file from SonicCloud.
4. Confirm the seat count and expiry date shown.

## Monitor seat usage [#monitor-seat-usage]

The console shows how many seats are in use and which workstations are using them. Review usage each week, and record the peak each month to plan capacity.

## Release a seat [#release-a-seat]

Seats normally return on their own. Release a seat manually only when you need it back immediately, for example when a user left a workstation running.

1. Open the list of active seats.
2. Find the workstation.
3. Select **Force Release** and confirm.

The seat becomes available at once. Check with the user first, because releasing a seat may interrupt their session.

## Audit logs [#audit-logs]

The console keeps a record of important actions, including administrator sign-ins, license imports and forced seat releases. Open **Audit Logs** to review them. Review the log regularly, and after every license import.