Is the software license fee one-time or annual?

As our standard license terms states, all software licenses, unless otherwise specified, is per-camera-channel permanent license. However, it only last as long as the hardware you chose to "commit" to. If your hardware changes, it would invalidate the license code and therefore needs a new one.

The user is also responsible to back-up and restore the license properly (after license is committed) upon the occasion of OS-reinstallation.  For license backup/restore, please check: System Maintenance Guide.