Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!iuvax!cica!gatech!prism!scott
From: scott@prism.gatech.EDU (Scott Holt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT Software Distribution
Summary: host id based licensing, floating license server, minor Frame bashing
Message-ID: <2246@hydra.gatech.EDU>
Date: 3 Oct 89 16:57:54 GMT
References: <32739@cornell.UUCP> <2235@hydra.gatech.EDU> <33442@srcsip.UUCP>
Reply-To: scott@prism.gatech.EDU ()
Distribution: comp
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Lines: 51

In article <33442@srcsip.UUCP> mnkonar@gorby.UUCP (Murat N. Konar) writes:
>
>If the hostid is not hardcoded into the machine, I guess it would be
>ok.  What really sucks is something like what Mentor Graphics does
>which is setup authorization codes that are dependent on the hard-
>wired nodeID of the Apollo workstation.  When that workstation 
>breaks down, your software is unusable on any other node!
>

Well, it is hard coded - on the Suns (I may be wrong, someone correct me
if I am), the value is in ROM...I would imagine that its the same for
the NeXT. 

On their Sun Floating License server, Frame allows you to define a backup 
server so that if the primary server ever goes down, you can start up the 
license process on the back up. When the license server starts, it first
tries to find out if other license servers are running - if one with the
same serial number is, it won't start...thus, both the primary and backup
cannot be active at the same time. Alas, no "hot" backup, but at least
some sort of safety net. 

Another problem with hostid based copy protection is that when you swap the
CPU board, your hostid can change. On Suns this is avoided by replacing
the ROM from the dead board in the replacement - that way, even though its
essentailly a different system, the hostid remains the same. I don't think,
however, this saves you when you upgrade to a new system or do something
else which makes the old ROMS unusable.

All this generate one very important question to ask when dealing with vendors
(like Frame) who use hostid/ethernet based copy protection: "what does it
take to transfer the license." This is important becuase you don't want to
get stuck with software that becomes obsolete when your hardware does.

Of course, the whole floating license server concept is designed to prevent
problems like the one you have with Mentor Graphics. You purchase licenses
which are not keyed to a particular machine - the license server doles them
out on a first come first served basis and makes sure that no more than x 
copies of the product are in use at one time. Only the license server software
is keyed to a particular machine (which hopefully is a more reliable one).
I really (hint hint hint Frame) wish Frame had implemented this for their
NeXT product - especially since many NeXTs are going to be incorporated in
academic and corporate networks...the fact that they didn't implement it 
indicates a certain level of PC think - that is, treating the NeXT as a PC
rather than the networked workstation that it is.


-- 
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Scott Holt, Systems Analyst		Internet: scott@prism.gatech.edu
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