Page Comparison

AnchorTOCTOC Include PageKBCOMMON:KB-CSSstyleKBCOMMON:KB-CSSstyle

...

Anchor

	TOC
	TOC

Include Page

	KBCOMMON:KB-CSSstyle
	KBCOMMON:KB-CSSstyle

When starting, the CHARON-VAX software checks the available number of host CPU cores. Currently, this check is based on the maximum number of VAX CPUs that can be emulated, not on the number of the actually configured VAX CPUs. Therefore the number of host CPU cores recommended for the maximum number of emulated CPUs - as shown in the right column of the table above - must be available. If the available number of host CPU cores is below this number, CHARON-VAX will issue a warning message even if the requirements for the configured number of VAX CPUs are fulfilled. The CHARON-VAX software will work despite this warning if the requirements for the configured number of VAX CPUs are fulfilled.

Note
Hyperthreading must be switched off completely. Disable hyperthreading in the BIOS settings of the physical host or, for a VMware virtual machine, edit the virtual machine properties, select the Resources tab then select Advanced CPU. Set the Hyperthreaded Core Sharing mode to None.

...

The total amount of disk space required for CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP can be calculated as a sum of all the disk/tape image sizes plus 50 500 MB for the CHARON software plus space required for the normal host OS.

...

Info

Starting with ESXi 6.5, it is not possible to select E1000 adapter when a new virtual machine is created using Windows 10, Windows Server 2012 and 2016 templates.

The following workarounds are avaibleavailable:

import Import the virtual machine from an older version of ESXi
do Do not select "Windows Server 2012 or 2016 ", "Windows Server 2016" or "Windows 10/64bit" during virtual machine creation but select "Windows 10/64bitServer 2008" or "Other/Other 64bit" for example.

Include Page

	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc
	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc

...

Note

All antivirus, screen saver, automatic (scheduled) backup and any other CPU consuming software as well as software that is able to temporarily lock CHARON files (such as automatic indexing) must be turned off, uninstalled and disabled. Alternatively it is also possible to exclude all CHARON executables and material folders from scanning for viruses, but please note that scanning slows down CHARON host anyway - it may be critical for some installations requiring maximum performance.

The power scheme must be set to "High Performance" with all the "Sleep" and "Standby" modes turned off.

The automatic installation of Microsoft updates must be disabled. MS updates to the CHARON host must be done only in specific service maintainence periods established by the system administrator. Before applying new updates one must shutdown the operating system running on CHARON and stop all the running CHARON and stop all the running CHARON instances and services.instances and services.

Note
Secure boot is not supported by CHARON at the moment since in this case host OS will not accept signature of distributed NDIS drivers needed for CHARON networking. Disable secure boot or use CHARON without networking (select "Ignore" when installation procedure reports that NDIS driver is not signed).

Div

class	pagebreak

In case a network-wide license (red dongle or software license) is going to be used, the following operations have to be performed:

On server side (where network license will reside): open port 1947 for both TCP and UDP
On the client side, if broadcast search for remote licenses is to be used, UDP traffic from port 1947 of the license server to ports 30000-65535 of the client must be permitted.
Both on server and client sides: setup default gateway

Please consult with your Windows User's Guide on Windows online documentation for details.

Info
If stricter firewall rules are required, it is possible to open the ports 30000-65535 and 1947 only for the "Sentinel HASP License Manager" (hasplms.exe) service (it will be installed by CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP11).

...

Type "regedit" in the search field under "Start" menu or press Windows+R and enter "regedit"; press Enter to run the found applet.
Divclasspagebreak

Find the "AlwaysDisableMCN" parameter in the following way:

Div

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
+ SYSTEM
    + CurrentControlSet
       + Enum
          + SCSI
             + Disk&Ven_DEC&Prod_RWZ53_____(C)DEC  <- This one depends on Vendor and Model of your MO drive
                + 5&fd233cf&0&000500 <- This one depends on hardware connection (SCSI ID of MO drive, location of SCSI HBA on the host's mainboard, etc ...)
                   + Device Parameters
                      + MediaChangeNotification
                         + AlwaysDisableMCN = DWORD:00000000

Change the "AlwaysDisableMCN" parameter to "1", for example: "AlwaysDisableMCN = DWORD:00000001".
Reboot the host system.

...

Login as the local system administrator ("Administrator") on the host system.

Create a special user for running CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP (optional). This user must have all the administrative privileges. Please consult with your Windows User's Guide on Windows online documentation for details.

Note

The CHARON installation procedure will create a special group called CHARON-GRP and the current user will be automatically included to this group. Do not remove this group and do not remove any CHARON user from it, otherwise a problem with virtual memory allocation may appear on CHARON startup.

The created user may belong to some domain, but please note that in this case you have to add this user to the CHARON-GRP manually as it is described in this article and then reboot CHARON host.

Stay logged in as local system administrator ("Administrator") or log off and login as the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP user having administrative privileges (if this option has been chosen).
Create a special directory for the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP distribution kit and copy the provided files there.
In case of upgrading from V4
copy the provided files there.

Div

class	pagebreak

Upgrade cases:

From version	Action
4.7 and below

...

First uninstall all CHARON products.

4.8

The version 4.9 can be installed directly.

Please note it is mandatory to update all existing CHARON Virtual Machines to make them run the latest version using the Virtual Machines Manager, VM Configuration tab - otherwise they will remain at V4.8.

Include Page

	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc
	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc

...

Directory	Description
Build_XXX\x86 (and Build_XXX\x64 on x64 systems)	Contains product executables and libraries
Drivers	Contains the CHARON drivers
Chapi	Contains CHARON API files used for creating new emulated devices
InstallShell	Contains the CHARON installation procedure executables
Logs	Contains the CHARON installation log
Redistributables	Contains the redistributables needed for CHARON running (already installed, except the license alert script)
Virtual Machines Manager	Contains the most up-to-date version of CHARON Virtual Machines Manager
Virtual Machine Templates	Contains templates for creating CHARON Virtual Machines
Virtual Machines	Contains the CHARON Virtual Machines
Virtual Disk Images	Contains the CHARON virtual disk images, for example "charoncp012" and "idle_vms_pkg_v3.0"

...

If the CHARON license is a network license (red USB dongle), it is possible either to connect it to the host USB port (to use it locally and provide it to other hosts on the local network at the same time) or to install it on a local network "license server" for remote access from this particular host.

If a remote license server is to be used:

...

"license server" for remote access from this particular host.

If a remote license server is to be used:

Copy the file "hasp_install\haspdinst.zip" from the CHARON distribution to any directory on the server, for example "C:\Temp".
Extract the content of this archive to the same directory.
Login as "Administrator" on the server and open "cmd.exe" from the "Start" menu.
Switch to that directory.
Install the extracted file.

Example:
...> cd c:\temp
c:\temp> haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg
c:\temp> haspdinst.exe -install -cm
Copy the file "hasp_install\haspdinsthasplib.zip" from the CHARON distribution to any directory on the server, for example "C:\Temp".
Extract the content contents of this archive to the same directory.
Login as "Administrator" on the server and open "cmd.exe" from the "Start" menu.
Switch to that directory.

Install the extracted file.

Example:

...> cd c:\temp
c:\temp> haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg
c:\temp> haspdinst.exe -install -cm

Copy the file "hasp_install\hasplib.zip" from the CHARON distribution to any directory on the server, for example "C:\Temp".
Extract the contents of this archive to the same directory.
Copy the file "haspvlib_68704.dll" to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Aladdin Shared\HASP" (in case of x64 host) or "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Aladdin Shared\HASP" (in case of x86 host)
Connect the network HASP dongle to the server USB port.

Info
Network HASP (red dongles) licenses have no restrictions with respect to remote access.

...

class	pagebreak

Software license

If the CHARON license is a software license (SL), it is installed on the host using the following procedure:

...

class	pagebreak

...

Info
If you're installing a "Provisional" (demo) license, jump to step 5

...

class	pagebreak

...

Copy the file "haspvlib_68704.dll" to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Aladdin Shared\HASP" (in case of x64 host) or "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Aladdin Shared\HASP" (in case of x86 host)
Connect the network HASP dongle to the server USB port.

Info
Network HASP (red dongles) licenses have no restrictions with respect to remote access.

Div

class	pagebreak

Software license

If the CHARON license is a software license (SL), it is installed on the host using the following procedure:

Double click the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager" icon on the desktop or select this utility in the tray menu; select the "Host Information and Utilities" section and press the "License Update Tool" button:

Image Added
Div
class pagebreak

The following default dialog window will appear:

Image Added

Info
If you're installing a "Provisional" (demo) license, jump to step 5
Ensure no license dongle is connected, select the "Installation of new protection key" radio-box and press the "Collect Information" button. The following window will appear:

Image Added

Specify the directory and name of the system "fingerprint" file to be created then press the "Save" button.
The "License Update Service" will save the fingerprint file under the given name and report the status:

Image Added
Send the resulting file to STROMASYS. In return STROMASYS will provide you with a ".v2c" file, for example "Your License.v2c".
Copy the received v2c file to CHARON host in the folder of your choice and select the "Apply License File" tab:

Image Added
Div
class pagebreak
Press the "..." button and browse for the received v2c file.
Example:

Image Added

Press the "Open" button to apply the license.
From the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager" utility (see above) select the "Host Information and Utilities" section and press the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" button or (optionally) invoke the system default web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:1947 to display the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" (ACC) web interface. This interface allows you to view and manage the CHARON licenses.
Ensure that the software license is now visible in the "Sentinel Keys" section of the ACC.

Info
Software licenses are always network licenses. Hence, they have no restrictions with respect to being displayed or accessed via a remote connection.

Include Page

	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc
	KBCOMMON:DOC-GoToToc

Div

class	pagebreak

License validity verification

Check the CHARON license validity by invoking the "Charon License Details" utility to make sure that the CHARON license is visible and is correct. Double click the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager" icon on the desktop or select this utility in the tray menu; select the "Host Information and Utilities" section and press the "

...

Info
Software licenses are always network licenses. Hence, they have no restrictions with respect to being displayed or accessed via a remote connection.

...

HASP License Details" button:

Image Added

Verify the the license content is displayed correctly and no error message is shown
Verify the content of the license looks correct. Check for example the license number, the major and minor versions, the minimum and maximum build numbers, the CHARON-AXP products and allowed hardware (CHARON-AXP models). More details on the license content can be found in the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP Licensing chapter of this Guide.

Div

class	pagebreak

...

Troubleshooting

Check If the CHARON license validity content cannot be displayed by invoking the "Charon CHARON License Details" utility to make sure or it is incorrect, check that the CHARON license is visible and is correct. Double click available and correctly used:

From the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager"

...

Image Removed

Verify the the license content is displayed correctly and no error message is shown
Verify the content of the license looks correct. Check for example the license number, the major and minor versions, the minimum and maximum build numbers, the CHARON-AXP products and allowed hardware (CHARON-AXP models). More details on the license content can be found in the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP Licensing chapter of this Guide.

...

class	pagebreak

Troubleshooting

If the CHARON license content cannot be displayed by the "CHARON License Details" utility or it is incorrect, check that the license is available and correctly used:

From the "CHARON Virtual Machines Manager" utility (see above) select the "Host Information and Utilities" section and press the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" button or (optionally) invoke the system default web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:1947 to display the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" (ACC) web interface.
Click on the "Sentinel Keys" link to open up the "Sentinel Keys Section" page
Make sure that one and only one CHARON HASP or SL license is present.

...

Problem

...

Action

...

Make sure that all the recommendations above about remote access to the host are fulfilled (if remote access takes place) and the HASP USB key is not broken and its LED indicator is lit (meaning that it is used by the host).

...

Removing licenses can be done by physical disconnection of the corresponding USB HASP keys from the CHARON host and physical disconnection of the network HASP keys from all hosts on a local network (or by disabling remote access to network licenses from the CHARON host - see detailed explanation below).

Software licenses can also be uninstalled using the method, described in the "Removing CHARON-VAX Software Licenses" chapter of this Guide.

It is also possible to disable access to network licenses if only a local license is to be used: open the Sentinel ACC and click on the "Configuration" link to open up the "Configuration for Sentinel Manager" page.

...

utility (see above) select the "Host Information and Utilities" section and press the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" button or (optionally) invoke the system default web browser and enter the URL http://localhost:1947 to display the "Sentinel Admin Control Center" (ACC) web interface.
Click on the "Sentinel Keys" link to open up the "Sentinel Keys Section" page
Make sure that one and only one CHARON HASP or SL license is present.

Problem	Action
No license is displayed	Make sure that all the recommendations above about remote access to the host are fulfilled (if remote access takes place) and the HASP USB key is not broken and its LED indicator is lit (meaning that it is used by the host).
Only one License key / SL is seen and its content is incorrect	Contact STROMASYS to request a new license update.
Several License keys / SLs are displayed	Remove all of them except the one provided by STROMASYS for the installed version of CHARON.

Removing licenses can be done by physical disconnection of the corresponding USB HASP keys from the CHARON host and physical disconnection of the network HASP keys from all hosts on a local network (or by disabling remote access to network licenses from the CHARON host - see detailed explanation below).

Software licenses can also be uninstalled using the method, described in the "Removing CHARON-VAX Software Licenses" chapter of this Guide.

For license servers accessible only via non-broadcast search it is also possible to disable access to network licenses if only a local license is to be used: Click on the "Configuration" link to open the "Configuration for Sentinel Manager" page.

Uncheck the "Allow Access to Remote Licenses" checkbox from the "Access to Remote License Managers" tab then press the "Submit" button to apply changes.

Note

Starting with Charon-AXP/VAX 4.9 for Linux and Charon-AXP/VAX version 4.8 for Windows the Charon emulator products do not follow the settings in the Sentinel ACC with respect to querying remote license servers and network visibility. They perform a broadcast search for network licenses even if this has been disabled in the Sentinel ACC. If this behavior has to be prevented for specific reasons, the network access of the system has to be temporarily restricted or disabled, for example by blocking the relevant traffic in a firewall. Another possibility would be to block access to the network license at the license server side.

Note that such methods can negatively impact other functions of the system or, in the case of blocking access to a network license on the server, even the functions on other license clients.

Info

It is possible to have several licenses available to CHARON-VAX at the same time. In this case you have to specify in the CHARON-VAX configuration file the license key ids to be used.

Example:

set session license_key_id="1877752571,354850588"

...

Login as the local system administrator ("Administrator") on the host system.
Create a special user for running CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP. This user must have administrative or standard privileges (in this case login as Administrator for manging NDIS drivers and running NCC utility). Please consult with your Windows User's Guide on Windows online documentation for details.
Add this user to the CHARON-GRP group as it is described in this article and then reboot CHARON host.
Login as the created user.

...

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP model	Minimal number of host CPU cores	Recommended number of host CPU cores
VAX 6610	2	4
VAX 6620	3	4
VAX 6630	4	6
VAX 6640	6	8
VAX 6650	8	12
VAX 6660	8	12
Other models	2	2

Versions Compared

Old Version 22

New Version Current

Key

Table of contents

Software license

Software license

License validity verification

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting