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Table of Contents

General description

The CHARON-AXP products are protected by licenses issued on a customer basis by STROMASYS Inc. The CHARON-AXP license defines all the specifics of a particular CHARON-AXP distribution and its usage.

The license is implemented in the form of a hardware dongle (a Sentinel HASP key) or a software license. Please be careful with your license key, in case of loss or damage, the CHARON-AXP instances will not run or start until the license key is replaced. For extra protection, STROMASYS recommends the use of a backup license key (purchased separately) that can replace the main license key for a restricted period of time. It is possible to specify the backup license in the CHARON-AXP configuration file to prevent CHARON-AXP from stopping in case the main license dongle is no longer accessible.

The CHARON-AXP license is read upon the start of each instance of CHARON-AXP and at a specified interval (defined by the license content) during the emulated system execution (default is 1 hour). If CHARON-AXP detects the absence (or malfunction) of the license key or software license, CHARON-AXP will try to use a backup license (if specified in the configuration file). If the license is not available or not specified, CHARON-AXP displays a warning message in the log file requesting the license key reconnection or software license reactivation. If the license is not reconnected or reactivated within a given period of time (the check interval), CHARON-AXP exits.

(info) The CHARON-AXP main license is time restricted or unlimited, the backup license is limited by the number of executions (1 execution = 1 interval check)

Note that if the time-restricted license is used and it expires, CHARON-AXP tries to find its replacement automatically and, if found, CHARON-AXP proceeds using the replacement license.

The present CHARON-AXP implementation requires that the expired license be removed to allow the running CHARON-AXP instance to switch to a valid one.

The CHARON-AXP software license is not distributed for Proof-of-Concept and evaluation installations. Only hardware dongles are used in this cases.

It is important to connect the HASP license keys to the computer, even if CHARON-AXP is not running, because the keys contain a built-in accumulator that needs to be charged. If the accumulator is completely discharged, the license key can be irreparably damaged.

Update of the CHARON-AXP license can be performed on the fly without stopping CHARON-AXP. All the parameters including the expiration date and time can be updated w/o any restrictions.

At the next license check, CHARON-AXP will use the updated license normally.

CHARON supports the "driverless" mode of the new generation Sentinel protection keys ("Sentinel HL"). Note that installation of Sentinel drivers is still required if the new generation HASP network key is going to be used to serve CHARON instances running on other hosts.

The following sections list all the main parameters of the CHARON-AXP licensing mechanism.

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Parameters defined by CHARON-AXP license

The following table represents all the parameters defined by the CHARON-AXP license:

GeneralProducts relevantOptional
  • Physical key ID

  • License Number

  • End user name

  • Master key ID

  • License release date and time

  • Update Number

  • Purchasing Company name. In most cases the company to which the key was issued originally

  • Commercial product name

  • Commercial product code

  • Commercial product version and range of build numbers suitable for running

  • Range of CHARON-AXP virtual models available for running

  • Type of host CPU required

  • Host operating system required

  • Number of virtual CPUs enabled for virtual SMP systems

  • Minimum number of host CPU cores required

  • Minimum host memory required

  • Maximum memory emulated. If not present the value defaults to the maximum memory possible for the particular virtual system. Note that the maximum memory may not be available to the virtual system if the host computer has insufficient physical memory.

  • Maximum number of CHARON-AXP instances that can be run concurrently

  • Whether or not CHAPI (CHARON API) can be used with this product

  • Product and Field Test expiration dates (if any)

  • Product and Field Test executions counter (if any)

  • Maximum number of hosts that may run CHARON-AXP concurrently (in the case of a networking license)

  • Level of support (if any), end date of any support contract, the "First Line" Service Provider

  • Frequency of CHARON-AXP license checking during CHARON-AXP execution

  • Parameter that reduces the maximum speed of the program

  • Parameter that enables the product to support additional serial lines through an option board from a company such as DIGI

  • Parameter that prohibits use of Advanced CPU Emulation. If not present the Advanced CPU Emulation is enabled

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CHARON-AXP licensing models

CHARON-AXP licensing models are divided into 3 groups:
 

Regular Sentinel HASP keys

This is the most common way of CHARON-AXP licensing. 

The CHARON-AXP license is embedded in a Sentinel HASP dongle. This license is available only on the host where the dongle is physically installed.

The CHARON-AXP installation procedure takes care of the Sentinel HASP run-time (driver) installation. Once the CHARON-AXP product has been installed, it is possible to plug in the regular license key and proceed with using CHARON-AXP without additional configuration steps.

The number of CHARON-AXP instances allowed to run on a particular host may be restricted by the license content (see above).

 

Network Sentinel HASP keys

The Network Sentinel HASP key (red dongle) can be shared between several hosts running CHARON-AXP (including the host on which the network license is installed).

If CHARON-AXP is installed on the host where the network key is connected, no additional steps are required. The Sentinel driver is activated as part of the CHARON-AXP installation. If the host does not have CHARON-AXP installed, the host can still distribute the connected network license to CHARON-AXP instances running on other hosts. In this case the Sentinel driver must be installed on the host manually.

The Sentinel run-time driver is distributed as a part of the CHARON-AXP kit. Please see the "License installation" section of this chapter for details.

Once the Sentinel run-time driver is installed and the network license is connected, CHARON-AXP can be started on any appropriate host on the LAN network segment.

The Network license key contains a specific parameter to restrict the number of hosts allowed to run CHARON-AXP at the same time. Together with a parameter defining the number of CHARON-AXP instances that may run at the same time, the network license sets the total number of running CHARON-AXP instances on the allowed number of hosts.

 

 

Software licenses

The CHARON-AXP Software License is a "virtual" key with exactly the same functionality as the hardware dongle.

The CHARON-AXP Software License does not require any hardware but it requires installation of the Sentinel run-time environment.

Software licenses are always network-wide on Windows, so they behave the same way as Network HASP keys.

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Multiple licenses configuration and backup license

For any type of licensing, CHARON-AXP can use only one valid ("active") license (of given vendor code) at a time.

The "HASP View" utility displays a range of available licenses, but note that by default CHARON-AXP may use any of them as the "active" one - unless it is directly specified by the "license_key_id" parameter (see below). The utility provides the license numbers and ID / IP addresses of the hosts where the licenses are installed.

CHARON-AXP cannot: 

  • check all the available license keys / software licenses,
  • choose one,
  • automatically switch from one key to another (except the cases if a backup license is specified in its configuration file).

The general recommendation is to avoid usage of multiple keys in one network segment. Use only one locally installed license per host or one network license per local network segment containing several CHARON-AXP hosts.

 

When needed, it is possible to use a special parameter in the CHARON-AXP configuration file to specify exactly which license must be used by each particular instance of CHARON-AXP:

ParameterTypeValue
license_key_id[N], N=0 or 1Numeric

A number (decimal Sentinel key ID) that specifies regular (N=0) and backup (N=1) license keys to be used by CHARON-AXP.

Example:

set session license_key_id[0]=1877752571
set session license_key_id[1]=354850588

It is also possible to specify both regular and backup key in one line.

Example:

set session license_key_id[0]=1877752571 license_key_id[1]=354850588

Depending on the presence of the regular and/or backup license key IDs in the configuration file, CHARON-AXP behaves differently:
 

  1. No keys are specified
    CHARON-AXP behaves as usual (performs unqualified search for any suitable key). If no keys are found, CHARON-AXP exits.

  2. Both keys are specified
    CHARON-AXP performs qualified search for regular license key. If it is not found, CHARON-AXP performs qualified search for backup license key. If it is not found, CHARON-AXP exits.

  3. Only regular key is specified
    CHARON-AXP performs qualified search for regular license key. If it is not found, CHARON-AXP performs unqualified search for any suitable key. If it is not found, CHARON-AXP exits.

  4. Only backup key is specified
    CHARON-AXP behaves as usual (performs unqualified search for any suitable key). If no keys are found, CHARON-AXP exits.

This parameter also specifies the license which will be used as backup if the active license expires.

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License installation

Installation from scratch

Before installation of license make sure that the Sentinel run-time (driver) to be installed is collected from your CHARON kit or provided by STROMASYS on request for your particular product. Do not update the Sentinel run-time (driver) from online or any other sources, including the Sentinel web site.

In case of several CHARON kits containing different versions of Sentinel run-time (driver) the last one (having more recent version) must be installed. CHARON installation performs this operation automatically.

At the moment CHARON supports Sentinel HASP keys, Sentinel HL and Sentinel Software Licenses (SL).

Installation of Sentinel run-time (driver) described below is needed for Sentinel HASP keys (both regular and network), Sentinel HL keys (both regular and network) without "driverless" mode enabled, Sentinel HL Network keys (red dongles) - is they are going to be used network wide and Sentinel Software Licenses (SL).

Please skip installation of Sentinel run-time (driver) if you use locally connected Sentinel HL keys in "driverless" mode or going to use Sentinel HL Network key in "driverless" mode from some other host on local network. Just connect the license key to the host and proceed with collecting "*.c2v" file (see below) if the license inside your Sentinel HL key must be updated.

Installation of a CHARON-AXP regular or network licenses consists of:

  1. Installation of the Sentinel run-time environment on the CHARON-AXP host (regular and network keys) or on the host that will distribute CHARON-AXP licenses over a local network segment (network key only). The Sentinel software is installed automatically by CHARON-AXP for Windows.
  2. Physical connection of the HASP license dongle to the CHARON-AXP host or to the host distributing the CHARON-AXP license over the local network segment.
  3. Collecting system fingerprint (*.c2v file), sending it to STROMASYS and applying update (*.v2c file) in case of software license. See the details below.
When manual installation of Sentinel run-time is required (in the case of the network license server that does not have CHARON-AXP installed):
  1. Login as Administrator
  2. Open the CHARON-AXP kit folder
  3. Switch to the "hasp_install" subfolder
  4. Unzip the archive located in this folder
  5. Open "cmd.exe" and switch to the folder where the files were unzipped
  6. Issue:

    ...> haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg...> haspdinst.exe -install -cm

    Sentinel HL keys can be provided both in "driverless" and regular modes. To switch the Sentinel HL key to "driverless" mode it is required to install Sentinel run-time first as described above and apply a special *.v2c file that switches the key to "driverless" mode. Once it is done the Sentinel run-time can be deinstalled.

    Note that the following operations have to be performed on installation phase for network licenses:

    • On server side (where network license will reside): open port 1947 for both TCP and UDP
    • On clients side: open UDP ports 30000-65535
    • Both on server and client sides: setup default gateway

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

    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-AXP ).

 

 

Replacement of currently installed Sentinel run-time

Replacement of currently installed Sentinel Run-time can be needed in case of installation of specific run-time provided by STROMASYS. Below please find step-by-step instructions on the run-time replacement:
 

Remove the current version of Sentinel run-time:
  • Login as Administrator
  • Extract content of the only ZIP file resided in “hasp_install” directory of the CHARON distribution to the same folder.
  • Run “cmd.exe” from “Start” menu of host computer
  • “cd” to the “hasp_install” directory
  • Issue the following command:

    ...haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg

Install other Sentinel run-time:

  • “cd” to the directory whether the target run-time resides
  • Issue the following command:

    ...haspdinst.exe -install -cm

 

You do not need to perform this procedure for Sentinel HL keys - local and network ones (red dongle) used as local.

 

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Installation of CHARON-AXP Software License

CHARON-AXP software licenses can be installed according to the following procedure:

  • Install CHARON-AXP together with Sentinel run-time (Sentinel run-time is an essential part of CHARON-AXP for Windows distribution)

  • Reboot host system

  • Collect CHARON-AXP host fingerprint file ("*.c2v"):

    Open "License Update Service" utility:

     

    In the utility dialog popup open the "Collect Status Information" tab, then select "Installation of new protection key":

    Press "Collect Information". In the popup dialog choose the place to store the "Fingerprint.c2v" file and press "Save":

     

    A message should appear similar to this example, confirming the fingerprint has been collected successfully.

  • Send the ".c2v" file ("Fingerprint.c2v" in the example above) to STROMASYS

  • STOMASYS will send you a ".v2c" file in return. Put it somewhere on the CHARON-AXP host.

  • Open up the  "License Update Service" utility the way described above and open the "Apply License File" tab:


     


    Press "..." button beside the "Update File" edit-box. In the popup select the license file received from STROMASYS:

     

    Press the "Open" button and apply the license.

  • Start any web browser on this system and go to http://localhost:1947 to access the "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC).

  • Ensure that the license appears in the “Sentinel Keys” menu.

Content of the installed software license is not shown by the Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center.To see it run the "HASP View" utility from the CHARON-AXP "Utilities" menu (see above):

Note that the following operations have to be performed on installation phase for network-wide software licenses:

  • On server side (where network license will reside): open port 1947 for both TCP and UDP
  • On clients side: open UDP ports 30000-65535
  • Both on server and client sides: setup default gateway

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

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-AXP ).

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Sentinel HL "driverless" mode

New license keys from Sentinel, so called "Sentinel HL" can work in 2 modes:

  1. Regular. The key behaves as normal Sentinel HASP key.
  2. Driverless. Sentinel HL keys do not require installation of any specific run-time or drivers since they unitize HID drivers, which are an integral part of the Windows operating system.

Sentinel HL license key in "driverless" mode has the following benefits:

  • Support of a higher number of features.
  • Larger on-key memory space.
  • No specific drivers are needed.
  • No additional support software is needed for all operations with the license keys.

There is a disadvantage of using Sentinel HL in "driverless" mode: inability to use "Sentinel Admin Control Center" (see below for details) for detailed configuration of the Sentinel HL license key attached to the host.

Sentinel HL Network key (red dongle) always requires installation of Sentinel run-time (driver) on the host it is connected to. See the sections above for details.

Now to define mode of Sentinel HL license key

STROMASYS may provide Sentinel HL keys in regular or "driverless" mode. To define the current mode:

  1. Install Sentinel run-time (drivers) as described above in "Installation from scratch" section.
  2. Connect the key to the host
  3. Run "HASP View" utility. It will report whether the key has "driverless" mode enabled or not.

Switching Sentinel HL to "driverless" mode

To switch Sentinel HL from regular to "driverless" mode:

  1. Install Sentinel run-time (drivers) as described above in the "Installation from scratch" section.
  2. Apply a specific "*.v2c" file provided by Stromasys as described above in the "Installation of CHARON Software License" section.
  3. Remove Sentinel run-time (drivers). See the detailed description below.

Using Sentinel HL in "driverless" mode

To use Sentinel HL key in "driverless" mode:

  1. Install CHARON kit. By default it installs Sentinel run-time.
  2. Reboot your host as the CHARON installation suggests.
  3. Login as Administrator
  4. Extract content of the only ZIP file resided in “hasp_install” directory of the CHARON distribution to the same folder.
  5. Run “cmd.exe” from “Start” menu of host computer.
  6. “cd” to the “hasp_install” directory.
  7. Issue the following command: "haspdinst.exe -fr -kp"
  8. Reboot your host.
  9. Connect Sentinel HL key to the host. It will be correctly recognized by operating system. Once it is done the Sentinel HL key is ready to be used.

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License management

CHARON-AXP license management is performed by the Sentinel Admin Control Center and specific utilities.

Sentinel Admin Control Center

General Description

The Sentinel Admin Control Center (ACC) is the web-interface to the Sentinel run-time environment. It allows the viewing and managing of any available keys, enabling and disabling them, controlling usage of remote keys etc.

Sentinel Admin Control Center is not able to display CHARON-AXP licenses - to view key contents, use the "HASP View" utility.

To access Sentinel Admin Control Center start any web browser, enter http://localhost:1947 and press Enter. Web interface of the Sentinel Admin Control Center will appear.

 Example:

Disable remote keys access 

A helpful feature of Sentinel Admin Control Center is the ability to disable access to remote keys. If the network key is installed locally, access to the key from remote hosts can be disabled. The following examples demonstrate how this can be done.

To disable access to remote keys switch to the "Access to Remote License Managers" tab and uncheck the "Allow Access to Remote Licenses" checkbox. Then press the "Submit" button to apply this change:

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License management utility

CHARON-AXP for Windows provides two specific utilities for license management:

  • "HASP View". This utility is used to display CHARON-AXP license content.
  • "License Update Service". This utility is used to collect key status information and host fingerprint (C2V) files, apply updates (".v2c" files) and perform the license transfer/removal.

Please refer to the "Utilities" section of this Guide for more details.

Transferring and removing CHARON-AXP software licenses

Software Licenses Transfer

Software Licenses (SL) can be transferred from one host to another using the "License Update Service" utility.

The following example demonstrates the transfer procedure.

Let's suppose a Software License must be transferred from a host "SourceHost" to a host "RecipientHost":

 
  1. Collect the specific information about the "RecipientHost" to issue a transfer license: run the "License Update Service" utility on the "RecipientHost" (see above), choose the "Transfer License" tab and press the "..." button adjacent to the "Save Recipient Information" edit-box:

     
    In the popup choose a directory and file name for the recipient information.
    Press the "Collect and Save Information" button to create the recipient information file.
     
  2. Copy the recipient file to the "SourceHost".

    The recipient file is an ASCII file, so use "ascii" option in case of FTP transfer.

           

  3. On "SourceHost", run "License Update Service" utility, select "Transfer License" tab and the particular license to transfer in the big edit-box. Press the "..." button adjacent to the "Read the recipient information from file" edit-box, choose the just transferred recipient file, press the "Open" button.
    Press the "..." button adjacent to the "Generate the license transfer file to" edit-box, choose the target directory and enter the desired name of the transfer file (*.h2h) then press the "Save" button.
    Press the "Generate License Transfer File" button to create the license transfer file in the specified folder.
     
  4. Copy the resulting "*.h2h" file to the "RecipientHost".

    "*.h2h" file is an ASCII file, so use the "ascii" option in case of FTP transfer.

          

  5. On the "RecipientHost", apply the license transfer file ("*.h2h") the same way as a regular software license (see above).
  6. Start any web browser on the "RecipientHost" and go to http://localhost:1947 to access the "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC).
  7. Ensure that the license appears in the “Sentinel Keys” menu.

Software License Removal

License Deinstallation

Deinstallation is needed only in case if Sentinel run-time has been installed. If Sentinel HL in "driverless" mode has been used (see above) no specific deinstallation is required. Just disconnect the key from CHARON host.

To completely remove a CHARON-AXP license from a host, it is enough to remove the Sentinel run-time driver using the following procedure:

  • Login as Administrator
  • Open the CHARON-AXP kit folder
  • Switch to the "hasp_install" subfolder
  • Unzip the archive located in this folder
  • Open "cmd.exe" and switch to the folder where the files were unzipped
  • Issue:

    ...> haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg

Remove the license dongle. Note that the Sentinel run-time driver is deinstalled automatically on CHARON-AXP with a complete deinstallation.

 

Special "backup" license keys

Backup keys are provided by STROMASYS along with standard license dongles. It is strongly recommended to order a backup key to recover immediately from damage or loss of the main license key. Backup keys use a counter (integer) value hardcoded inside the key. This integer value is a number of hours CHARON-AXP is allowed to run. Each time CHARON-AXP checks the license (every hour), the value is decreased (by 1 hour). Please note that backup keys have restricted functionality:
 

  • CHARON run time is typically limited to 720 hours (30 days). This is the time alloted to get a replacement from STROMASYS.
  • A Backup license may be valid only until a certain date. Please check with STROMASYS management.
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