License keys

Specify regular (primary) and backup keys

Syntax

regular_key_id <primary-key-id> backup_key_id <secondary-key-id>

Description

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These parameters are available starting with Charon-AXP/SMA(+) version 2.3.3 only

The CHARON emulator products can only use one active key at one time. Without additional configuration, they cannot make decisions about which key to use. If there is more than one available key, the first one found (default license key) will be used. The default license key is determined by the Sentinel software. As this can lead to undesirable effects, newer CHARON emulator products have configuration parameters that allow the definition of a primary (or production) and a secondary (or backup) key.

If only one license is available, either locally installed or via the network, this section does not apply. However, if a backup license is to be used to keep a production system running in case of problems with the primary license, this chapter describes the configuration parameters used to define the primary and secondary keys. The parameters can also be used to define the correct production key, for example if a conflicting key for a different CHARON product is installed on the same system.

This section applies only when a second key is to be used for backup purposes or to specify the correct production key if there is a conflicting license for a different CHARON product on the same system.

Behavior

When no key is defined in the configuration, the emulator always makes a best effort attempt to find available keys.
When both the regular key and the backup key are defined but both are NOT valid or don't exist, the emulator exits.
When only one key is defined - as regular key or backup key - but doesn't exist or is incorrect, the behavior is same as in (1).

Backup License Characteristics

Backup keys are provided by Stromasys in addition to standard licenses.

It is strongly recommended to order a backup key to recover immediately from damage or loss of the main license. A backup license key can also help in situations where the CHARON host hardware fails and the software must be moved to a different system, thus invalidating the original software license.

Backup keys use a counter (integer) value programmed in the key. This integer value corresponds to a number of hours the CHARON software is allowed to run. Each time the CHARON software checks the license (at start and then every hour), the value is decreased (by 1 hour). Please note that backup keys have additional restrictions when compared to regular licenses:

The runtime is typically limited to 720 hours (30 days). This is the time allotted to get a replacement license from Stromasys.
A backup license may be valid only until a certain date.

If you start and stop the emulator frequently (e.g. frequent runs with a duration of under one hour), the runtime may be significantly less than 30 days, because the license check during the start of an emulator will reduce the counter by one.