CHARON-AXP for Linux licensing
Table of Contents
General description
CHARON-AXP products are protected by licenses, issued by STROMASYS for each customer individually. The CHARON-AXP license defines all the specifics of the 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, CHARON-AXP will not run or start unless 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 its main license 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. If CHARON-AXP detects the absence (or malfunction) of the license key / software license, CHARON will try to use a backup license (if specified in the configuration file). If the license is not available / not specified, CHARON displays a warning message in the log file requesting license key reconnection or software license reactivation. If the license is not reconnected within a given period of time (the check interval), CHARON-AXP exits.
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 to switch to some other (valid) one.
The CHARON-AXP software license is not distributed in case of Proof-of-Concept and evaluation installations. Only hardware dongles are used in this case.
It is important to connect HASP license keys to the computer from time to time even if CHARON-AXP is not used. The keys contain a built-in accumulator that needs to be charged. If the accumulator is completely discharged, a license key can be fatally damaged.
Update of the CHARON-AXP license can be performed on the fly without stopping CHARON-AXP. At the next license check, CHARON-AXP will use the updated license normally.
The following sections list all the main parameters of the CHARON-AXP licensing mechanism.
Parameters defined by CHARON-AXP license
The following table represents all the parameters defined by CHARON-AXP license:
General | Products relevant | Optional |
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CHARON-AXP licensing models
CHARON-AXP licensing models are divided in 3 groups:
Regular Sentinel HASP keys
This is 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 CHARON-AXP usage 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 separate RPM package in 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 Linux, so they behave the same way as Network HASP keys.
Software Licenses are highly dependent on hardware configuration of CHARON host. Do not change hardware configuration since it leads to disabling of installed Software License!
If CHARON host has to be upgraded use the following procedure:
Transfer Software License to some other host.
Upgrade CHARON host.
Transfer Software License back to CHARON host.