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CHARON-VAX and CHARON-PDP for Windows licensing

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Last updated: Jun 18, 2015 by Kirill Nikolaev (Unlicensed)Version comment

Table of Contents

General description

The CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP products are protected by licenses issued on a customer basis by STROMASYS Inc. The CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP license defines all the specifics of a particular CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDPinstances 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP configuration file to prevent CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP from stopping in case the main license dongle is no longer accessible.

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

(info) The CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP tries to find its replacement automatically and, if found, CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP proceeds using the replacement license.

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

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

At the next license check, CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP will use the updated license normally.

The following sections list all the main parameters of the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP licensing mechanism.

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Parameters defined by CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP license

The following table represents all the parameters defined by the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP license checking during CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP execution

  • Possibility to attach hardware QBUS/UNIBUS hardware via adapter

  • 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

  • Parameter that enables the emulation of the IEQ11-A IEEE488 Controller (on top of the DCI-3100 IEEE488 Controller)

  • Parameter that enables the emulation of the DRV11-WA I/O controller (on top of the DCI-1100 I/O controller)

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CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP licensing models

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP licensing models are divided into 3 groups:
 

Regular Sentinel HASP keys

This is the most common way of CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP licensing. 

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

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

The number of CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP (including the host on which the network license is installed).

If CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP installation. If the host does not have CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP installed, the host can still distribute the connected network license to CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP at the same time. Together with a parameter defining the number of CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP instances that may run at the same time, the network license sets the total number of running CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP instances on the allowed number of hosts.

 

 

Software licenses

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

The CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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.

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:

  1. Transfer Software License to some other host.
  2. Upgrade CHARON host.
  3. Transfer Software License back to CHARON host.

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Multiple licenses configuration and backup license

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

The "HASP View" utility displays the "active" license only. The utility provides the license number and ID / IP address of the host where the active license is installed.

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP cannot: 

  • check all the available license keys / software licenses,
  • choose one,
  • automatically switch from one key to another.

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-VAX / CHARON-PDP hosts.

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

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-VAX / CHARON-PDP behaves differently:
 

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

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

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

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

 

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License installation

Installation of Regular and Network license keys

Installation of a CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP regular or network licenses consists of:

  1. Installation of the Sentinel run-time environment on the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP host (regular and network keys) or on the host that will distribute CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP licenses over a local network segment (network key only). The Sentinel software is installed automatically by CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP for Windows.
  2. Physical connection of the HASP license dongle to the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP host or to the host distributing the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP license over the local network segment.
When manual installation of Sentinel run-time is required (in the case of the network license server that does not have CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP installed):
  1. Login as Administrator
  2. Open the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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

    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-VAX / CHARON-PDP ).

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Replacement of currently installed Sentinel run-time

Replacement of currently installed Sentinel Run-time may be needed in case of:

  • Upgrade to a newer version of CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP
  • Installation of a specific CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP license Run-time provided by STROMASYS
Run-time replacement can be done in the following way:
  • Login as Administrator
  • Open the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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

  • Remove the current run-time with the command

    ...> haspdinst.exe -fr -kp -nomsg

  • Issue the command:

    ...> haspdinst.exe -install -cm
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Installation and update of CHARON-VAX/PDP Software License or HL/HASP dongle License

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP  software licenses can be installed / updated according to the procedure described below. This procedure is also applicable for update of a license in case of HL/HASP dongles.

  • Install CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP together with Sentinel run-time (Sentinel run-time is an essential part of CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP for Windows distribution).

  • Reboot host system.

  • In case of Software License installation and if there are already installed network-wide SL's in local network disable access to network licenses in the following way:
    • Go to http://localhost:1947 to access the "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC).
    • Select "Configuration" option at the left panel, then "Access to Remote License Managers" tab.
    • Uncheck the highlighted options:
       
    • Press "Submit" button to apply settings
    • Select "Network" tab.
    • Switch "Network visibility" to "None":
       
    • Press "Submit" button to apply setting.
    • Do not forget to return these settings back after SL installation.
  • Connect HASP dongle to host system (in case of update of a license in a dongle).

  • Collect CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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" (in case of Software License if no Software License has been installed on the host):

      Example:

    • "Update of existing protection key" (in case of HL/HASP dongle or Software License that has been already installed on the host and needs updating):

      Example:


      In case of HASP dongles use only "Update of existing protection key" option!

      In case of Software License use "Installation of new protection key" option if host does not have Software License installed and "Update of existing protection key" option if already installed Software License has to be updated.

    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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP "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-VAX / CHARON-PDP ).

 

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License management

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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:

This example demonstrates that 4 license keys are available:

  1. Network key ("HASP-HL NetTime") on the host "XEON4WAYW7"

  2. Network key installed locally

  3. HASP-HL installed locally

  4. Network-wide software license on the host "RH64"


Sentinel Admin Control Center reports that there is one opened session on key (4). The other keys are not being used at the moment

For a more detailed description of Sentinel Admin Control Center, please refer to its "Help" section.

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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:

To disable access to the locally installed license key from remote hosts switch to the "Access from Remote Clients" tab and uncheck the "Allow Access from Remote Clients" checkbox. Then press "Submit" button to apply this setting:

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License management utility

CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP for Windows provides two specific utilities for license management:

  • "HASP View". This utility is used to display CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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.

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Transferring and removing CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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 pressthe "..." button adjacent to the "Save Recipient Information" edit-box:

     
    In the popup choose a directory an 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.
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Software License Removal

It is also possible to remove a Software License completely from a host, the license will then be stored in a specific transfer license file "*.h2h", so it can be re-applied if needed.To remove a Software License completely from a host, follow the license transfer procedure described above. It is possible to use the fingerprint of the "SourceHost" (instead of the one from the "RecipientHost") for the transfer procedure.
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Cloned Software License Removal

In certain situations Software License may become "Cloned" (disabled). In this case the following procedure must be applied to remove the cloned license:
 

  1. Go to http://localhost:1947 to access the "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC).
  2. In the "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC), locate the target "Sentinel SL AdminMode" license.
  3. Press the "Certificates" button at the right side of the SL description: 
     
  4. Note the name of the correspondent certificate and path to the certificates base in the "Certificates" section:
     
  5. Remove the certificate file. In the example above the file to remove is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\SafeNet Sentinel\Sentinel LDK\installed\68704\387285561437702475_base.v2c".
  6. Reboot CHARON host
  7. Start "Sentinel HASP Admin Control Center" (ACC) again to ensure that the SL has been removed.
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License Deinstallation

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

  • Login as Administrator
  • Open the CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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-VAX / CHARON-PDP with a complete deinstallation.

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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-VAX / CHARON-PDP is allowed to run. Each time CHARON-VAX / CHARON-PDP 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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