Re: Remote licensing system
From: Assaf Sarfati (assaf_sarfati_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 12/24/03
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Date: 23 Dec 2003 21:49:10 -0800
"Jim" <jim@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<bs9d88$a24$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>...
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> For our new unit (lab test kit) we want to be able to remotely
> enable/disable options (up to10 options) on-site, as/when the customer buys
> them. The units are equipped with an RS232 port.
>
>
>
> I was thinking of this scenario:
>
>
>
> 1) Customer rings up wanting to buy an option. He gives us the ID number of
> the unit (on a sticker on the unit).
>
>
>
> 2) Using that ID and the option code he wants, our in-house keygen app
> generates a keycode comprising a short string of digits (8 digits max)
>
>
>
> 3) The customer enters the keycode into the unit via the RS232 port and
> another small app that we supply (alternatively, the units do have a "kind"
> of numeric keypad that could be used)
>
>
>
> The ID number would be [part of?] the ID from a Dallas ID chip in the unit -
> in addition to the sticker, there would be an RS232 command to retrieve it.
>
>
>
> The main things for us are:
>
> a) Simple/quick to write the keygen app and the decoding function
>
> b) We don't mind if not all the unit IDs are unique (hence we might use a
> subset of the Dallas ID) - we don't sell enough to attract hackers AFAIK,
> but we do want to keep the keycodes near enough specific to the unit ID, in
> order to prevent casual exchanging of keycodes between users/dealers of the
> same type of unit.
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>
>
> Jim
You can make a more efficient use of your serial port: write a little
piece of code in you unit to accept two commands from the serial port:
one command dumps your unit ID to the terminal, and the other accepts
a new key code.
Since no-one has seen a real terminal in at least a decade, your user
will attach some sort of a PC to the serial port and use a terminal
program. All but the dumbest terminal programs can cut & paste data,
which makes copying the serial number and the key-code much easier and
more reliable than doing it all manually.
And while you are at it: if you have a serial port, using a terminal
as a user interface it much better for the user than a keypad/display
combination, for anything but the most trivial stuff. Worth thinking
about (but carefully: UI never gets done, you are always tempted to
add "just one more little feature").
- Next message: Leon Heller: "Re: Low cost PCB layout software"
- Previous message: Terry: "Re: Low cost PCB layout software"
- Maybe in reply to: Lewin A.R.W. Edwards: "Re: Remote licensing system"
- Next in thread: Richard: "Re: Remote licensing system"
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