Software Protection

CodeMeterAct is based on the CodeMeter Licensing System, which has now been proven in field-tests since 2004. However, unlike the traditional CodeMeter System, where the licenses are stored in a dongle i.e. the CodeMeter Stick, licenses created for CodeMeterAct consist of computer-bound license files requiring "activation".

Universal License Server
The CodeMeter License Server (CodeMeter.exe) at the heart of CodeMeter and CodeMeterAct is a universal license manager currently available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Sun Solaris. (You need another OS, let us know.)

The CodeMeter License Server handles your licenses whether they are stored in a CodeMeter Stick, or saved to a license file. For you, as a software vendor, accessing a CodeMeterAct license is as simple as accessing a CodeMeter license, the Software Protection API is identical.

CodeMeterAct license files are displayed as a virtual CodeMeter Stick. And automatically all license management features of CodeMeter are also available for CodeMeterAct: single-user licenses, floating network licenses, time-limited licenses, hot or cold standby licenses, and many more you might find useful.

Details make the difference
Naturally, CodeMeter and CodeMeterAct are not 100% identical. Differences include a separate Firm Code range; differing cryptographic keys; and for security purposes, we also changed internal cryptographic methods.

Hardware advantages
Using a dongle provides the following advantages:

• firmware runs protected in the hardware
• hardware is able to be locked, preventing brute force hacks
• counters cannot be reset through a backup/restore hack
• deleted licenses cannot be reset through a backup/restore hack
• Expiration Time and Usage Period are checked against a clock inside the dongle
• easy license portability to another PC
• security against code tampering and license loss by viruses or other malware

One executable for delivery
Do you want to deliver an application and decide later for each user whether he receives a CodeMeter Stick or a license file? Then simultaneously protect your executable with CodeMeter and CodeMeterAct. AxProtector and IxProtector can automatically do this for you. You simply specify both license schemes.

Hardware binding
Licenses in a CodeMeterAct license file are bound to the user´s PC. The following four hardware properties are available:

Name		Description
	Network-Adapter (N)	Information on the network card (Mac Adress)
	Disk (D)	Information found on the hard disk (real serial number)
	CPU (C)	Information found on the main processor (processor type)
	Bios (B)	Information found in the PC BIOS (serial number)

By altering the combination of properties and by changing how many properties need to remain unchanged, you can control how restrictive to make this binding scheme. For example, a scheme combining all four properties, where only one element is allowed to change, is possible. As long as three elements remain unchanged, an activated license remains valid. This scheme is identified as DCBN:3.

Configuration binding
As an alternative to the hardware properties of a PC, you may bind a license to the following configuration data:
These schemes provide less protection but higher flexibility, especially with big enterprise customers. Of course you are able to select different binding schemes and licensing system for each customer, e.g. big enterprise customers receive licenses bound only to IP-Address, individual consumers in the U.S. get DCBN:3, all other customers receive a CodeMeter Stick.

Activation
In the case of CodeMeterAct, instead of a CodeMeter Stick, the customer receives a license information file. This file is comparable to an empty CodeMeter Stick, and holds the information of the CodeMeterAct binding scheme. In order to make a license usable it is activated either via phone (manually) or via the Internet (automatically).

A license request file is created according to the binding schemes in the license information file, which the user then sends to you. You create a license activation file, that gets sent back to the user and the license is activated for the corresponding PC. The creation of the license activation file can be done manually, or automatically in CodeMeter License Central.