Automatically Reported Runtime licenses use a mechanism similar to Toolkit licensing to activate a license for a particular system. In this case, each installation has a unique license that is pulled from the pool of licenses purchased by the customer. When the license key is generated, it contains hardware information that identifies the system on which the license is to be installed.
The License Development Kit (LDK) component (Windows), which interacts with the licensing web service and installs the newly generated license key, may be used directly by the application or it may be used through a simple tool known as the Server Licensing Utility (SLU).
- The LDK requires integration with the application or installation utility to perform license activation.
- The SLU is a stand-alone application that integrates the Licensing Development Kit to perform the registration.
License Pools
When Automatically Reported Runtime licenses are purchased, they are organized into pools of a specific version and platform for a particular toolkit. For example, if a customer developed two applications using ImagXpress, one using 32-bit ActiveX and the other using .NET, they would purchase two pools of Runtime licenses, one for the ActiveX platform and one for the .NET platform.
At installation, a new license would be pulled from the appropriate pool, depending upon which platform the application is using.
License Configuration Files
When an Automatically Reported Runtime license is purchased, a License Configuration file is created and distributed to the customer via the Accusoft Customer Portal along with their assigned Solution Name and Solution Key.
The License Configuration file contains information about the Runtime licenses for a particular platform and version of a toolkit. It is used by the Server Licensing Utility (Linux) / Server Licensing Utility (Windows) or License Development Kit to activate licenses when the customer's application is installed on their users' systems.
License Access Key Files
When an Annualized Automatically Reported Runtime license is purchased, an Access Key file must be retrieved from the Accusoft Customer Portal alongside the License Configuration File.
The Access Key file is a csv formatted text file containing all access keys that are associated with the license purchase. Each access key can be registered on one machine by using the SLU or the LDK. Once an access key has been used, the registration date and expiration date will be applied and reflected when retrieving the Access Key file again.
Licensing API
The Licensing API is used in the developer's code to specify Runtime Licensing deployment information. This is used to unlock the Accusoft products and enable all licensed features at runtime. Both the "Solution Name" and "Solution Key" values used in the API described below are provided by Accusoft, along with the License Configuration file, at the time of purchase of a Runtime License.
Solution Name
The solution name is the name assigned by Accusoft to the licenses purchased for runtime deployment. It is a character string that is set for a component prior to use in a deployment environment and is typically the name of the organization that purchased the Runtime licenses. It is set via the SetSolutionName method (ICR: SetSolutionName; OCR: SetSolutionName) of the component's Licensing class (ICR: Licensing; OCR: Licensing). For example:
ICR
SmartZoneICR szicr = new SmartZoneICR();
szicr.License.SetSolutionName("YourSolutionName");
OCR
SmartZoneOCR szocr = new SmartZoneOCR();
szocr.SetSolutionName("YourSolutionName");
The Solution Name must be set in order to use runtime licensing.
Solution Key
The Solution Key is a set of four numbers assigned when the licenses are purchased for runtime deployment; the Solution Key also identifies the organization that purchased the Runtime licenses. The Solution Key is set via the SetSolutionKey method (ICR: SetSolutionKey; OCR: SetSolutionKey) of the component's Licensing class (ICR: Licensing; OCR: Licensing. For example:
ICR
szicr.License.SetSolutionKey(1234, 1234, 1234, 1234);
OCR
szocr.Licensing.SetSolutionKey(1234, 1234, 1234, 1234);
The Solution Key must be set in order to use runtime licensing.
SLU vs. LDK
Both the SLU (Linux or Windows) and the LDK (Windows) perform the same function of registering the Runtime license for the system on which it will be run. The SLU is a user interface for the LDK. Both are provided in order to give you some options.
When installing the license, the user you are running as must have Administrator access so that the Registry can be accessed and the license can be added to the system.
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The use of an Accusoft branded SLU may meet your needs if you are deploying to your own systems (e.g., for enterprise IT staff) or if you handle the deployment onto end users systems.
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Choose the LDK if you wish to hide this licensing registration from your end users. The LDK allows you to integrate the registration process into your application. It also allows for the optional assignment of Access Keys to specific users, which lets you manage your licenses more directly and limits the distribution of licenses.