Basic concepts of codemeter licensing
License Building Blocks
After integrating CodeMeter protection in your product, your application will only run if a valid license with the corresponding FirmCode & ProductCode is available. CodeMeter licenses consists of firmcode, productcode & product item options and these licenses can be stored in three types of license containers: CmDongle, CmAct and CmCloud. The general idea is that your development team can simply deliver CodeMeter protected releases and your commercial operations can define what type of licenses are suitable for your end-users, depending on their needs. If end-users have a permanent internet connection, a CmCloud license is often very practical. In offline high-security environments CmDongles are the industry standard. For high-volume worldwide distributed software CmActlicenses are typically the preferred container type.
FirmCode, ProductCodes & Product Item Options
Watch our informative video to learn how firmcodes and productcodes work together to create a robust software licensing solution.
FirmCode
A firmcode is a unique identifier assigned to a specific company or organization. It serves as a top-level categorization for software licenses. This allows for efficient management of licenses within a corporate structure.
ProductCode
A productcode represents a specific software product, application or module. It’s a level below the firmcode and provides a more granular classification of software licenses. This enables tracking of license usage and entitlements for different products within a company.
Product Item Options
Product item options define specific license characteristics for a productcode. Common PIOs are Expiration Time, License Quantity, License Text, Unit Counter and Protected Data. This allows for flexible licensing models where customers can purchase different combinations of features or quantities.
Adapted to the infrastructure of your customers
CodeMeter offers various license container types to accommodate diverse end-user digital infrastructures. Each container type provides specific advantages and caters to different use cases.
By offering these different container types, CodeMeter empowers businesses to select the most suitable option for their target audience and licensing model, ensuring optimal adaptation to end-user digital infrastructures.
One of the key CodeMeter principles is that your development team protects your application with robust protection, making it dependent on a valid license, but it does not matter what type of license container is used. You can choose to use a mix of CmDongles, CmAct and CmCloud between various end-users. Or you can give your users the choice of preferred license container type at activation time of the license.
CmDongle
In the realm of software protection, CmDongles stand out as offering top-tier security. At the heart of each CmDongle lies a smart card chip, housing a microcontroller equipped with a secure storage compartment for cryptographic keys and firmware.
CmAct
CmAct grants the software publisher complete authority over how and whether the license is tied to the user’s computer. The encryption technique employed in the license file provides the flexibility to securely store secret symmetric and asymmetric keys on the user’s computer.
CmCloud
Compared to CmDongles and CmAct, licenses aren’t activated within a local hardware or software container. Instead, they’re stored in a CmCloudContainer on the CodeMeter Cloud Server, hosted by us and securely linked to a recognized user.
License Container Characteristics
CmDongle
- Hardware-based security: Offers the highest level of protection against tampering and unauthorized access.
- Adaptability: Can be integrated into various hardware environments, from desktops to embedded systems.
- Portability: Can be moved from one system to another with ease, useful for emergency backup scenarios.
- Ideal for: High-security applications, offline environments, or when physical security is paramount.
CmAct
- Software-based flexibility: Can be easily deployed and managed in software environments.
- Adaptability: Works across different operating systems and platforms.
- Ideal for: On-premise applications, virtualized environments, or when hardware-based security is not required.
CmCloud/CmCloudLite
- Cloud-based agility: Provides flexibility in license management and distribution through the cloud.
- Adaptability: Suitable for various online IT infrastructures like docker containers.
- Ideal for: Subscription-based licensing, or when remote license management is essential.
Any type of license container can be used as a license server in the local area network at the end-user side and can be configured to work without the need for an internet connection on the client machines. All licenses are stored and managed on a single server (hosted or on-premise), simplifying administration and the CodeMeter runtime dynamically assigns licenses to users based on availability, ensuring optimal resource utilization.
With just one license container per customer, you are in full control of how licenses are used at their site, benefiting from robust security measures to protect licenses and prevent unauthorized access.
A network license server is installed on a dedicated machine. Licenses are activated on the server in the form of CmDongles, CmActLicenses or CmCloud containers. Client workstations connect to the server to request licenses when needed. The server grants licenses based on availability and user permissions.
By using CodeMeter network licenses, you can optimize software usage, reduce licensing costs, and enhance overall license management efficiency.
All CodeMeter license management tools in our SDK can create and manage licenses for online or offline use, perform remote license updates for any CodeMeter license container type. Here are the available CodeMeter tools for issueing licenses to your end-users. Schedule a live-demo to discuss which tool would fit best to your use-case.
License Delivery and Activation
License Editor
Simple and user-friendly graphical interface for managing software licenses. Perfect for users without extensive technical knowledge, or for a first introduction with the CodeMeter system.
CmBoxPGM
CmBoxPGM is a command-line tool used to create, edit, and delete licenses and their components (Firm, Item, Product Item, and Product Item Options) within a CodeMeter container. As a CLI tool, CmBoxPGM can be scripted for batch processing, reducing manual intervention and errors, executing quickly and accurately.
CmHIP API
If you have developed a proprietary license management application you can use CmHIP API to integrate CodeMeter licensing, without the need to change any existing business process. While API integrations for license management were very common in the past, must current large enterprises have upgraded to hosted web-services applications for license management:
Web-Services
CodeMeter License Central is the core backend system responsible for managing license creation, distribution, and tracking. It’s the engine behind the entire licensing process and license lifecycle.
CodeMeter License Portal is the user-friendly interface built on top of License Central. It provides a visual platform for interacting with the license management system, with different permission levels.
© Wibu-Systems B.V.
Hazenweg 80 – 7556 BM Hengelo
The Netherlands
Get in touch
info@wibu.systems
+31 (0) 74 750 14 95