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24 hours/7 days online licensor server
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The online licensor server (the Servlet and JSP of JChain) receives and processes any requests from your clients, for your license management. A client is either a software protected by a component of JChain, or an end-user accessing your web page using a browser.
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Modular licensing (flexible licensing for each feature)
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You can license different module/feature in your application, with different license parameters.
For exapmle, an end-user can be licensed to use feature A of your software PERMANENTLY, feature B with 1 year SUBSCRIPTION, feature C with 1 month TRIAL, and other features with NO LICENSE. Later, you can modify the license flexibly. For instance, the license for feature C can be modified from TRIAL to SUBSCRIPTION status.
Also, users can easily request those modifications following a wizard. And you can easily issue updated license keys for them, just by pressing "Accept" button.
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Management of multiple products
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JChain supports license management of multiple products. In other words, all products of your company can be licensed by a single JChain licensor server, using a single interface - JChain management panel (as described later).
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Custom (flexible) license modifications
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As described in "Modular licensing", JChain enables you and your customers to manage license down to the module level. Your customers can easily request modifications of their license, by following a graphical wizard. And you can easily issue updated license keys for them, just by pressing "Accept" button in the JChain management panel.
But if you prefer a simpler license scheme, you can also disable the custom modifications. It's up to you.
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Automatic key issue/reissue
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You can set license parameters for each copy of your product. For example, you can turn on the automatic issue of license keys for designated customers. By the automatic issue, the wizard of your customers can automatically take in a license key, just by sending a valid request to the server, without your intervention.
The same goes for the reissue and subscription-extension of license keys. All of them can be configured separately.
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Cooperating user database (customer database)
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JChain creates and utilizes a user database. The data user database covers include:
- status of all the copies of your products
- the registration data of your clients
- action item status
- payment information
JChain management panel contains tools for you to utilize and manage the database. You can also integrate the database with your own system for additional license control.
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One-stop management panel for the integration and license management
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JChain licensor server also provides a management panel for developers and operators (JChain Management Panel or JMP). The management panel can be accessed by several operators simultaneously, using web browsers as shown below. It functions as a one-stop center for performing licensor's tasks including:
- managing operator's accounts
- checking logs
- checking current license status as a user of JChain
- requesting a licensor key
- taking in (importing) a licensor key
- editing property files for products release
- controling license parameters
- creating user database
- generating serial numbers
- generating necessary files for the integration of JChain components
- issuing license keys
- processing the queue of requests from your customers
- checking pending orders
- querying user database in several ways
- processing selected record in the userdatabase
- eliminating pirates
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Management of request queue from customers
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Requests from your customers, for the issue/reissue/modifications of license keys, are received by the JChain licensor server as already described. A request is added to the request queue, if it can not be automatically processed by the server. Operators can check the request queue by clicking a link in the JChain management panel (JMP). Once an operator processes a request using JMP, the request is automatically removed from the queue and relevant files are moved to either "accepted" folder or "rejected" folder.
(A sample screen shot)
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Management of action items
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Using the JChain management panel, an operator can turn on a flag that indicates the pending status of an order, with some comments. Any operator can check the list of pending orders, process one of them, and turn off its flag.
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Automatic notification of new requests from customers
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JChain licensor server automatically send an e-mail to registered operators (or customer support), in order to notify the arrival of new (and unprocessed) request from a user.
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Reinforcement by complementary serial numbers and one-time passwords
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JChain Web edition has achieved even more trustworthy copy protection, than that of JChain SA edition, by combining the adaptive key with the complementary serial numbers and one-time passwords. JChain SA edition may allow copy between computers with extremely similar file system contents, because it depends solely on the adaptive key which identifies computers by their file systems. Although such case is statistically rare, some pirates may attack with knowledge of the adaptive key. JChain Web edition solved this problem by the above combination. Pirates may copy your software by disguising the file system, but your licensor server can detect multiple copies and allow only one of them to function.
Though the underlying mechanism becomes complicated, the interface for the end-users are kept as simple as that of JChain SA edition. Specifically, the only difference is an opportunity for end-users to enter given serial numbers.
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Eimination of pirates by one click
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Under the license scheme of JChain Web edition, an authorized user might one day notice that he/she can't start up the product, if a pirate acquire the user's serial number somehow. All the valid user has to do in this case is to contact customer support ans ask "elimination of pirates". An operator on the licensor's side can eliminate this kind of pirates by clicking a button in the JChain management panel. What it does is invalidating the serial number and generate a new serial number for the valid user to use.
(A sample screen shot)
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Encryption of byte codes and/or obfuscation of source codes (option)
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To ensure its strength, JChain combines the adaptive key with several measures against reverse engineering. Among others, the program of JChain is made tough against cracking attempts, by:
- Extensively encrypting the byte codes of JChain. (Note: the customized class loader is also encrypted.)
- Obfuscating the source codes of JChain.
- Making the codes of JChain tamper resistant. (see the next feature.)
We also provides optional services to reinforce your codes through encryption, obfuscation, and embedding tamper resistant routines.
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Strict tamper resistance (option)
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JChain contains routines for tamper detection at multiple points. If some routines in JChain are illicitly modified, they would be detected elsewhere in JChain, and the use of the software will be disabled.
If a cracker/pirate ignore the warning messages JChain displays and continue to use the tampered JChain, JChain tries to destroy the cracker's file system. The warning messages cover the entire screen with red letters on a white background, so no one can miss it. The messages tell users what happened and what to do, and only who ignores the messages with wrong intentions will pay the price.
Chainkey provides optional services to make your own codes tamper resistant in the same way.
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Implementation of the adaptive key technology
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We've developed a patent-pending technology named "adaptive key" that, for the first time in the copy protection history, succeeded to utilize the changing file systems as the basis for the identification of indivisual computers. This is the core technology of JChain. In other words, JChain recognizes the difference between computers by the contents and structure of their file systems. That, in combination with other techniques, enables software copy-protection as strong as hardware keys (aka dongles), yet without depending on any hardware. In other words, we had to sacrifice either strong copy protection or online distribution, before this technology.
For further information on the adaptive key, visit our web site.
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Configurable copy protection (How accurate, How severe, How often ...)
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JChain internally uses several parameters for copy protection. Under normal circumstances, the default setting is fine. But you can configure some of those parameters for your specific purposes:
- Depth: the depth of hierarchy to which JChain checks customer's file system. More depth generally means more reliable copy protection but worse performance.
- Allowance (%): the parameter to specify how generous (or severe) JChain judges the difference of file systems.
- Interval of key updater: How often a license key should adjust itself to end-users' file system.
- Inaccessibility: How many days products are allowed to work without contacting the licensor server.
- ...
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Flexible license types
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You can set one of the 4 license types (as listed below), separately for each module or feature. Also, you can specify the types and parameters of available licenses in advance by editing a property file using JChain management panel. Your customers will select from them by following a wizard.
- Permanent license
- Lease (or Subscription) license, with license term in months
- Trial (or Evaluation) license, with license term in months
- No license
For lease and trial license, you can set the expiration date from 1 month up to 3 years.
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Custom license parameters for your own control
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You can store up to 50 String objects in each license key, so that your program can use them to complement the license management by JChain.
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Easy reissue
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Following a wizard, your customers can easily request the reissue of their license keys, in case their key files are lost or damaged. (Reissue doesn't change any license parameters.) You can reissue their keys easily using JChain management panel.
See also "Automatic key issue/reissue".
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Easy lease (subscription) extension
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Following a wizard, your customers can easily request the extension of their lease license. You can issue new keys with extended lease term, using JChain management panel.
See also "Automatic key issue/reissue".
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A graphical wizard for end-users to manage their license keys
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JChain comes with a wizard for end-users to manage their own license key. With this wizard, they can easily order issue/reissue of their license keys of a variety of types.
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License key generator
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It's needless to say that any license management toolkit must contain a key generator by definition. The old key generator of JChain SA is now improved and integrated into the JChain management panel, so you won't be aware of "generator" any more.
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License key update daemon
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A daemon/thread to update license keys adaptively. It's not always necessary to use this tool, but still useful for some environments. See "How to Use Key Updater" for details.
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Expiration reminder
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You can use JChain's built-in expiration reminder to remind your customers of the expiration date. By editing a property file, you can flexibly set when it starts to work (e.g. 10 days before expiration for 2 months trial, 40 days before expiration for 1 year subscription, ...).
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Ensured end-user privacy
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A license key contains the profile of end-user's file system. However, the information is hashed and encrypted. Because hash functions are "one way" functions (i.e. it's nearly impossible to derive the original data), the original file system information is well secured against decoding attempts by the crackers or even by licensors.
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Localization/i18n ready
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You can localize the wizard (GUI) for end-users easily by preparing another property file containing localized messages. (It's easy to do that manually, but JChain management panel of v1.6 has an experimental tool for this purpose. In a future version, the process will be automatized.)
* Optional JSP for end-users do not support the localization by the property files. You don't have to use those files, as long as you use the wizard for end-users. But if you use them, you'll need to copy and edit them. Editing may take a day.
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Logging
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JChain core library generates 3 kinds of logs:
- General log: all log entries will be logged here.
- Error log: for error messages.
- Transaction log: for transactions such as key generation.
The former 2 logs discards some old entries, when the file size reaches maximum. The transaction log creates another file to keep all records.
JChain management panel and JSP for end-users have their own log files.
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