What is product activation?

Internet-based product activation is commonly used in the software industry. When the user first installs your software the license is checked against the hosted server over the Internet, and usually automatically locked to the machine on which it is running. As a software vendor you can be confident each license you issue is enabled only once, and there is little to no burden or inconvenience for the legitimate end-user.

How is this better than a simple license manager, where I send a key to each user?

For node-locked single-user or server licenses, Orion-based product activation has the advantages over a license manager of:

-	Automatic locking, whether or not their system has an internet connection - you don't need your customer to send you the names of the features you are locking to with all the possible sources of error this implies (e.g. upper case versus lower case).
-	Secure, admin-free license relocation by the user. If a user wishes to relocate an key-protected application, you typically have to issue a new key, and have no way of being sure the old installation is no longer active.
-	'User briefcase' capability upon license relocation by the user. When they relocate their license you can, for example, arrange for it to start up with the same configuration settings as the first installation they just deactivated.
-	Straightforward upgrade, renewal or usage-renewal licensing. All you need do is update their record in the Orion database, and ask them to perform the activation again. With a license manager you need to issue a new key.
-	Straightforward licensing via resellers. Your end-users can activate and node-lock their installation without you needing to be in the loop with the reseller for each sale. You do have a full record in the Orion database of each activation and relocation.
-	License revocation capability
-	Straightforward extension to floating licenses over your customer's internal network or the Internet. Same API, same server.

What is my user's experience with product activation?

When the user purchases your software, or requests a trial license, they receive an email from you with their unique User ID. This is not a key - just an identifying string (e.g. FredPIBM007). They install your software following your standard process, such as from download or disks. They are then prompted to enter the User ID. After a few hundred milliseconds their license is activated within the parameters you specified, and locked to their machine. The application will then run with no further communication required with the license server.

What if they are behind a firewall, or don't have an Internet connection?

Orion client communication is built on HTTP, so is generally unaffected by firewalls or VPNs. If it is blocked for some reason, or if the target machine is not on the network at all, this is not a problem, and there is no further work required on your part. The built-in backup process is as follows: the Orion client software reads the locking parameter names from the host machine, and encrypts this information together with the User ID in a file. The user is prompted to save this file on a USB stick or similar and take it to any Internet terminal, where they upload it to the self-service web page for your hosted Orion service. Orion returns a file that contains their encrypted activation details, which they bring back to the target machine. The end result is just as if their machine had been on the Internet - your application is activated within the specified license parameters and locked to the target machine.

Users who have an isolated internal network can still benefit from automated activation, either by using the built-in proxy server support in the Orion client to communicate by an existing proxy server, or by installing the Orion License Proxy Server on a 'DMZ' machine on their network (a system with both internal and external network access). The Orion License Proxy Server will route Orion license requests and grants only between the internal network and the Internet so users can activate and relocate their licenses as though they were on the Internet.

What do I do to configure a license?

You can log into the Orion server from any web browser to configure a license - specify the User ID, define the license limits and licensing parameters. A more usual approach is to configure licenses automatically from your order processing or ecommerce system by calling the Orion User Registration API or using the command line interface. The Acropolis Integration Module (AIM) allows you to automatically configure licenses straight out of your order-processing or CRM system; AIM has an off-the-shelf integration with SalesForce.com, and a pluggable architecture for rapid integration of other CRM systems.

Do users need to connect to the server each time the application starts up?

No. The period for which an activation is valid is up to you as software vendor. This could be a fixed time period for a trial or subscription license, or perpetual for a perpetual license. You may want to make this period shorter for revocable licenses; see below for details.

Can I brand the self-service web page?

Yes. The Orion self-service web page is a JSP page so you can brand it with your company's look and feel (provided you retain the Agilis copyright notices)

What information do I get about a user?

At minimum Orion records the machine ID for the system on which a license was activated. You can also capture any additional information you like and store it in the Orion server; for example, you could ask a user some questions about their company and intended use of your application when they activate their license.

Can I send information from the server to my application upon activation?

Yes. You can download any information you wish from Orion to your application. For example, you could transfer information about new upgrades or special promotions.

What if a user wants to move their license to a different machine?

Orion allows a user to autonomously relocate their license, with you as software vendor controlling whether a given user can relocate their license, and if so how often they can do so (e.g. not more than once per month, to restrict possible license sharing between individuals). The user invokes a menu command or command line to deactivate their license; this disables the license on their machine, and tells the Orion server that that user's license has been deactivated. The user can then activate their license on the second machine in the usual way. Orion will ensure that only one instance of a given user's license is active at any one time. If their first machine does not have an network connection to the server they just use the manual process described above, by uploading a deactivation certificate file. Similarly if the second machine does not have a network connection they use the manual process described above. There is no intervention required by your personnel but you do have a record in Orion of the relocation.

What if a user upgrades their machine - do they have to reactivate their license?

Usual practice is for Orion to lock the license to several features of the target machine e.g. MAC address, host ID and hard disk ID. Normally if one of these changes, perhaps due to an upgrade or hardware problem, the license would have to be reactivated. Orion's Fuzzy Fingerprinting addresses this inconvenience by allowing you to specify that a subset of the locking parameters is sufficient for the license check to pass. For example, if two out of the three names read at runtime match the values recorded at activation, pass the license check. This gives the locking some resiliency against minor machine changes without compromising security. The Fuzzy Fingerprinting mechanism is extensible so you can lock to any desired machine features or custom hardware as required.

Can I revoke a user's license?

You can configure licenses so they are revocable. To do so, you set a license lease period (the period for which an activation is valid; this is a separate parameter from the license time limit) of, say, two weeks. The Orion client will then opportunistically re-validate the license every two weeks against the Orion server. If you wish to revoke a given license you cancel it in the Orion server, resulting in that user obtaining at most two weeks further use from their license before it expires and is not allowed to renew.

How do I upgrade a user's license?

If, say, a user converts a trial license into a subscription or perpetual license, renews a subscription, or adds further capability or usage points, you simply change their record in the Orion server then ask them to activate their license again for the new limits to take effect. Note if you are using a license lease as mentioned above under revocable licensing the new limits will automatically take effect when the license is re-validated.

How many user licenses can I manage from one Orion server?

One Orion server can manage user populations up to 1 million + on standard PC hardware. Throughput on standard PC hardware is about 50 - 70 activations perseocnd, with higher throughput available on more powerful systems.

We sell via resellers/OEMs. I want to know exactly what they've sold but not be in the loop for every fulfillment. Can Orion help me?

Orion allows you to manage resellers in a very straightforward manner. You can set up an Administration Domain (a pool of user licenses) for a given reseller. You can set overall limits for a domain (e.g. license count, which features/modules are enabled, a maximum license time limit), with your reseller having the ability to further refine these limits within the overall limits set for the domain. The reseller can then configure these licenses as orders come in, run reports on licenses issued, check the status of given licenses, integrate license configuration into their back-office systems and so forth for the licenses in their domain without your intervention. However, you have a record in the Orion database of all the licensing activity so you know exactly what is going on, can run reports and receive email alerts on specific events.

Can my large customers manage their own licenses?

Yes, in a similar way to resellers. For an institutional customer you can set up an Administration Domain containing the licenses they have purchased, and allow their IT staff to log in to their domain to review and administer licenses, run reports and so forth.

I need to generate reports on license activity - how do I do so?

Orion captures all licensing activity, and includes a report generator for analysis and reporting. Reports can be tabular, or charts, or the data can be exported for analysis in any third tool such as Excel. Reports can also be run from external systems using the Orion admin APIs.

Can I get alerts on certain events, such as a user approaching their license limit, or a license being about to expire?

Orion includes an event alerter mechanism. An email is automatically sent to a designated address on specified events, such as a trial or subscription license approaching its time limit, or a licensing error.

Who hosts the Orion server? Can Agilis host it for me?

Agilis's Acropolis On-Demand License Hosting Service provides all the required hardware, software and network connectivity in a Tier 1 datacenter, with management services that takes of all required set-up configuration and management of your Orion service. You can configure licenses automatically from your CRM system using the Acropolis Integration Module, or simply log in from any web browser. For more information on Acropolis please go to: http://agilis-sw.com/acropolis/AcropolisServiceDatasheet0907.pdf

How can I ensure high uptime for my hosted Orion server?

You have several options for ensuring high uptime. The Acropolis On-Demand License Hosting Service offered by Agilis provides an Orion service hosted in a Tier 1 datacenter with guaranteed uptime and other benefits. You can also use the Orion Proxy Server to set up an automated failover system.