krosenstiel at comcast.net
krosenstiel at comcast.net
Sun Apr 26 16:31:52 CDT 2009
Oh. OK, you are correct. I didn't think it through. Also, the MAC can be spoofed. Karen Rosenstiel Seattle WA USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Dettman" <jimdettman at verizon.net> To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" <accessd at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 1:43:36 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: Re: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed Karen, Actually, trying to find a default MAC address on a PC is a bit difficult because it can have so many. ie. if you create a VPN connection, it gets assigned a MAC address and many laptops have a wireless card and a hard port and may switch between the two. Trying to figure out what's what is difficult at best. I don't think I'd use it for copy protection. The hard drive serial number or CPU ID would be a better choice. Jim. -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Karen Rosenstiel Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 2:18 PM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed Not sure what an SN is, but how about the same routine with the computer's MAC. There's probably already a ton of routines to find that available. Regards, Karen Rosenstiel Seattle WA USA -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 11:02 AM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: Re: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed OK, Bill. I'll check into that. How do you retrieve the HD SN? Is there an API for that? Regards, Rocky -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Bill Patten Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 9:45 AM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: Re: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed Rocky, Just to add fuel to your thought process. If you have the ability to determining the HD SN, put a routine in the BE that can be called to get the backend HD SN. I believe I have seen you state that you usually send MDE's for the front end so create an encryption routine that will encrypt the BE HD SN and use that plus what ever method you were going to use to authorize use. For example add a number or some such to the unencrypted SN and use that for the authorization. If they move the backend to a new server, a message pops having them contact you for a new authorization code. This shouldn't be a big deal as not too many volunteer orgs get a new server (or PC with the BE in it) every year. Obviously I haven't thought this all the way through, but figured it might give you and idea or two to work with. HTH Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rocky Smolin" <rockysmolin at bchacc.com> To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" <accessd at databaseadvisors.com> Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2009 8:59 AM Subject: [AccessD] Copy Protection Needed Dear List: Susan Harkins and I are working on a project together It is a relatively small application and database for the Toys for Tots organization - tracking parents, children, donors, and volunteers. We were contacted by the head of a Michigan chapter after he had gotten bids from $2500 to $10,000 for a custom database - well out of his budget range. So we decided to put together an application for him, speculating that perhaps other Toys for Tots chapters around the country would find the application valuable. He's up and running and very happy, has provided us with a nice endorsement, and will post a notice to the TFT bulletin board for us when we get a web page up. Which should be in a couple weeks. We have priced the product at $400. We think, given the tight budgets and the fact that they're a charitable, volunteer organization, that there is a risk that copies of the application, which we have named Toy Track, will get passed around to other chapters even at a relatively low cost of $400. So we would like to find a way to implement some copy protection but don't want it to be a burden on either us or the user. Some approaches would be 1. have the app 'phone home' to be activated, sending the hard drive serial or somehow tying it to a machine. Problem here is that the license will be for the chapter - front end would go on each client - so they could legitimately run multiple copies of the app. And we'd have the expense of creating and maintaining the web site. 2. Date bomb - this would require re-registration from time to time. Like #1, it would involve an interactive web site - more effort and expense that we think we want to put into copy protection - or a phone or email response with a 'key' that would extend the license. Or we send each user a fresh copy before their copy expires. Still doesn't stop them from forwarding the new mde to someone else. 3. Run with the CD in the drive. Nah. Too easy to rip a CD. Don't think we'd get any protection there. Plus we'd have the whole product and shipping hassle, and software delivered electronically versus on a hard copy medium is free of sales tax in California. 4???? Any ideas will be welcome. Hopefully the discussion will benefit others on the list who are facing similar problems. MTIA, Rocky Smolin Beach Access Software 858-259-4334 www.e-z-mrp.com <http://www.e-z-mrp.com/> www.bchacc.com <http://www.bchacc.com/> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com