CRYPTO-BOX Network Server: How to monitor Network Licenses

Usually the CRYPTO-BOX® is connected directly to the USB port of the computer. An alternative solution is the network mode.

Network mode means that the CRYPTO-BOX can be attached to any computer in the local network which runs the CRYPTO-BOX Server application (CBIOS Network Server). The protected application will access the CRYPTO-BOX via TCP protocol. This allows using software licensing with the CRYPTO-BOX even in environments where no access to the USB port of the target system is possible, for instance in virtual environments.

The server supports Windows, Linux or macOS systems, including mini computers such as the Raspberry Pi. The License Control System allows to specify how often the protected application can run in the network - very cost effective with only one CRYPTO-BOX per network.

The network mode is supported by our automatic protection solution AutoCrypt as well as by the implementation with API. Sample code for all common compilers is available in the Professional Protection Kit (PPK). Have a look at the 'Network licensing' White Paper for more details.

Network Server: Update available

We updated the Network Server for Windows platforms. The server is available in our download area. In addition to stability improvements it comes with the following new features:

• Server Log-Server log function in Windows Event Viewer was corrected and extended
• Added info on locked licenses in debug mode (debug level 4)
• AdminApp administration tool was updated

See Network Server readme file and the 'Network licensing' White Paper for more details on the CBIOS Network Server administration and usage.

Ways for monitoring network licensing

There are several ways to get info about logged in clients and used licenses:

1. The application AdminApp in the server folder shows information on locked client licenses.

2. When setting the DebugLevel in the .cfg file of the server to 4, you will get detailed log output from the server, including the IP address from which the request came and info about locked licenses. However, the log output in debug mode will become quite large, so this is more suitable for debugging purposes.

3, In Windows Event Viewer, information about locked licenses can be found in the "Application and Service Logs" -> "CBIOSServer" section.

4. You can monitor your client's licensing process within your own applications. This gives you the maximum flexibility. Sample code how to implement this is available for C#: Download link

Sample code demonstrating CRYPTO-BOX network support and licensing itself for many environments is available in the Professional Protection Kit (PPK). With AutoCrypt or with our SmarxAPI samples for Windows, Linux and macOS the implementation of the network mode does not even require any additional efforts!

Please contact us if you have any question regarding API implementation of the CRYPTO-BOX or the network mode.