[HECnet] Licensing problem.

[Tony Blews]

John Egolf just sent me the PAK stuff. Now I have the problem of getting it on to the bloody machine. Without access to any networks (until they're licensed), i'm going through the arse-pain of copy/paste from one terminal window to another. Oh god its tedious.



On Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 12:38 AM, Brian Schenkenberger, VAXman- <system at tmesis.com> wrote:
Gregg Levine <gregg.drwho8 at gmail.com> writes:

>On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 7:16 PM, Brian Schenkenberger, VAXman-
><system at tmesis.com> wrote:
>> Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> writes:
>>
>>>
>>>   You changed the IP address of the host machine running simh, and that
>>>buggered your VMS licenses?
>>>
>>>   I find that very difficult to wrap my brain around.   VERY difficult.
>>
>> Especially, since SYS$GRANT_LICENSE doesn't know diddly about TCP/IP or
>> DECnet.
>>
>> --
>> VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker      VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG
>>
>> Well I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.
>
>Hello!
>Remember gang stranger things have happened. Incidentally Dave despite
>the fact that your still surrounded by yetis, they had nothing to do
>with the problem.

If the PAK, the correct PAK, is loaded into the LMF database, then VMS will
create a a kernel mode logical of the name LNM$<PRODUCER>_<PRODUCT> in the
table LMF$LICENSE_TABLE.   The SYS$GRANT_LICENSE system service looks for the
kernel mode logical and translates its encoded equivalence string to valid-
ate the license.   Unless there is some TCP/IP or DECnet information encoded
in the PAK -- it would have to be in the TOKEN or HARDWARE_ID components of
said PAK -- there is nothing that ties a PAK to any network addressing.   In
fact, it would be stupid to do so.   DEC/Compaq/H PAK requirements have been
very minimalistic too.   Basically, if a PAK called LMF$<PRODUCER>_<PRODUCT>
exists, you are licensed to use said <product>.

Even *IF* a PAK had TOKEN or HARDWARE_ID components, it is up to the code
that invokes SYS$GRANT_LICENSE to enforce that which it has extracted from
the TOKEN or HARDWARE_ID components

Sorry but this is NOT the forum to discuss the weaknesses of the VMS LMF. ;)

--
VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker      VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG

Well I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.