Automating License Generation for SL Keys
Generating and distributing SL keys requires more steps than generation HL keys. This section describes how you can use back-end automation to generate licenses for SL keys.
Sentinel LDK automation tools consist of one of the following
>Sentinel License Generation API
>Sentinel EMS Rest API or Sentinel LDK-EMS Web Services
Either tool can be integrated with your back end system.
Handling SL Keys with Sentinel License Generation API
To generate an SL license for a protected application using the Sentinel License Generation API, your back-end needs to handle the following functions:
>Define Features
>Define Products
>Define customers
>Handle customer orders
The back-end and the protected application can use Sentinel APIs to generate and install an SL license as follows:
1. Obtain a fingerprint of the target machine from the customer.
Several methods are available to accomplish this. A common method is to include a routine in the protected application to call the GetInfo function in the Sentinel Licensing API. The GetInfo function can use the HASP_FINGERPRINTpredefined alias to retrieve the fingerprint of the machine where the application is installed and write the fingerprint to a C2V file.
2.Send the C2V file to the vendor via email (or other methods).
3.At the vendor's site, use Sentinel License Generation API to generate the SL license:
a.Call sntl_lg_initialize
b.Call sntl_lg_start. Use the license type SNTL_LG_LICENSE_TYPE_UPDATE. For current state, use the C2V file received from the customer.
c.Call sntl_lg_generate_license. Save the generated license to a V2C file.
4.Send the V2C file to the customer via email.
5.On the target machine, call the Update function in the Sentinel Licensing API to apply the V2C file and write the license to an SL key.
For more information see Sentinel Licensing API Reference and Sentinel License Generation API Reference.
Handling SL Keys with Sentinel Web Services
When working with SL keys, there is a significant advantage to handling license generation and delivery using Sentinel LDK-EMS web services.
Sentinel LDK-EMS provides a database for managing products, features, protection keys. and entitlements. This functionality can be integrated in your back end using web services.
Sentinel LDK-EMS also allows the vendor to generate product keys for entitlements. The use of product keys greatly simplifies the process of activating an SL license on an end user's machine or on a license server machine.
Your back-end system can call web services to:
>Define Features
>Define Products
>Define customers
>Handle entitlements
The web service that generates entitlements can
a.Define the entitlement
b.Generate a product key for the entitlement
c.Generate an email to deliver the entitlement to the customer. The entitlement can contain one or more product keys, each of which can be used to install one or more SL keys on end users' machines or on license server machines.
Each end user click a provided link to access the Sentinel LDK-EMS Customer Portal. The user logs in to the Portal using the product key and clicks a link to activate an SL license on their machine. The Customer Portal automatically performs the necessary step to:
a. Obtain a fingerprint of the user's machine.
b. Install and activate a the license in an SL key on the user's machine.
Using a product key, the process of obtaining a fingerprint and activating the SL license on the target machine can be accomplished in a matter of seconds.
For more information, see Sentinel LDK-EMS Web Services Guide
Managing Client Identities of Cloud Licenses
Generation and management of client identities for cloud licenses can be handled using Sentinel Admin API. Your back end can call the get and set functions in Admin API to perform the following actions:
>Retrieve a single client identity
>Read a client identity list
>Create a client identity
>Enable or disable a client identity
>Update a client identity
>Delete a client identity.
For more information, see Sentinel Admin API Reference.