Sentinel License Generation API

For sites that already have a licensing infrastructure in place or that prefer to implement an alternative to Sentinel LDK-EMS, Sentinel LDK offers a standalone licensing solution.

You can use Sentinel License Generation API together with your existing licensing server software and ERP and CRM back office systems for maximum flexibility and control over your business processes.

Sentinel License Generation API provides the functionality required to generate and maintain Sentinel protection keys, but without any of the back office services that are provided by Sentinel LDK-EMS. All the required services are provided by the system that you choose to implement. You would use Sentinel LDK only to handle the protection and Feature-control functions for your applications.

Sentinel License Generation API is included in Sentinel LDK ToolBox. Documentation for the API is included in the ToolBox help system and is provided in the Sentinel License Generation API Reference.

NOTE   To generate licenses, the Master key must be connected to the machine where the program that calls Sentinel License Generation API is running. To connect the Master key from a remote machine, refer to the Sentinel LDK Installation Guide.

Switching Between Back-ends to Maintain Protection Keys

Sentinel LDK-EMS retains an update counter for each protection key that was created or updated using Sentinel LDK-EMS. This update counter must remain synchronized with the update counter that is stored in the protection key. If the synchronization is lost or was not set up correctly, you cannot use Sentinel LDK-EMS to update the existing Products in the protection key. A synchronization problem can result from various situations, including the following:

>You used Sentinel License Generation API to update a protection key that had been created or updated using Sentinel LDK-EMS.

>You attempted to use two (or more) installations of Sentinel LDK-EMS, each with its own database, to update a single protection key.

>You used Business Studio (a legacy back-end) to update a protection key that had been created or updated using Sentinel LDK-EMS.

In these situations, some Products in the protection key may not be visible when you view the contents of the key in the Sentinel LDK-EMS Entitlements screen. Therefore, you cannot create an entitlement for these Products in Sentinel LDK-EMS.

CAUTION!   Thales recommends that you not use multiple back-ends in parallel to update a given protection key. Using multiple back-ends may cause unexpected results.

If a synchronization problem occurs, obtain a C2V file for the protection key and check the C2V file into Sentinel LDK-EMS. This restores the synchronization between Sentinel LDK-EMS and the protection key.

NOTE   New functionality in Sentinel LDK is often introduced first in Sentinel License Generation API and then, in a following release, in Sentinel LDK-EMS. Before you move from Sentinel License Generation API to Sentinel LDK-EMS, make sure that all the functionality that you are using is supported in Sentinel LDK-EMS. Otherwise, the C2V files sent by customers may contain parameters that Sentinel LDK-EMS does not recognize.

If you want, you can move from Sentinel LDK-EMS to Sentinel License Generation API because Sentinel License Generation API does not store the update counter. Instead, it relies on receiving the update counter each time in the C2V file sent by the customer.