XXCOPY TECHNICAL BULLETIN #35

From:    Kan Yabumoto           tech@xxcopy.com
To:      XXCOPY user
Subject: How XXCOPY-Pro manages the site license.
Date:    2005-08-10
====================================================================

The major design feature that differentiates XXCOPY-Pro from its
Freeware package is its behavior in a network environment.

In order to uniformly apply the site-licensing terms to all users,
XXCOPY-Pro implements its rudimentary counting procedure which
keeps track of the number of computers (the computers on the
network which may be called server, workstation, terminal, or
whaterver) that are accessed by XXCOPY.  The record is kept inside
the XXCOPY entry of the system registry.

This article explains how the XXCOPY-Pro keeps track of the
number of unique computers it encounters using an exmple of
administering a site license for ten computers. 


1.  Installation

    When you acquire a site licence for 10 computers, you will
    receive a special license file (XXCOPY.LIC) which is custom-
    made for you.  The license file is typically delivered to
    you as a small zipped file which is attached to an Email.
    To properly install XXCOPY-Pro, place the unzip XXCOPY.LIC
    file in the same directory as the XXCOPY.EXE file
    (separately downloaded from Pixelab's server).
 
    The first section of the license file is a text which is
    terminated with a Ctrl-Z (End-of-File) marker.  It is
    suitable for direct priting.  You can examine the contents
    of a license file by simply running the following command
    line at the console:

        type xxcopy.lic

    And you will get a print out like the following:

    XXCOPY License
    Serial Number: 67-8901-2345      License Code: 98-7654-3210
    License Granted to:         Pixelab, Inc. of Naperville, IL
    The maximum number of installations at this site:  Ten (10)

    To install, execute the following command line:

        xxcopy  /install

    To display the current license status:

        xxcopy  /license


2.  Record in the System Registry

    XXCOPY then creates an entry in the system registry and
    sets up a table for 10 computer names to be stored
    (likewise, a site license for 50 computers creates a
    table good for 50 entries).  The first slot in the table
    always keeps the name of your computer (the network name
    for "My Computer").

    XXCOPY keeps track of all remote computer names (UNCs)
    it encounters.  The name of the most recently accessed
    computer will always be placed to the second position in
    the table immediately below the host computer.  If your
    XXCOPY usages are always with the same set of computers,
    the entries in the table will remain the same (but the
    order of the entries reflects the recency of the access).


3.  Listing the name of remote host

    You may make a list of the remote hosts that were accessed
    by XXCOPY by the following command line:
    
        xxcopy /hosts


4.  What if you exceeds the limit?

    As long as XXCOPY's network access is within the limit of
    the site license, everything will be fine.  Now, when you
    access a machine whose name is not in the table and the
    table is full?   This happens from time to time.  It is
    not always a violation of the license terms.  We expect
    that computer names are changed from time to time.  When
    an employee leaves a company, his computer is often
    renamed.  Or, equipements always come and go anyway.

    So, when an 11th computer is accessed by XXCOPY, it will
    display the following user prompt:

      \\MyServer, a server (networked computer) volume is being
      accessed.  The server is not in the list of 10 computers
      that you are authorized to access using XXCOPY.  In order
      to avoid this warning message in the future, you should
      upgrade the license so that more server names (at least
      11 computers) can be maintained.

      Do you wish to add the server name in the list now (Y/N)?

    If you answer Y(es), the new computer name will be recorded
    (at the second spot immediately below the host computer's
    entry) in the table.  That will push away the computer name
    in the bottom of the list (the least recently accessed one).
    On your next access to the remote computer by XXCOPY, you
    will not see the user prompt again.

    On the other hand, you may answer N(o) to the prompt.  In
    that case, the name of the new computer will not be saved
    in the list --- no changes in the table takes place.
    But, when you access the same machine the next time, you
    will have to see the same prompt once again.  If you get
    tired of this, it is probably time to upgrade your site-
    license with a larger limit.


   *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

Determining the right host count for your XXCOPY license:
 
    Putting it all together, here is how to determine the right
    number for the XXCOPY-Pro license you need.
    
    1.  Count *ALL* computers that you intend to access using
        XXCOPY, regardless of how you characterize them:
        Servers, Clients, Workstations, Terminals, Hosts,
        NAS, SNAP, SAN, etc.

    2.  The computers that launch the XXCOPY.EXE program must
        also be counted.

    3.  Any device that behaves like a computer on a network
        (including VPN) with a unique NetBIOS ID (the first
        element of UNC path) is counted as a computer as far as
        XXCOPY's site license is concerned.  (If you assign two
        or more IDs to a computer and use them interchangeably
        in XXCOPY commands, they will be counted multiple-times.)

    Note that you need not count the computers on your network
    that will never be accessed by XXCOPY.  You count only the
    ones that are involved with XXCOPY operations.

    We no longer sell a XXCOPY-Pro license for a stand-alone
    configuration.  Therefore, the smallest XXCOPY-Pro license
    is for two computers.

    You may increase the host count of an existing site license
    by ordering a quantity upgrade at any time.

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