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Checking in C2V File

This section is relevant only for LDK Products/Entitlements.

The Check in C2V pop-up enables you to process and store the Sentinel security key information that is contained in a Customer-to-Vendor (C2V) file. This information can be used in connection with Protection Key Update orders. In addition, it enables you to format a key, or to generate a file that you can send to a Customer to format a key that is already deployed.

To Check in C2V Data

• On the main menu, click Entitlements > Check In C2V. The Check In C2V pop-up appears.
• Click Choose Files. The file Open dialog box appears.
• Browse for the folder where the C2V files are located. Select the C2V files you wish to check-in and click Open.

  The C2V data is processed and the identification information of the keys is displayed, including the C2V file name, Key ID, Batch Code, and the locking type of the key. Also, the Check In button is enabled.

• Select a C2V and click Check In.
  If previous updates are pending for the C2V file, the file will not be checked in to the Sentinel EMS database, and "You have # pending updates" message is displayed. You will need to apply or remove the pending updates before checking in the C2V file. For additional information, see Removing/Applying Pending Updates.

  In this pop-up you can do the following:

  • View Details: View the feature and memory details of a C2V.
  • Format: Erase all license and memory data stored in the key and reset the data for that key in the EMS database. See Formatting a Sentinel Protection Key for details.
  • Clear Clone: If the C2V file for a Sentinel SL key has been sent from a cloned machine, the C2V file will not be checked in to the Sentinel EMS database, and the Clear Clone button becomes active.

    Sentinel EMS is designed to lock the licenses for C2V files containing the clone detection flag when they are checked in. When the license is locked, on the Check In C2V pop-up window, the Clear Clone button is enabled. You need to use the Clear Clone functionality to unlock the license and check in the C2V file. Earlier this functionality was limited to Sentinel SL Legacy keys, however, the scope has been expanded to include Sentinel SL-AdminMode and Sentinel SL-UserMode keys also.
    
    For the Sentinel SL key, when the C2V is sent from a cloned machine, the Clear Clone button is enabled and the C2V is prevented from being checked into the EMS database. It must be noted that the Clear Clone functionality works only when there is no major difference between the fingerprint and the original.
    
    For additional information about working with C2V files from cloned machines, see Enabling Licenses that have been Disabled due to Clone Detection.

  • Clear Time Tamper: Re-enable blocked applications by changing the V-Clock time. See Enabling Protected Applications Blocked Due to Time Tampering for details.

Removing/Applying Pending Updates

If previous updates are pending for a C2V file then you need to remove or apply these before applying new updates.

To remove/apply pending updates:

1. Select a C2V file and click Check In.

   

If previous updates are pending for the C2V file, "You have <#>pending updates" message is displayed. You will need to apply or remove the pending updates.

1. To remove all pending updates, click Remove.
2. To apply pending updates
   1. Click View. The Pending Updates dialog box appears.

      

   2. Select the Product Key and click Generate to generate the V2C file for the pending updates.

Formatting a Sentinel Protection Key

Formatting a key erases all license and memory data stored in the key and resets the data for that key in the EMS database. Formatting can be applied in the following ways:

• By formatting a locally connected Sentinel HL key
• By creating an update file (V2C) for a Sentinel protection key that is already deployed in the field. The file can be sent to an end user to apply locally using the Sentinel Remote Update System (RUS).
  

  Warning:

  Formatting a Sentinel protection key deletes all license data from the key.

Formatting a Locally Connected Sentinel HL key:

When a Sentinel HL key is received from a customer, you need to check in the information, in order to make the data in the key available to Sentinel EMS. Next you can format the key.

• Click Entitlements > Check In Key.
  • Select the key and click Check In. The key is checked in and the Format button is enabled.
• Click Format. A message appears, warning that all license data will be deleted from the key.
• Click Yes to confirm and continue. The key is formatted and a success message is displayed.

Generating an Update File (V2C) for Formatting a Remote Sentinel Protection Key:

When a C2V file is received from a Customer, you need to check in the information, in order to make the data in the file available to Sentinel EMS.

• Click Entitlements > Check In C2V.
• Click Choose Files. The file Open dialog box appears.
• Browse for the C2V file you wish to check-in, then click Open. The location of the C2V file is displayed and the Check In button is enabled.
• Click Check In. The C2V file is checked in and the Format button is enabled.
• Click Format. A message appears, warning that all Features will be deleted from the key and a Protection Key Update will be created to delete all license data from the remote key.
• Click Yes to confirm and continue. The file download dialog box appears.
• Save the V2C file. The default name for the file is displayed as FormatKey_[unique ID of key].v2c.

To complete the format operation, it is mandatory to apply the V2C file (Format V2C) generated in step 7. Refer Applying Format V2C File to a Sentinel Protection Key at the End-User Site: for more information. If the Format V2C is not applied, EMS will not allow you to apply any subsequent updates made to the protection key.

If you are unable to access the Format V2C file (for any reason) and want to apply subsequent key updates, then the latest C2V for the protection key needs to be checked in before proceeding further. Refer to Applying License Updates by Re-Generating Format V2C for more information.

Applying Format V2C File to a Sentinel Protection Key at the End-User Site:

• Navigate to and select the location where your RUS utility is stored.
• Double-click rus.exe. The Sentinel RUS pop-up appears.
• Click the Apply License Update tab. (This might be the only tab displayed.)
• Click Browse to navigate to the V2C file containing the license update that you received.
• Select the V2C file and click Open. The file name and path of the V2C file is displayed in the Update File field.
• Click Apply Update to apply the new license data to your Sentinel Protection key.

Applying License Updates by Re-Generating Format V2C

If you are unable to access the previously generated Format V2C file (for any reason), then it needs to be re-generated. This is done by checking in the latest C2V for the key. If the Format V2C file is not applied, then subsequent updates made to the protection key also cannot be applied.

To apply subsequent license updates by re-generating and applying Format V2C:

• Check in the C2V received from the end user.
• Click Remove. The pending updates are deleted.
• Click Format. The Format V2C file is re-generated.
• Save the Format V2C file.
• Apply the Format V2C file. Refer to Applying the Format V2C file for more information.

Now, you can create protection key updates and apply them as well.

Enabling Licenses that have been Disabled due to Clone Detection

If the licenses for one or more applications that are locked to a Sentinel SL Legacy key are running on a cloned machine, those applications will be disabled; until the disabled licenses are cleared from the Sentinel SL Legacy key and new licenses are applied. This functionality has now been extended to include Sentinel SL-AdminMode and Sentinel SL-UserMode keys also.

To clear the disabled licenses, you can use the Clear Clone functionality during the Check in C2V process to generate a special V2C file.

To create a V2C file to clear a Sentinel SL key that has been disabled due to clone detection:

• On the main menu, click Entitlements > Check In C2V. The Check In C2V pop-up appears.
• Click Choose Files. The file Open dialog box appears.
• Browse for the folder where the C2V file is located. Select the C2V file and click Open.
• Select the C2V and click Check In. If the C2V file has been sent from a cloned machine the Clear Clone button becomes active.
• View the details of a C2V from a cloned machine by clicking View Details in the Check in C2V pop-up.
• Click Clear Clone.

You will be able to generate the V2C only If the C2V is eligible for the Clear Clone operation. To learn more about C2V eligibility for the clear clone operation, refer Eligible C2V for Clear Clone Operation. On the contrary, if you receive an error message, you will not be able to generate the V2C; refer V2C Generation for Ineligible C2V.

• Save the V2C file.

Synchronizing Protection Key with the Database

When the license information stored on the Sentinel protection key is updated outside of EMS, the Synchronize button is displayed at the time of checking in the C2V file.

In this scenario, EMS is not aware of the changes made to the key, however, it can identify that the information stored on the C2V file is different from the current state of the database. Therefore, it prompts the user to synchronize the EMS database with updated license information on the C2V. Once the synchronization operation is performed, you will be able to check in the C2V file.

To synchronize the EMS database with the check in C2V:

• Click the Browse button and select the updated C2V file.

  You must select the C2V file that was updated outside of EMS.

• Click the Check In button. The Synchronize button appears and a message is displayed: 'Key information not synchronized with database'.

  

• Click the Synchronize button. EMS database is updated and a success message is displayed on the page.

  The database is synchronized. If you now try to check in the updated C2V file, the message displayed after Step 2 (refer above) does not appear and the file is successfully checked in.

Eligible C2V for Clear Clone Operation

For a C2V to be considered eligible for the clear clone operation, at least one of the items participating in the clone protection scheme should match between the reference fingerprint and the system fingerprint. In the event, that there is no match, an error message is displayed and the V2C cannot be generated.

The following tables shows the eligibility criteria that is used to determine whether the C2V is eligible for clear clone operation or not.

V2C Generation for Ineligible C2V

After clicking the Clear Clone button, if you get an error message, it means that your C2V has failed to meet the minimum eligibility criteria for using the Clear Clone functionality. As an ISV, if you still want to allow the user to generate a V2C, you need to follow either of the following two methods.

For Method 1, steps 1-4 are performed by the end user and step 5 by the ISV. For method 2, steps 1 and 2 are performed by the end user and steps 3 and 4 by the ISV.

Method 1

To generate a V2C file for an ineligible C2V:

• Delete all the V2C files on the machine.
• Restart the LMS.
• Using the RUS tool, generate the machine fingerprint.
• Send the Fingerprint (C2V) to the ISV.
• ISV uses the C2V to generate the license (V2C) and pass it to the end user.

Method 2

To generate a V2C file for an ineligible C2V:

• Delete all the V2C files on the machine.
• Restart the LMS.
• Use the cloned C2V to generate a new license (V2C) using the Add Products from State option.
• Pass the license (V2C) to the end user.