This has been an interesting discussion. I understand why vendors "lock" software to specific machines and dates. Especially in the non-corporate world. But I had another evil thought. I wonder how many z/OS system exist which are not connected to the Internet. Not accessible to the Internet, but can access the Internet, to do things such as software delivery such as IBM's SMPE can do. Evil idea: 1) Have an execution key which encodes the valid CPUID and run date interval (upper and lower date). 2) If the key is good, just run - but tell the user if the key is going to expire within 30 days, via a "nice" WTO. 3) if the CPUID validates, but the date is expired: 3.1) IP connect to support site to log key expiration and then run normally. Don't tell the user anything. 3.2) if you can't connect to the support site & the key expiration is less than 31 days, issue a strong warning via a WTO. 3.3) if you can't connect to the support site & the key expiration is greater than 30 days, refuse to run. 4) if the CPUID is invalid & the program _can_ IP connect to the vendor site. 4.1) Use GeoIP to validate the incoming IP's country of origin. 4.1.1) If in a "good" country, allow software to run. Vendor documents and sues user's company. 4.1.2) if in a "bad" country, execute "nasty user" code (see below) 5) if the CPUID is invalid & the program cannot IP connect to the vendor site, execute "nasty user" code.
Nasty user code: Write some code which burns some CPU, the amount to burn would need to be something that the nasty user would expect. Then go through a fairly long chain of branches (to complicate branch tracing), and finally abend with an S0C4-4 trying to overlay low core. If the user is indeed a "thief", then what is the likelihood that they will have an expert which could resolve this problem? And they can't call your support because that would give them away. Evil quotient: too little; just right; too extreme. -- There is nothing more pleasant than traveling and meeting new people! Genghis Khan Maranatha! <>< John McKown ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
