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Is there any framework to implement a license management using C/C++?

I need to limit the time usage of my application. For example with one license file someone can use the software util december/2012.

I can use the machine clock, but the user can change the machine time.

Victor
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  • Multi-platform or Windows only? Flexlm works using COM so can be integrated into your C++ application if you are on the Windows platform. – CashCow Oct 18 '12 at 15:24
  • Platform independent. I have a Windows solution using HASP, but is not the better solution. – Victor Oct 18 '12 at 15:26
  • Your statement "I can use the machine clock, but the user can change the machine time" implies that you want something you can't actually have. It is *impossible* in general to prevent the user from bypassing your license management. But if you only care about extracting payment from honest users, and can accept that some people will pirate your code regardless of anything you do to prevent it, there are plenty of libraries for this. – zwol Oct 18 '12 at 15:28
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    You could implement your own: using electronically signed tokens and checking them online (this will resolve the clock issue). But if people modify your code, you are toasted. SaaS 'resolves' this problem since users never see the code. – Gil Oct 18 '12 at 15:41
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    It's also worth mentioning that the harder you try to ensure that every user has a valid license, the more you will irritate your honest users, and that translates directly to lost sales. For instance, back in the nineties (when I was a chemistry grad student) I gave up on a big-name commercial computer algebra system because its license management was incompatible with my university's firewall. – zwol Oct 18 '12 at 15:46
  • @Zack I can back you up on this. About 5 years ago I had to select a simple utility for scanning, and I found one that was perfect for I think about $40. The copy protection was a constant hassle however. We would have bought lots more copies but it just wasn't worth it. – Mark Ransom Oct 18 '12 at 16:28

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I'm aware of three vendors for software like this:

  • macromedia (FlexLM)
  • wibu
  • safenet (HASP)

In all cases, you will have to link statically against a library that does verification against a daemon or a file. Of course, all three have a complex business model and can support a wide variety of business cases, machine (node) locked, user locked, floating, etc.

Klaas van Gend
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