RS Licensing scheme

RobotStudio
1

Hello,

as long as an original message to softwarefactory_support was not answered or elsewhere recognized, I post it again here:

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Hello Support,

I have unfortunately again some problems with installing the license key to RobotStudio 5.10. I think this is because of the severely changed configuration of my hardware. I banned all PCs out of my working environment now (and can’t be happier) and only keep working with my Apple Macs (what I do since over 10 years). As long as new Apple computers all have Intel processors, it’s easy and very common to use a virtualization of Windows to run applications that don’t have a match under Mac OS X. So in my PC environment, VMWare Fusion, I installed RS now and want to activate it, but this doesn’t work because the license is still bound to any hardware stuff of my old PC. I think this kind of software protection is not up to date anymore. Even with virtualizations of PCs on PC hardware this would not work. I can understand that you have to make sure that nobody can misuse your software, but in my case this policy keeps me struggling with lots of problems.

Normally I want to use your software to offline-program a project on my office computer, which is now a Mac Pro with VMWare Fusion, which virtualizes a Windows XP Pro environment. When this offline-programming is done, I want to go to the installation site and start commissioning my program, normally on my Apple MacBook Pro, also with Fusion/XP.

I did a big project for Volvo in Sweden last year where I also used RS, and I had to carry my fking big PC in an industrial case that I bought for being able to work in an environment you might know for over 400 Euros and was hardly able to carry the stuff all around with me, only because the license was bound to that PC hardware. I decided at that time to ban all this PC stuff because it causes so much problems and is a real pain in the ass. I have now a very good solution with my MacPro in the office, being able to run Windows apps, and with my MacBook Pro at the installation site. Software for configuration of Interbus, Profibus (even with that fking dongle!) and lots of other stuff I need runs well (also RS Online). Only RS is causing again problems because of the licensing scheme.

I will never ever return to have a dedicated PC for my work; I can do everything with my Apples, and I am very happy with that. Some of my colleagues in Sweden from different suppliers also work with Apple in their offices and program your robots, and we discussed of switching to Apple hardware with a virtualization to be able to use that great platform also at the installation site, and some want to follow my step and do it now too. We are so tired of struggling with Windows problems during time-critical projects. I had a project in 2003 where I had to install three (3) times Windows from scratch because of stupid driver or whatever problems. This is not what I get paid for. In Fusion I can always get back to a clean Windows installation incl. all my apps within some minutes.

So please tell me how to activate my RS again in my current virtualization environment, whose current ethernet address can change when I have to switch back to a different virtual machine because of any Windows problems. Our license still runs until end of November 2008, and I can’t use it right now, and time doesn’t stop.

So far my original post, hope I get an answer here. I saw that there are quite some messages here concerning license problems, so others might have the same opinion as me.

All the best,
Lohengrin

2

Hello Lohengrin,

It seems your email was lost because we never received it. Also, as this is a public forum I’d appreciate it if you kept the profanities to a minimum..

As for VMWare I use it every day to test and debug RobotStudio, and licensing has never been a problem. Once I have installed the OS and updates I take a snapshot so I have a “clean” environment to go back to. In that scenario the ethernet address never changes. But maybe the Mac product works differently.

Another question is whether we support a virtual environment as a platform for RobotStudio. From a software vendor point of view, virtualization is a two-edged sword because besides offering great flexibility it also makes it harder to implement a secure licensing scheme. We will discuss this next week and get back to you.

Finally, RobotStudio 5.11 will contain a completely new licensing scheme which should be more robust and easier on the customers’ nerves. It will also be easier to transfer license from one computer to another.

regards,
Johannes

3

Hi Johannes,

thanks for the answer and sorry for the profanity, it was just the original
msg that I approved sent to softwarefactory_support@se.abb.com at
2008-19-02. In a public forum I normally don’t use this kinda stuff. It
also shows that this is not the first time I had problems with this licensing
stuff, and I am a little bit hacked off of it now (as I am for the stone-age
old DP Configurator).

I can’t use RS in the moment because of this, but fortunately it isn’t too
urgent so far that I need a running system. Maybe I just wait for 5.11 and
try again, but as said the time until the license runs out does not wait.

I can understand that you have to have a secure licensing scheme, and it’s
fine that it at least runs in your VMWare environment. Maybe you can just
reset the hardware binding for my license that I formerly used on my
Windows PC (R.I.P.), I would try to get a new license again then with the
VMWare installation?

All the best,
Lohengrin

4

Hi Lohengrin,

Vital for any software vendor in the market is to have a software activation and licensing scheme that supports the business model.

Currently, we are doing an overhaul of the software activation and licensing scheme for RobotStudio to improve the user experience and security. Depending on how we succeed in including the virtual machine scenario in the business case, the behaviour of RobotStudio in an virtual environment may change.

Kind regards,

5

PS. I would recommend you to make another go with licensing support. I can assure you, our technical support team really makes an effort in trying to help our customers. Also, a precise, objective and short description of your specific problem or need will make it easier for our technical support team to solve your problem. Finally, the recommended hardware and software for RobotStudio is stated in the release notes.