Hardware (USB) licence key

Basic information:

PROMOTIC hardware key (further refered to as "HW Key") is used for protection of the PROMOTIC system and for the protection of the designer's "know how". The complete information regarding the purchased licence is burned into the key. The HW Key is the most commonly used licence carrier.

Each PROMOTIC HW Key is labeled by 4-digits number that identifies the licence number. This number can be found on the white label that is attached on the HW Key. The information regarding the connected key can be obtained in the runtime mode by the Pm.LicenceInfo method, or in the INFO system of running application - /SYSTEM/Licence tab.

The PROMOTIC system uses SENTINEL licence keys by the SafeNet Ltd company. When ordering a PROMOTIC licence several different key types can be choosen:

USB key: of the standard size is plugged in the USB port of the PC.

USB key: of the minimal size is plugged in the USB port of the PC.

WARNING - this key type is functional since version Pm8.2.16 and Pm8.3.17.

USB key: connected to USB port on PC motherboard.

WARNING - this key type is functional since version Pm8.3.8.

According to the licence content we distinguish 2 types of PROMOTIC licence keys:

- Development licence key. It is supplied together with the PROMOTIC development environment (at a price of the PmDevProf licence) Without the development licence key the PROMOTIC development environment runs in the PmFree regime.

- Runtime licence key. It is used as a PROMOTIC runtime licence carrier. With such key the application can be edited or modified only if the key contains the PmDevForRt licence (since version Pm7.3.1).

Other licences can be added into the runtime HW Key anytime. This can be done either by "overburning" the HW Key (i.e. the key has to be conveyed) or by sending the file (e.g. by an email) with the content of new licence, see Licence file SWK extending the content of licence key.

Upgrade HwKey

The licences contained in the hardware key can later be extended easily by:

- Licence file SWK extending the content of licence key or

- Remote modification of licence hardware key content

hinstall.exe - Hardware key driver

For the correct behavior of the HW Key it is necessary to set parameters that can be changed by the hinstall.exe program (it can be launched from the cmd command line) that is located in the \Promotic\Tools\HwKey folder.

The PROMOTIC installation program sets these parameters automatically but in special cases it is possible to change the parameters by the user.

Caution in OS Windows Vista, 7, Server 2008 it is necessary to run as Administrator

The basic commands of the program:

>\Promotic\Tools\HwKey\hinstall -i .. Install HW Key driver

>\Promotic\Tools\HwKey\hinstall -r .. Removes HW Key driver

>\Promotic\Tools\HwKey\hinstall -h .. Displays next possible commands

>\Promotic\Tools\HwKey\hinstall -info .. Statement of the installation state (version, priority for searching the key, etc.)

Known problems with the installation of the HW Key driver

- Problem connected with running the PROMOTIC application on OS Windows servers and virtual machines.

Although it seems the installation of the key driver on this OS is completed successfully, the application cannot be lauched due to the inaccessibility of licence. See:

- PROMOTIC system and Windows remote desktop (RDP)

- PROMOTIC system and virtual computers

- PmLicServer

- PmRtManager - manager of running apps

- In the terminal service client process (remote desktop) it is not possible to access the HW Key driver.

The reason is insufficient permision of the logged-in client for computer hardware access. This also concerns the driver that is used for HW Key access.

The PROMOTIC system cannot be installed in this mode.

Compatibility table OS Windows and PROMOTIC version

The following overview indicates the compatibility of PROMOTIC version with OS Windows version. Installation of HW Key drivers is a part of the PROMOTIC system installation. This way the application can accesss the content of the HW Key via the driver. There may be problems in situation when an older PROMOTIC version is installed on a new OS Windows that was not known at the time the PROMOTIC version was released.

PROMOTIC	98, ME	XP	XP embed	Vista, Server 2003	7, 7 embed	10	Server 2008 - 2019
	32/64 bit OS Windows
version <= 6(SP14f)	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	-	-	-
version <= 7.3.8	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	-	-	-
version >= 7.3.9	-	Yes	Yes	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)
version <= 8.0.13	-	Yes	Yes (**)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)
version <= 8.1.13	-	Yes	Yes (**)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)	Yes (*)
version <= 8.2.23	-	Yes	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)
version <= 8.3.25	-	Yes (^)	Yes (^)(**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)
version >= 8.3.25	-	Yes (***)	Yes (***)	Yes (***)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)
version >= 9.0.0	-	-	-	(***)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)	Yes (**)

(*) = only with new HW key driver - Driver HASP

(**) = OS Windows may require newer version of HW key - Sentinel Driver

(***) = Installed PROMOTIC version includes the installer of hardware key driver that is not compatible with this version of OS Windows. It is necessary to (manually) install an older version of the driver. - Driver HASP

(^) = The installation may require higher version of Windows installer - Windows Installer

Recommendation:

If the older Promotic version is installed on newer OS Windows and the HW Key driver provided with PROMOTIC is not functional, then:

- Abort the current installation by closing the error window.

- Download installation package of current driver Driver HASP and follow the installation steps indicated in the manual.

- up to version 7.3.8 by the DriverHWkey_4.104.5.24 driver

- since version 7.3.9 by the DriverHWkey_6.51 or newer DriverHWkey_7.41 driver

- for Windows Embedded there is a special driver HASP_XPE_5.95

- the 6.60 driver supplied since version Pm8.2.11 that supports Windows Embedded and OS Windows 7 Embedded standard SP1

The version of installed driver can be identified by running the HW Key driver installer with parameter -info. For example: hinstall.exe -info.

Running the installer of HW Key driver with parameter -?, for example: hinstall.exe -? will indicate the version of the driver that is contained in such installer.