> I'd to bounce a few ideas for new forms of MetaCard licensing off of
> you.
...<snip>...
> Granted this system would only work if the workstation running the
> application was able to get documents via HTTP, but this is quickly
> becoming a standard configuration. Another potential problem, that if
> the license server goes down that the user is dead in the water, is
> not really a problem because ISPs that maintain HTTP servers are
> ubiquitous and it is very inexpensive to add new files on them,
> allowing a very redundant system to be set up.
Generally I think your idea for licensing is a good one. I like the
idea of trying to use HTTP as a license server protocol. However I
have two concerns (and suggestions):
1) The speed of starting up a licensable application would be
adversely effected. Resolving the IP address from the DNS is
sometimes quite slow depending on several factors in the network.
Maybe the application could start functioning for a minute or two
before failing when a license can't be gotten.
2) You solution to the license server unavailability may not be
adequate. In my experience when a HTTP server is unavailable it is
not because the machine has died, but because part of the network has
malfunctioned. A better solution might involve a second machine on a
different domain in the network. Requests would automatically
failover to this second machine when the primary license server is
unreachable. Over course this adds to the complexity of maintaining
the second machine, but I'll let someone else suggest a solution to
that. ;-)
Bill Lange | "When we lack the will to
EDS Unigraphics Industry Services | see things as they really
tele: (314) 344-2619 | are, there is nothing so
FAX: (314) 344-8773 | mystifying as the obvious."
Internet: lange@edsug.com | - Irving Kristol