License Validation Options

In addition to validating the local license file every run, a licensed application can also periodically validate with SOLO Server. This allows the application to:

Verify the License Status of the License in SOLO Server.
Verify that the current installation has not been deactivated.
Refresh the license file to get any updated license data, such as a new expiration date or any custom license parameters.

The frequency of these validations can be specified through License Validation Options configured in SOLO Server, which are then included in the Protection PLUS 5 SDK license file.

To better understand the benefits of this approach, see our post on Dynamic License Validation Options.

Important

These License Validation Options can only be accessed when using Protection PLUS 5 SDK. The values will be stored in the Protection PLUS 5 SDK license file, and you must configure your software to utilize this data.

See the Protection PLUS 5 SDK manual topics (PLUSManaged or PLUSNative) for more details on how to implement this functionality in your application.

How to Configure

A set of License Validation Options can be specified at the Product Option level, and optionally overridden on individual licenses.

Defining License Validation Options

To create or edit a set of License Validation Options:

Use the SOLO Server menu Configure / Products.
Use the drop-down Actions / Configure License Validation Options.
Press the Add New button or Edit link.
Refer to the Fields and Example Settings sections below for more details on what values to use.
Press Save.

Assigning to a Product Option

When editing the settings of a Product Option, there is License Validation Options field. The drop-down field lets you choose an existing set of License Validation Options, or you can press the Configure License Validation Options button to define a new set.

Overriding on a License

A license will default to inheriting the License Validation Options from the corresponding setting in the Product Option Configuration.

This can be overridden by editing a license and changing the License Validation Options field to a new set of defined License Validation Options.

Fields

Name: The friendly name of the set of options. This will be used to identify the set of options in drop downs in the user interface.
Enabled: Whether the set of options is enabled.

Disabling a set of options will only prevent it from being selected when setting the license validation options on any product options or licenses going forward, but will not disable the use of the options already set on existing product options or licenses.
Always require validation with SOLO Server: Choose this option if you want the application to require validation with SOLO Server on every execution.

Validation is required to run the application. It is recommended to only use this option if your application requires Internet access. If the customer does not have Internet access for any reason, they will not be able to access your software since they can't complete the required validation.

When this is set, all subsequent options are disabled as they are no longer applicable.
Attempt validation with SOLO Server after X days: Choose this option if you want the application to attempt validation with SOLO Server after a certain number of days.

Enter a value to specify how frequently you want the application to try to validate with SOLO Server. The day counter is always reset if validation is successful. This is not a required validation and will fail silently if the software is unable to connect to SOLO Server.
Require validation with SOLO Server after X days: Choose this option if you want the application to require validation with SOLO Server after a certain number of days.

Validation is required to run the application beyond this period, and the application will cease to operate if the software is unable to connect with SOLO Server. This option is only available if attempt validation is also selected. The value must be greater than or equal to the number of days for attempting validation. This allows for an offline grace period when an Internet connection is temporarily unavailable.
Warn the user X days before validation with SOLO Server is required: Choose this option if you want to warn the user prior to validation with SOLO Server being required.

Enter a value to specify when to begin warning the user that required license validation is near. This option is only available if require validation is also selected. The value must be must fall on or between the attempt and require days.

Example Settings

Since your software can always validate against the local Protection PLUS 5 SDK license file, it only needs to periodically validate with SOLO Server in most cases.

The following example settings are a good balance of flexibility and control. You can adjust these values to best suit your software and your customers:

Attempt validation with SOLO Server after 14 days
Require validation with SOLO Server after 30 days
Warn the user 7 days before validation with SOLO Server is required

Here is a breakdown of the validation process with the above values:

If your software can't connect to SOLO Server after 14 days for whatever reason, the validation attempt can be allowed to fail silently. Until it is successful, your software can keep attempting to validate with SOLO Server whenever your validation logic is run.
After it has been 23 days (7 days before validation with SOLO Server is required), your software can prompt the user with a warning that the software needs to connect to the license server within X days, otherwise they will no longer be able to access the software.
Once it reaches 30 days since it last successfully validated with SOLO Server, it will prevent the use of the software.

See the Protection PLUS 5 SDK manual topics (PLUSManaged or PLUSNative) for more details on how to code this functionality in your application.