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Re: How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software?

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"Jason Bodine" <jbodine1974@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:f5c3cdce-eebf-4ebc-b94d-32a7692e4e2f@w6g2000vbo.googlegroups.com...
> Hi all,
>
> This is just a curiosity question, lol, but we've all bought software
> and had to enter  a unique CD Key and/or serial number to install and/
> or activate it.  My question is: How are these added to the program,
> because the only way I can think to do it would create only one CD Key/
> Serial Number for *all* copies of the app!  I'm using VB6 Enterprise
> Edition, and would like to make my apps distributable on CD in this
> fashion.

The way I do it is create a hash (eg SHA-1) of some client information plus 
a salt value.

Eg: CompanyName & Salt -> SHA-1 CD Key

If you want to be mean, then include hardware details in the string to be 
hashed - so your software will be locked to a particular computer. If the 
program has an expiry date, then include that in the string to be hashed.

The information is stored in a file/database, along with the hash value, and 
verified at startup. I display some of the hashed information on the 
(splash) screen or printouts. If the information is changed, the hash value 
won't match and the program won't start.

HTH

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Thread

How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software? Jason Bodine <jbodine1974@gmail.com> - 2011-04-14 16:59 -0700
  Re: How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software? "Jason Keats" <jkeats@melbpcDeleteThis.org.au> - 2011-04-15 12:18 +1000
  Re: How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software? BeeJ <nospam@nowhere.com> - 2011-04-15 06:44 -0700
    Re: How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software? BeeJ <nospam@nowhere.com> - 2011-04-15 07:38 -0700
  Re: How are sequential serial numbers/CD keys generated in distributed software? "Mayayana" <mayayana@invalid.nospam> - 2011-04-15 09:52 -0400

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