Re: Re[2]: Is it possible to crack the BPCS Key logic? -- BPCS-L

Hello,

There are no 'two wrongs' here, and some mis-information is being bandied
about.

1. You don't need a current OGS contracts to buy a permanent software key.
It is a choice, not a requirement to purchase OGS when you sign your
contract. When you buy a software license it states what you are licensed
for, be it by user or CPU size. If you exceed that useage, you need to
upgrade your license and pay more money or you are breaking the contract.

2. I personally have been on HelpLine and assisted several version 1 and 2
heavily modified BPCS customers who definitely did NOT have current OGS, and
yet had recieved a new permanent key for a RISC machine they were upgrading
to from our F&A department. We heard from them when they had problems
remembering how to install the new key, and HelpLine assisted them in
installing the key despite the lack of OGS. Getting the permanent key
installed is part of buying the permanent license. Additionally, every
weekend, there is someone on HelpLine assigned to emergency software key
support. If you have a disaster such as a fire, and must for example recover
your box onto another system, that person will give you a 5 day BPCS key to
run your business for a short time on that new box (until later in the week,
when the F&A department can take over the situation and issue a different
key (long term temporary or permanent) depending upon the situation). This
weekend recovery key is available for any release of BPCS which ever had a
key, despite the sunset of those releases for product fixes. All the
non-observable key security programs for those older BPCS releases were also
upgraded to RISC, even though the majority of the sunset releases were
sunset before RISC even existed. These programs are available to customers
who are migrating CISC to RISC.

3. If you want to break the BPCS key software this means that you want to do
it because you either have more users or CPU than stated in your signed
legal agreement with us and don't want to pay for it. It isn't rocket
science to break the current key software, so if you were a real hacker, you
would move on to more interesting tasks, like breaking the AS/400 passwords
(read other Midrange lists for those discussions). If you want to break your
license agreement, go right ahead, but understand that you are also breaking
the law and can be prosecuted for doing so. If you have gone over the user
count and won't pay for that, you are not just on 'shaky' ground - you are
out of compliance with a signed legal contract.

Genyphyr Novak
SSA GT

----- Original Message -----
From: <Kevin_Catlin@gm.cytec.com>
To: <BPCS-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2000 11:04 AM
Subject: Re[2]: Is it possible to crack the BPCS Key logic?


>
>      Two wrongs don't make a right.  Take 'em to court and get a temporary
>      injunction to require SSA to issue a key that will at least get you
>      through the expected period of litigation.  I think you would have
the
>      grounds to do so, but if your user count has gone over the licensed
>      users, you will be on more shaky ground.
>
>      Also, anyone who chooses to stay on old technology does so at their
>      own peril.  It's not your legal right to be able to survive on it
>      indefinitely, in particular if you choose to sever ties with the
>      vendor by cancelling/not renewing your support contract.  Sometimes
>      when you roll the dice, it comes up "snake eyes".
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Re: Is it possible to crack the BPCS Key logic?
> Author:  BPCS-L@midrange.com at Internet
> Date:    10/11/2000 6:54 AM
>
>
> Well, this one brought me out of the woodwork.
>
> > This list is _NOT_ for the purpose of avoiding license
> > fees.  Besides, if you haven't figured it out in eight years, you don't
> > _deserve_ to...
>
> I don't think the purpose of "breaking" the security code is necessarily a
> question of avoiding license fees -nor- is it necessarily a question of
the
> viability of SSA.  Let me set up a hypothetical situation for you:
>
> Customer is a long time client of SSA.  Customer has decided to stay on
> 405CD due to the hardware requirements and horror stories of those running
> V6.  SSA states it will no longer support 405CD.  Customer drops OGS
seeing
> no need for it if the software will no longer be fixed or upgraded.
> Customer moves to a RISC machine from a CISC.  SSA denies a permanent
> software key for the new machine without an OGS contract.  Terms of the
BPCS
> contract were that the software was licensed for a user count -not- a
> machine processor level.  SSA refuses to budge from its position.
>
> Now do you see a reason to break the code?  Now do you see a reason why
> after 8 years it hasn't really been contemplated as to how to break it?
>
> No, I'm not the original poster of the question, but it is one that I've
> thought about asking for a while now.
>
> Bill
>
>
> __________________________________________________
.com)

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