Open License Release Notes

0.951 (Bug Fix Release) - Released 8/9/2005

Fixed:

  • Domain Constraint will no longer return null
  • DayCount in statistics has been corrected to be DaysCount.
  • Build.Bat for vb example correctly spelled.
  • VersionConstraint no longer uses GetEntryAssembly.

Added:

  • And/Or Constraint support.

Updated:

  • Documentation re-write by Ian Thomas.

Known Issues/Bugs:

0.95 (Bug Fix Release) - Released 2/15/2005

Fixed:

  • We said it last time but this time we think it is really fixed. Web licensing is now properly working.
  • Debug code removed from release build.
  • Date change on system is now protected against.
  • Multicultural dates are now forced to US English format.
  • Strong name for OL added.

0.945 (Tested Cache Only) - Released 12/27/2004

Fixed:

  • Open License web cache now works. This was being caused by a FileStream object.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Open License Builder still has a few known issues:
    • Property Grid - Some items (DayTime, Custom Data, Version, etc) don't allow edits.
    • Missing Drag/Drop support.
    • Can only handle one level of container constraints. If a container constraint contains a container constraint and so on...OLB can't handle it correctly. This will required a re-write of the LicenseServices.
    • In OLB Saves throw exception saying file is in use.
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.

0.942 (Barely Tested) - Released 12/22/2004

Added:

  • Container Constraints - Now able to use And/Or relationships on constraints.
  • Re-added the Change Date on machine, check so date range licenses are now protected from a user setting the date on the machine back.
  • DayTimeConstraint added to support day time ranges to constrain a license to periods within a day.

Fixed:

  • Assembly held hostage when added to OLB. Now loads assembly and releases it.
  • Version constraint Max wasn't working properly. Now correctly validating range.
  • Duration on DemoConstraint didn't work properly. Now calculates start/end date based upon the duration. Much better implementation.
  • License saves in OL weren't being done after an update to the license. Now works correctly.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Open License for web environments will not work. License Cache is not being saved. This is still being investigated.
  • Open License Builder still has a few known issues:
    • Property Grid - Some items (DayTime, Custom Data, Version, etc) don't allow edits.
    • Missing Drag/Drop support.
    • Can only handle one level of container constraints. If a container constraint contains a container constraint and so on...OLB can't handle it correctly. This will required a re-write of the LicenseServices.
    • In OLB Saves throw exception saying file is in use.
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.

0.941 (Tested Thoroughly) - Released 11/25/2004

Fixed:

  • Exception thrown when using OL in a web app. This was corrected by re-writing the GetLicense call to properly use the Cache and IsolatedStorage.
  • Cleaned up the code in OpenLicenseFile and OpenLicenseProvider.
  • Domain Constraint can now add domains in the OLB property grid.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Date changes on machine need to be protected against. This was removed for the most recent release because some issues were found with it.
  • What happens if the license file is locked and can't be written to. This situation needs to be dealt with. A check should be added and if write permission is denied then the license validate should fail unless it is a full license. However now with Isolated Storage this shouldn't be possible.
  • If Designtime and runtime are both on license, it is unusable since its an AND type of relationship. Need to support OR
  • Open License Builder still has a few known issues:
    • Custom Data in OLB can't be added. Should be fixed in the next release.
    • In OLB Saves throw exception saying file is in use.
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.

0.94 (Tested Well) - Released 11/18/2004

Fixed:

  • Redesigned the way the parsing of the constraints worked
  • Changed the way the types are handle for the licenses...Now dynamically handled.
  • Correctly updates menu enable/disable at startup.
  • Redesigned the way encryption is handled to support 512 bit encryption.
  • Encryption key lengths can now be any size from 1 to N characters.
  • Save/Save As now work properly in OLB.
  • Support checking if file has not been saved before doing most actions to close a license.
  • Properly check is dirty in OLB to know when a license has been changed.
  • Fixed Icon display for OLB.
  • Protect against copying over a license after it expires to re-enable it.
  • The license should be 99.5% protected from hacks.

Added:

  • Date change on system protection for license.
  • Version string added to Open License file.
  • Started creating the ground work for Container constraints (AND/OR).
  • Added an hash code to the license to support non-encrypted license validation.
  • Version identifier to license to support future changes and backward comparability.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Custom Data in OLB can't be added. Not sure why? Its a String Collection but the property box doesn't allow it. Needs more investigation.
  • What happens if the license file is locked and can't be written to. This situation needs to be dealt with. A check should be added and if write permission is denied then the license validate should fail unless it is a full license. However now with Isolated Storage this shouldn't be possible.
  • If Designtime and runtime are both on license, it is unusable since its an AND type of relationship. Need to support OR
  • Open License Builder still has a few known issues:
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.

0.93 (Tested Moderatly Well) - Released 11/06/2004

Fixed:

  • Now able to find the license file when being used in a web application.
  • Corrected the way paths are built so they now use the Path object.
  • CS example has been updated and fixed to work with new changes.
  • Tab order in options panels now more logical.
  • Save corrupted license in OLB.
  • Unable to open encrypted license in OLB.
  • Dirty is now set correctly when items change in OLB.

Added:

  • OLB uses enable property for menus to support enabling and disabling menu items and buttons.
  • Encryption button has been added to the toolbar to turn on or off more easily.
  • The domain constrain now will automatically obtain the domain it is running in. It no longer needs to be passed in.
  • A build script has been built using NANT. This was done to support building releases only. Eventually this will be the primary way builds are done.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • What happens if someone saves a copy of the orignal license and then when the copy expires, replacing it with the orignal license, again and again. This needs to be protected against.
  • When a license is created and used, a method needs to be created to prevent the user from setting the date back. This may also coincided with the security hole issues.
  • Custom Data in OLB can't be added. Not sure why? Its a list but the property box doesn't allow it. Needs more investigation.
  • What happens if the license file is locked and can't be written to. This situation needs to be dealt with. A check should be added and if write permission is denied then the license validate should fail unless it is a full license.
  • If Designtime and runtime are both on license, it is unusable since its an AND type of relationship. Need to support OR
  • Open License Builder still has a few known issues:
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.

0.92 (Tested Fairly Well) - Released 09/24/2004

Fixed:

  • Bugs found during unit testing. Mostly validation problems with contraints (new and old).
  • Bugs found with Runtime/Designtime license. Now correctly constraints license
  • Encrypted License wasn't being opened by OLB. This is now fixed.
  • Opening a license couldn't correctly load the assembly that it was built upon. This is now fixed

Added:

  • 3 new constriants (Version, Beta, Domain)
  • Unit tests to much of the OpenLicenseFile items. Including all constraints.
  • WinForm example built and used for testing.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • What happens if the license file is locked and can't be written to. This situation needs to be dealt with. A check should be added and if write permission is denied then the license validate should fail unless it is a full license.
  • If Designtime and runtime are both on license, it is unusable since its an AND type of relationship. Need to support OR
  • The Open License File has been testing using the new NUnit tests only. A winform example is being developed to use for testing.
  • Open License Builder has a few known issues:
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.
    • IsEnabled of IMenuCommand not yet used.

0.91 (Mildly Stable/Buggy Release) - Released 08/27/2004

Fixed:

  • Demo Constraint and Usage Constraint now correctly track statistics
  • Statistics also track statistics correctly now
  • Now will get license file if web service or executable - Thanks Suneel

Added:

  • NUnit unit tests to parts of open license

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Open License Builder has a few known issues:
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.
    • IsEnabled of IMenuCommand not yet used.

0.90 (Unstable/Buggy Release) - Released 08/05/2004

Changed:

  • Completely redesigned the Open License file to better support future changes and the new version of Open License Builder.
  • Started over with Open License Builder. There is a new interface, with dockable panes a property manager, Constraint Manager, XML viewer and License tree view.
  • Restructured the layout of the files and generated many more interfaces and abstract classes. Constraint objects have been prepared for future advancements.

Added:

  • Added 2 new constraints, Runtime and Design time. They were removed from the license file and added as separate constraints.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • The new Open License File has not been tested at all yet. Design/Runtime constraints probably were broken as were other areas during the new file creation. The next release should fix these items.
  • Open License Builder has a few known issues:
    • Throws error when closing a pane and then attempting to reopen it.
    • XML Pane doesn't update when properties change.
    • Help Pane doesn't show anything. Help objects haven't been built.
    • Undo/Redo not supported on license.
    • Previous Key support not used.
    • IsEnabled of IMenuCommand not yet used.

0.82 (Preview Release 3) - Released 05/15/2004

Fixed:

  • Encryption support by adding an Assembly Key Attribute class. Now the Encryption key can be defined in the assembly to allow OpenLicenseProvider a method to decrypt license files.
  • Encryption support by adding an Assembly Key Attribute class. Now the Encryption key can be defined in the assembly to allow OpenLicenseProvider a method to decrypt license files.

Added:

  • Added an Assembly Helper Attribute to allow the definition of informational data to be displayed when a license can't be found.
  • Wrote a first draft of the Open License User Guide. This is just a first cut and needs to be expended. But its a start.

Removed:

  • Delete the custom exception handler. It had some errors and wasn't working as desired. This has been re-worked into the Helper Attribute class.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Open License Builder interface makes adding new/custom constraints difficult. Needs a new design.

0.81 (Preview Release 2) - Released 04/13/2004

Fixed:

  • No way to supply a full license. This was added as a check box to the Open License Builder and in the provider it is now checked.

Added:

  • A custom exception class to support better exception handling for Open License invalid licenses.

Known Issues/Bugs:

  • Open License doesn't support reading encrypted files. A method is being worked to pass in the custom key to the provider. At this time it hasn't been developed yet.
  • Open License Builder throws an exception when opening an encrypted file with a bad key or no key defined.
  • Date management in Open License Builder is poor. Needs to be re-worked.
  • Need more documentation.

Features
  • A GUI to build the license
  • Support Product Licensing
  • 512 bit encrypted license file
  • License key to support non encrypted license
  • 99.9% hack proof
  • Many differnt licensing constraints
  • Design/Run Time support
System Requirements
  • Windows
  • MS .NET Framework 1.0 & 1.1(0.951 only)
  • MS .NET Framework 2.0(2.00a and above)
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