ElecKey Agent
The ElecKey agent functions to provide an
interface to the Key system. It allows the application, via the KeyCheck library EKC3220.DLL (32-bit) and EKC6420.DLL
(64-bit), to access the Key in order to check or update the license. There are
two types of the agent.
·
Local Key Agent. The
Local Key agent provides an interface to the Local Key, which includes Harddisk Key and USB Key (dongle). It is available in
different versions: EKAG20.EXE (legacy OS), EKAG20NT.EXE (32-bit), and
EKAG6420.EXE (64-bit).
·
Network Key Agent. The
Network Key agent provides an interface to the Network Key via the TCP/IP based
communication with the NetKey License Server. It is
available in two versions: NKAG20.EXE (32-bit) and NKAG6420.EXE (64-bit).
The agent was
designed to offer flexibility and ease of interface. The KeyCheck
EKC3220.DLL (32-bit) and EKC6420.DLL (64-bit) can interface with the agent in
either version: 32-bit (EKAG20NT.EXE/NKAG20.EXE) or 64-bit
(EKAG6420.EXE/NKAG6420.EXE), if it is already running in the memory. If the agent
is not yet started, EKC3220.DLL finds and loads the 32-bit agent first, if not
found then the 64-bit agent. While, EKC6420.DLL finds and loads the 64-bit
agent first, if not found then the 32-bit agent.
You can include
either 32/64-bit agent or both with your application. The 64-bit agent would
generally perform faster in run-time on 64-bit OS. However, its file size is
much larger than the 32-bit agent (i.e. 14 MB compared to 1.8 MB). Basically,
you should include the 32-bit agent for Win32 apps, and the 64-bit agent for
Win64 apps. If your application contains both 32/64-bit executables, you should
include the 64-bit agent. For .NET apps, it is recommended to include both
32/64-bit agents. If you want to include just one agent, you can include only
the 32-bit agent.
Agent Startup
The ElecKey agent is automatically loaded when the protected
application (as well as the NetKey License Server) is
started. Based on the DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) technology, the agent runs as
a DDE server to wait for a request from the application.
By default, the
agent is terminated automatically when the application is closed. Because of
loading the agent, it may cause a slight delay in starting the protected
application, especially on a slow computer. A solution is to let the agent
running even after the application is closed. This can help to increase the
speed when starting the application again later.
You can
configure the agent in the KeyCheck API configuration
file called KCAPI.INI. To let the agent run without termination, use any text
editor to create and edit the KCAPI.INI file as follows.
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[Service] |
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Startup=1 |
The KCAPI.INI
file must be placed in the same folder as the protected executable.
Agent Command Usage
The agent
provides several configuration options. You can configure the agent via the
agent command, for instance, to load the agent when Windows is started up. The
following is the agent command usage.
|
Usage: EKAG20 <Agent ID> <Startup Flag> |
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EKAG20NT <Agent ID> <Startup Flag> |
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EKAG6420 <Agent ID> <Startup Flag> |
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NKAG20
<Agent ID> <Startup Flag> |
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NKAG6420
<Agent ID> <Startup Flag> |
|
Where |
|
Agent ID: The Agent ID is provided in the Integration Result dialog and the log file after ElecKey Integrator finishes protecting a program or creating an Initiate Code. |
|
|
|
Startup Flag: Agent startup options |
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0 = Run the agent until the application is closed |
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1 = Run the agent without termination |
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2 = Run the agent and install the agent to the Windows startup |
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3 = Delete the agent from the Windows startup |
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4 = Install the agent to the Windows startup |
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5 = Terminate the running agent |
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6 = Delete the agent from the Windows startup and then terminate the running agent |
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Examples |
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To run the agent and install the agent to the Windows startup: |
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EKAG20NT 0200B03FD1305A4B 2 |
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To delete the agent from the Windows startup: |
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EKAG20NT 0200B03FD1305A4B 3 |
Note that the
agent command should be run before the protected application is started. You
may also include a script to run the agent command in the application setup
installer.
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