Program ID is an identification number that software developers can
assign to differentiate the protected applications (and the Keys) among their
products. Each copy of ElecKey is provided with a number of Program IDs, which
can be upgraded if more Program IDs are needed. Program ID starts from zero,
one, two, three, and so on.
Basically, you should assign a Program ID to a product (or software
title). However, there is no restriction. You may assign the same Program ID to
two different products. But, doing so can cause a security breach to the
protected applications. Consider a scenario where you assign the same Program
ID: 1 to both applications A and B. An end-user may obtain the application A
legally, in which his computer will have the Key with Program ID: 1. If this
end-user obtains an unregistered version of the application B, he will not need
to register or pay for it. This is because his computer already has the Key
with Program ID: 1, which can unlock both applications A and B.
When you issue an upgrade or bug fix of the protected application, it
is recommended to lock the application with the same Program ID as the previous
version. Since the existing end-users of the application already have the Key,
the upgrade can be transparent and there is no need for a new registration. On
the contrary, if you wish to issue a new software version that requires a new
license, you should lock the new version with a different Program ID from the
previous version. In this case, end-users who wish to upgrade to the new
version must register or pay for the new license.