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general PHP question..cd key authorization..

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:39 am
by Charles256
Anyone ever tried to implement CD key authorization in a PHP proeject? I'm strongly considering it..it seems feasible..feed back please! :-D

Re: general PHP question..cd key authorization..

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 9:48 am
by Roja
Charles256 wrote:Anyone ever tried to implement CD key authorization in a PHP proeject? I'm strongly considering it..it seems feasible..feed back please! :-D
Not sure what you mean, exactly. Using a CD key to authorize the use of a php package? Using a php site to track key usage?

Elaborate, please.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:01 am
by Charles256
Fair enough. My apologies on being vague. It happens when you forget that people are not mind readers. :-D I was thinking of adding a list of CD keys to my webserver. Then when people go to install the software it asks for a CD key and once they do i ts ends a request to my server asking permission to allow the install, if it's a valid key they can install, if not they get an error message. That better? :-D

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:26 am
by Oren
This "software"... You mean a real CD you will burn with the software on it? Or just a PHP application they will download from your site?

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:29 am
by Chris Corbyn
Oh yes it's doable. vBulletin do it!

The problem with implementing this is aa language like PHP is that it's would be very easy to break by just opening the PHP code and bypassing the check. Unless of course you ioncube the code.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:29 am
by Charles256
Actually,the PHP application will come on a CD. Along with freeware xampp (to set up an apache quick like). Not sure if I'm going to use an installer program to get it to install the program into the default htdocs folder or make them copy and paste it...not sure...what do you think?

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:30 am
by MrPotatoes
http://www.phpclasses.org/browse/package/2298.html

might be what you mean. but the licence is retarded. if you are trying to keep something 'secret' making it a container like this GPL is just stupid beyond belief. BEYONd! lol

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:31 am
by Charles256
that and I know these people don't know how to program.just misname the variable and they'd be lost for years.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:40 am
by Oren
What if your server goes down or if you move to another host?

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:49 am
by Charles256
Then I build in a back door CD key which always gets approved no matter what? Think that'd be a viable solution. encrypt it and what not so what you see in the code won't be the straight cd key but the encrypted cd key.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 10:57 am
by Oren
You need to elaborate more about what this key is exactly for. What is it going to be for? Are you going to put a key that will allow the application to run on a certain domain? Please tell what exactly you need to do.

I don't think that's what you need, but since I'm not sure what you need I'll post it anyway: http://www.sourceguardian.com/

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:02 am
by Charles256
Man, I'm feeling like a dumb noob that can't get two things straight today. :( : hides his master status in shame : Either way, i got a gentleman that is considering purchasing some software for four hotels. Not five,not six, just four. I only want four unique locations to use the software, else I'd want more money. So, what I want to do is some method of authenticating them before they install the software. My original solution was to make it so they had to enter a CD key before the install would begin and then that CD key could not be used again. My idea was to do this by having it send off to my server for authentication. If it failed and they had a valid key, they could e-mail me or call me and giving proper proof of purchase and what not I'd give them a cd key that always works. Only problem with this is, what if it dawns on them to use that CD-key everytime? Hum..I have just made thigns more comlpicated...Hopefully, I am better understood though.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:09 am
by Oren
A little better, but not enough. Please try to explain what exactly you need and not what you planned, since there may be a better way.
Do you want to sell a PHP application on a CD and make sure it is used only once, is that what you want?

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:12 am
by Charles256
Yes, I am selling a PHP application on a CD and I want to make sure it is only used X times where X is a predetermined number.

Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:20 am
by Oren
No matter on which computer/domain etc? All that important for you is that it won't be used more than X times?