The "...licensing ID is invalid." message indicates that the licensing ID has not been input correctly (a licensing ID contains self-checking information). A licensing ID is 65 characters in length, starts with a zero and ends with a number.

If you typed the licensing ID, it's likely that there's a typo, which is why we recommend that you copy/paste the licensing ID. The most common typo is when there are "vertical bar" characters in the licensing ID. The "vertical bar" character is the "straight vertical line" character (i.e., it's not an "el" and not a "one"). It's usually located above the "\" character on Apple keyboards.

If you're getting this error after copying/pasting the licensing ID, then it's likely that there are one or more invisible characters being (erroneously) copied/pasted along with the licensing ID. This can happen with some email programs, especially browser-based programs or where email is rendered as HTML.

To remove any invisible characters that exist before the licensing ID:

1. place the cursor at the beginning of the licensing ID
2. press the left-arrow key a few times
3. press the right-arrow key once
4. if the cursor is not to the right of the first zero in the licensing ID, then there's an invisible character that needs to be deleted
• to delete the invisible character, press the left-arrow key once then the delete key and continue starting again at step 1

To remove any invisible characters that exist after the licensing ID:

1. place the cursor at the end of the licensing ID
2. press the right-arrow key a few times
3. press the left-arrow key once
4. if the cursor is not to the left of the last/65th character in the licensing ID, then there's an invisible character that needs to be deleted
• to delete the invisible character, press the right-arrow key once then the delete key and continue starting again at step 1

If you have the (excellent and free) TextWrangler application, you can paste the licensing ID into a TextWrangler window and select the "Text => Zap Gremlins..." menu to remove any "bad" characters from the licensing ID. TextWrangler can also count the number of characters in total or that are selected.

Yes, please see the sections titled Storing Your License ID, Controlling Access to Licensing Operations, Multiple-Systems Administration and Distributing a Stored License ID in the LicenseControl ReadMe document, available via LicenseControl's Help menu.

LicenseControl uses the industry-standard web-browsing protocol and port (HTTP/HTTPS on port 80/443) to communicate with the licensing server. As such, if you can browse to our web pages at http://www.derman.com/ (and, if you're reading this, you can), then you should also be able to connect to our licensing server.

There are two notable exceptions to this:

• if you employ outgoing firewall software that controls network connections based upon the application from which they originate (e.g., Little Snitch on a Mac OS X or PCZoneAlarm on Windows), then you will need to set the firewall software to allow LicenseControl to communicate
• if your network employs a proxy server that proxies based upon individual applications, then you will need to ensure that the proxy server allows LicenseControl to communicate

LicenseControl supports most proxy setups. LicenseControl uses the proxy setup defined for your web-browsing services. If a proxy server is configured, LicenseControl will use it and will prompt you for the username and password if one is required by the proxy server setup. However, there are proxy servers that are configured to use empty login credentials so, if you normally don't see any proxy login but using LicenseControl shows one, try not entering any login credentials and just press the button.

LicenseControl does not support a script/server-driven automatic proxy (.pac file) setup allowed by some configurations. In such configurations, you'll need to configure the proxy setup manually before LicenseControl will be able to use it.

Specifically, LicenseControl uses the curl library to connect to the licensing server. On an OS X system, you can easily test a curl-based connection via the command line. This may provide valuable troubleshooting information. To do so:

• bring up a Terminal window (launch /Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
• if your network does not use a proxy server, issue the command:
  curl -x www.derman.com:80 http://www.derman.com/ > ~/Desktop/foo.html
• if your network does use a proxy server, issue the command:
  curl -U <user>:<password> -x <proxy-server-address>:<proxy-server-port> http://www.derman.com/ > ~/Desktop/foo.html

  where <user> and <password> are the username and password required by your proxy server (if no proxy login is required, omit the "-U <user>:<password>" portion of the command) and <proxy-server-address> and <proxy-server-port> provide the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or the IP address and port number for the proxy server

In either of the cases, above, if successful, the curl command will create a web page named foo.html on your desktop. If you open that web page, you'll see our home page, minus the graphics (i.e., drag the file icon for the foo.html file from your desktop onto a web-browser window).

If the curl command is not successful, you should copy/paste the command and the messages it generates into an email and send it to us.

If the permissions on a LicenseControl'd application have been altered and the application fails, the quickest way to fix the problem is to reinstall and relicense the application.

In general, tampering with an application's permissions is unwise. Tampering with a LicenseControl'd application's permissions or any of the LicenseControl files will often result in a non-functioning application.

Yes, LicenseControl'd applications can be run from a server (i.e., a network-mounted disk volume) but each client will operate in Trial mode until a license has been activated to license that software for that client system.

When the licensing server to perform licensing operations, your system uses a minimal number of HTTP (web) packets via port 80 (the normal web port) or HTTPS (secure web) packets via port 443 (the normal secure web port).

You can use network packet-capture software to verify the nature of information being communicated — e.g., on OS X, issue the Terminal command:

In this situation, please do the following:

• attempt to license the application on the replacement system, once (it'll fail, but we'll need this failed transaction to transfer the license)
• contact us with the following information:
• the License ID you used to attempt the above licensing
• the kind and model of system upon which the software was previously installed

Note that, legally, we can only provide support to the registered owner — in practical terms, it means that we'll need to communicate via the registered email address or we'll need a copy of the original purchase receipt.

Important: Just a warning that you need to be very careful not to attempt any licensing operations for an application/product from a system that was de-activated by us (i.e., during this procedure). If a licensing operation from a system that was marked as "missing/dead" issues a licensing request using that same License ID, that License ID will automatically be disabled (affecting all its licenses) and no further licensing operations will be possible via that License ID. If a stolen/failed/etc. system is re-acquired/repaired and you need to move the same licensed application back to it, disable the license on the other system then let use know and we'll move the license and make the re-acquired system available for continued licensing, again.

Assuming the previously licensed system is still available, the following steps will remedy this situation:

• either restore the application from backup or simply download/re-install the product
• start to license the application — when LicenseControl is running, see the "Moving an Application's License to Different System" section in LicenseControl's "ReadMe" document

If the previously licensed system is no longer available, see the FAQ regarding failed systems.

The licensing request, which is sent to the licensing server to acquire a license for the system being licensed, contains the following information:

• Request Version: so we can support changes, over time
• the Re/License ID:
• ID Version: so we can support changes, over time
• Purchased Product Name: the license's product identifier
• Purchased Product Version: the license's product version identifier
• Purchased License Kind: the kind of license
• Purchased License Serial: the license's serial number
• Requesting Product Name: the licensed product's identifier
• Requesting Product Version: the licensed product's version identifier
• Requesting Week Number: the week the request was made
• System ID: see detail below
• Checksum: a checksum to (doubly) ensure the validity of the transmitted data

The unlicensing request, which is required by the licensing server to request that a license be relinquished for a system, contains the following information:

• Unlicense Version: so we can support changes, over time
• License: the License previously generated and received from the licensing server (this is encrypted)
• Requesting Week Number: the week the request was made
• System ID: see detail below
• Checksum: a checksum to (doubly) ensure the validity of the transmitted data

The unlicensing confirmation, which is required by the licensing server to relinquish a license for a system, contains the following information:

• Confirmation Version: so we can support changes, over time
• License: the License previously generated and received from the licensing server (this is encrypted)
• Confirmation ID: the Unlicense Confirmation identifier
• Requesting Week Number: the week the request was made
• System ID: see detail below
• Unlicense Date: the date of the unlicensing
• Checksum: a checksum to (doubly) ensure the validity of the transmitted data

The System ID is a way of identifying a given system, including as it may change over time — it's a dynamic and adaptive patentable technology with the prime elements being:

• ID Version: so we can support changes, over time
• Requesting MAC Address: the primary ethernet MAC address(es)
• Requesting System's ID: the system serial number (where available)
• Requesting System's Kind: the system kind (where available)
• Requesting System's Model: the system model information (where available)
• Multiple other identifiers on any given system: these are all pieces of information about the system that are available via standard operating-system supplied interfaces

Note that:

• no information related to Users or (other) applications is required, desired or captured
• the ethernet MAC address is unique for every ethernet interface ever made and is something that's sent as a part of network packets, so it's always externally visible
• not all systems have a serial number and/or a model number but newer systems normally supply an operating system and/or hardware UUID
• all System ID information we capture is available via normal operating-system interfaces
• you can use network packet-capture software to verify the nature of information being communicated — e.g., on OS X, issue the Terminal command:
  sudo tcpdump -pxX -vv -s 0 host www.derman.com

The LicenseControl "customer"/registrant record includes:

• Name
• Postal Address
• Primary Phone, Additional Phone, FAX
• Gross Sale Amount
• Date
• Vendor
• The posting transaction from the posting entity (e-store)
• Customer communications

Note that this information does not include any credit-card information.

Also note that we are legally restricted from using any customer-supplied information for purposes other than which it was supplied — i.e., for the business/support of licensing. For more information on this, see our Privacy Policy page.