User's Manual

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• Counter of fraudulent access attempts (Fail Counter)
• Freezing of programmed data.
• User-programmable Security algorithms
• Protection of programs on a local network by means of just one protection dongle.
•
The number of users simultaneously enabled to use the protected program and the number of its executions is
all programmable.
4.6 A comparison of SmartKey models
If we compare SmartKey to a safe, this will help us to better understand the difference between the various SmartKeys.
The FX model is similar to a safe requiring a particular physical dongle to be opened: safes of different owners have
different dongles, and, likewise, the FX dongles of different users have different Id-Codes.
Instead, the PR model resembles a more sophisticated safe: you need a physical dongle to open it, but you also have to
set a special combination on an appropriate knob (two turns to the left, three to the right, etc.). Likewise, the PR dongle
has an Id-Code (the physical device) and a Password (the combination). Both the safe and the PR model have a
programmable combination - only if you know the Password, can you verify its Secure Data (i.e. access the contents of
the safe).
The EP model is a variation of the PR dongle, and in our analogy, it corresponds to a safe with a lock (Id-Code) and a
combination (Password). Furthermore, an internal device counts the number of incorrect set combinations (Fail
Counter). In addition to that, a mechanism, available on request, prevents anyone fraudulently changing the set
combination.
The SP has 416 bytes (896 for USB 3 model) instead of 64 bytes (it is a larger safe) and the user-programmable
security algorithm is similar to a special dongle, whose shape can be defined at will.
The XM has 8192 bytes of memory.
Finally, the NET dongle has the same security mechanisms as the SP dongle, but is suitable for personal computer
networked programs.
Here is a table summarizing the characteristics of the SmartKey models:
SmartKey Network IdCode/
AES
Password Memory Fail
Counter
Programmable
algorithms
FX
No Yes No No No No
PR
No Yes Yes 64/128 byte No No
EP
No Yes Yes 64/128 byte Yes No
SP
No Yes Yes 416/896 byte Yes Yes
XM
No Yes Yes 8192 byte Yes Yes
NET
Yes Yes Yes 416 byte Yes Yes
Table 2
SmartKey models summary table
4.7 Which SmartKey to use?
It is not easy to answer this question, because there are very many both technical and economic reasons involved in
steering selection to one model rather than to another. Only case-by-case examination can define the problem, while
taking into account variables such as:
•
The cost of the package
•
The environment where the protected software is located
•
The geographic area where the product is diffused
• The time available to implement the protection