L I C E N S I N G
Users and CmCloudContainers
CodeMeter License Central was Wibu-Systems’ first foray into the world of cloud licensing: The system creates and delivers licenses
through the cloud, and the users import them to a secure hardware CmDongle or a CmActLicense file, bound to a known device.
Since early 2020, licenses can now be kept in a special container in the cloud, the CmCloudContainer, that is bound not to a
specific computer, but to a known user. This article shows how CmCloudContainers work and what purpose they serve.
Simple setup with WOPS
The server that is home to the CmCloud-
Containers is provided by Wibu-Systems
through the cloud. The costs for operating
that service depend on its usage, especially
for cryptographic functions. Wibu-Systems
offers three attractive hosting packages with
three expansion packs. To make their move
into the cloud, software developers simply
need to order the package that best meets
their needs, and the Wibu Operating Services
(WOPS) team takes care of the rest. A few
working days later, the CodeMeter Cloud
Server is ready for action.
No need to change the software
CmCloudContainers are fully compatible with
CmDongles and CmActLicenses. Any software
protected with CodeMeter can be used im-
mediately and without any adjustments with
a CmCloudContainer, as long as CodeMeter
Runtime 7.0 or newer is used. It does not
even matter whether the software is protected
automatically by CodeMeter Protection Suite
or by CodeMeter Core API.
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The only restrictions that apply between the
different CmContainer types (as of Q1 2020)
are:
■ Executable code can only be moved into and
run in CmDongles. This function is not avail-
able in CmActLicenes or CmCloudContainers.
■ Licenses can be moved and borrowed offline
between CmDongles and CmActLicenses,
but not CmCloudContainers. This is no re-
striction in practice, because anyone using
a CmCloudContainer would be online
when accessing the license. These licenses
can be returned to CodeMeter License
Central and moved from there to a
CmDongle or CmActLicense. Checkpoint
licenses can be used for the same purpose
as usual borrowed licenses, even if the local
device on which they are used is not always
connected to the Internet.
■ CmDongles and CmActLicenses can be ac-
tivated simply and directly with the license
portal and WebDepot. The process for
CmCloudContainers relies on a file ex-
change; a direct activation is, however,
possible with the Software Activation
Wizard. The Software Activation Wizard
alone needs to be adjusted, since the pro-
cesses for creating empty CmCloudContain-
ers or using existing CmCloudContainers
from other computers are new or differ
slightly from the usual approach with other
CmContainer types.
The path to a new
CmCloudContainer
CmDongles are delivered either blank or
preloaded with licenses. After plugging the
CmDongle into the computer, the CmContain-
er is available for transferring licenses.
With CmActLicenses, the software developer
would create a template for all users, which
defines how the soft license is bound to the
users’ machine. This template is imported onto
the users’ computer, making the CmContainer
available in the same manner as a plugged-in
CmDongle.