OS4X-ID

The so-called "OS4X-ID" is an installation and hardware dependant hash of your system running OS4X. OS4X needs a valid license which is based on this ID. In order to receive a license, the OS4X-ID is the basis for this encrypted file.

At least, the following parameters are the basis for the OS4X-ID:

• local hostname
• resolved IP address of the local hostname
• MAC address of device which is uses the resolved IP address of the local hostname, or (if not resolvable) the device of the kernel presented as first device, based on TCP/IP, which offers a MAC address
• CPU-ID where applicable

retrieving OS4X-ID via web interface

In the administrative web interface, click in the left menu on "Tools". The OS4X-ID will be displayed in the main screen right under the "backup" options:

If the license file is writable by the web server user, an upload of a valid license is possible via the "choose file" and "upload license" buttons. A pre-check of validity is done before exchanging the license file.

retrieving OS4X-ID via command line

The program "os4xlic" is used for commandline interaction.

Online operations

Starting with OS4X build 20131218, you can do the following actions online with a simple click in the administrative web interface:

• Change your license from one OS4X-ID to another, based on registered customer informations at c-works.
• Extend the validity of your license, starting 60 days before expiration.

All online operations need the ability of your web browser to communicate with the website www.os4x.com, so you need internet access for that. Also, your license file must be writable to the webserver. Writability of the license is checked dynamically.

Change OS4X-ID

If your OS4X-ID has changed, you can switch your license from your old OS4X-ID to the new one online. As long as you have your original license file installed, a button appears which offers you the possibility to start this operation:

Extend license validity

Starting 60 days before expiration, a button in the license panel offers you the possibility to obtain a new license key online. As long as your OS4X-ID is registered at c-works, you can obtain a new license for free, valid for the next license period (which is 365 days by default; other rules according to vendors may apply).

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My OS4X-ID changed, why?

Please check the following circumstances:

1. The hostname of the system (obtainable via the commandline program "hostname") is static.
2. Verify that the IP address of the hostname (obtained in step #1) is static. The resolving could be done locally (u.e. via "/etc/hosts" or via other online services, as DNS or NIS; see chapter below).
3. Verify that the host running OS4X has a network device with exactly that IP address of step #2.
4. Verify that the network device obtained in step #3 has a static MAC address.

constantly changing OS4X-ID

If your OS4X-ID is changing sometimes and you're really sure you didn't change the machine configuration, you should check that the name resolving works constantly. This can be done by editing the file

/etc/nsswitch.conf

on most Unix systems and the file

/etc/netsvc.conf

on AIX systems.

In order to obtain the same information every time, you should configure the first host name resolving method as "local" and add a static IP address and hostname for your machine to "/etc/hosts". This should fix your problem.

An example for a working entry in the file

/etc/nsswitch.conf

is:

hosts:          files dns

A working AIX configuration file

 /etc/netsvc.conf

is:

hosts = local, bind

In both cases, the local file "/etc/hosts" is asked first, then the configured DNS server. This also speeds up the name resolving mechanism.

AIX licensing

The OS4X ID is obtained in AIX using the following list of devices (first available will be used for MAC address calculation):

• ent0
• ent1
• ent2
• first available other device

If you need a special handling, please contact us.