BZ 3222: linux license issue

fiske · 06-04-2009, 10:32 PM

I'm running a 64 bit Linux and was able to authorize and run the game without problem, however, I had to recompile my kernel for work. Afterword it prompted me for my license serial number. I assume it wanted my license number, I also tried the reference number. It didn't accept either one (tried both standard and with manual box checked), I'm able to run the game for now, using the second license number from the email, but I'm probably going to need to recompile my kernel again at some point

Did I miss a step after recompiling my kernel, or is it because I tried so soon after the initial install?

Thanks for your time and any assistance you can provide

Irishray · 06-05-2009, 01:02 AM

It is very sensitive, you should always unlicense your game before doing any software updates to your machine. I am careful about this, and I have not had any issues since following these steps.

Ray

pisdpaul · 06-05-2009, 07:51 AM

I am trying to make the serial number less sensitive but everyones system is different. Did it ask you to re-enter the license? if so what happened?

Irishray is right, if you are going to recompile release the license first and you will not have any issues.

fiske · 06-05-2009, 08:30 AM

After starting OOTP it prompted me to re enter the license due to a system change, at which point it wouldn't accept the original key. It gave me a message stating the game wasn't activated, I don't remember the exact wording, but I believe it was the same message I saw in a forum posting where the problem was the server was busy, so I tried the manual box, but got the same message.

I'm still able to play the game using the second key, and don't plan on installing on any other machines, so I guess as long as I'm more careful in the future there shouldn't be any problem. Should I just unlicense before compiling the kernel, or before any upgrade of system software (glibc, drivers, X and so on), or before any upgrade period?

pisdpaul · 06-05-2009, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiske

After starting OOTP it prompted me to re enter the license due to a system change, at which point it wouldn't accept the original key. It gave me a message stating the game wasn't activated, I don't remember the exact wording, but I believe it was the same message I saw in a forum posting where the problem was the server was busy, so I tried the manual box, but got the same message.

I'm still able to play the game using the second key, and don't plan on installing on any other machines, so I guess as long as I'm more careful in the future there shouldn't be any problem. Should I just unlicense before compiling the kernel, or before any upgrade of system software (glibc, drivers, X and so on), or before any upgrade period?

ok thanks, seems that the licensing issue bugging the mac poeple are also present on Linux. That helps me as it indicates the error is prob game side, plus I can use my native Linux env to find anf fix it

If you do get stuck and need to release a stuck license you can log into your webstore account and request a manual reset. This is an emergancy proceedure and should not be used too often but will unstick your license. Though when that "re-enter serial" dialog came up you should have been able to cancel the dialog, go to game preferences and release the license from there.

fiske · 06-05-2009, 10:41 AM

Before I put the second key in, I moved the old directory where the game was installed so that when I tried reinstalling it wouldn't overwrite it. If I try launching the game from that backed up directory, can I unlicense the game there to get that key back? Or do I need to make sure it uses the same path? Or who knows what will happen, and I should just be glad it works and not question it?

Thanks for your help

pisdpaul · 06-05-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiske

Before I put the second key in, I moved the old directory where the game was installed so that when I tried reinstalling it wouldn't overwrite it. If I try launching the game from that backed up directory, can I unlicense the game there to get that key back? Or do I need to make sure it uses the same path? Or who knows what will happen, and I should just be glad it works and not question it?

Thanks for your help

If you installed to a custom location so that all the files are in one tree then you should be able to run it from the renamed folder. Dont try to uninstall it from there tho as the uninstaller will get very confused and prob delete the worn game.

fiske · 06-05-2009, 12:46 PM

I installed the game by selecting setting the installation prompt (and unchecking use default) to use the directory "~/local_root/ootp10" for installation, I think that is the only change I made to the default settings.

But in theory, I should be able to put the folder back and unregister the license like you said? For example run the following commands:

mv ootp10 ootp10_current_game
mv ootp_back ootp10
<launch the game, unregister using the method you described>
rm -r ootp10
mv ootp10_current_game ootp10

It seems this should work fine, and normally, I would try this first without asking, but since I'm down to one license, figured it'd probably be wise to ask first, then start using rm -r.

pisdpaul · 06-05-2009, 12:54 PM

Yes, I think that will work.... I hope... maybe... I would try it personally but I am not gonna garentee anything....

(its very painful sitting on this fence

)

fiske · 06-05-2009, 01:06 PM

I'll give a try then when I get the chance and let you know the result.

Smart move on the guarantee, I never guarantee anything, no matter how sure I am it will work (a recent conversation about uninstalling grub comes to mind)

If it does go horribly horribly wrong, don't worry I'll just sue you and say that smiley face was a threat that you'd put my head on a fence if I didn't try it.

fiske · 06-05-2009, 03:27 PM

Tried, didn't work, did give me a scare though.

after putting the files back, it prompted me for the key, I tried my first key and it failed to authenticate. I then moved the old folder to the backup again and put the working copy back in, launched it and it claimed to be the demo version and prompted me for my license, I entered my second key and it accepted it, so for future reference, moving installation folders around seems like a very bad idea.

pisdpaul · 06-05-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiske

Smart move on the guarantee, I never guarantee anything, no matter how sure I am it will work (a recent conversation about uninstalling grub comes to mind)

Grub... wow no wonder, did you ever expect to get a definitive answer when doing anything with grub. Don't get me wrong, great app, most distros use it, but its fraught with danger, especially when straying off the beaten path...

fiske · 06-05-2009, 11:09 PM

Was going to say how, there was a time when I found grub to a better option than lilo, but then I realized in that case it wasn't that grub was better, it's that I was too lazy to look online how to do the same thing in lilo, actually turned out even in that case lilo was actually easier once I did look it up. Although it did take me forever to figure out how to use a 2.6 kernel with lilo, before I realized I just had to change /dev/hda# to /dev/sda#

For the license, any way you could use the gpg key in ~/.ssh instead of kernel settings? (although I'm sure if it were you'd already be doing it)

pisdpaul · 06-06-2009, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiske

For the license, any way you could use the gpg key in ~/.ssh instead of kernel settings? (although I'm sure if it were you'd already be doing it)

I don't want to get drawn into talking about what is or is not used for the hardware fingerprint calculation for obvious reasons, but you need to consider what will be available on all systems. SSH may not be installed on many systems.

fiske · 06-06-2009, 08:37 AM

Good point, a few days ago I would of disagreed with you about ssh not being installed, but recently went through quite a bit of frustration trying to use scp on a machine before realizing that it appeared Ubuntu didn't install the ssh server by default. I would still think almost if not all machines would at least have the client, but as I said earlier, I'm certain you know a lot more about this than I.

The reason I thought of ssh (although I have no idea if this is possible) is if you could find a way to make it real easy for some one to pirate the game, but since you'd need to use the same keys as the original owner, with keyless entry your machine is now exposed to any other pirate. Had a feeling it would be something that sounds good in theory, but actual implementation wouldn't be feasible, hey at least grad school is teaching me to do SOME thinking before coding.

Anyway, thank you for all your assistance, and I'm glad I was able to allow you to do your debugging in your native Linux.

pisdpaul · 06-06-2009, 09:09 AM

You also need to consider the legal aspect. Even if people are pirating your game it does not give you the right to expose their computer to illegal access by others. Tho I like your train of thought. Sometimes stopping piracy is not the best way to handle it, but finding a way to "sour the milk" is a good alternative. In the past I have worked for companies trying these kinds of techniques, some of which worked better than others. None have really been all that successful tho...

Good news, I have found and fixed the initial error where the re-licensing dialog failed to work. It needs to under testing but should be in the 1st patch. Thanks for you help.

Tony M · 06-09-2009, 07:41 AM

I've given this a BZ number of 3222 for tracking purposes.

pisdpaul · 06-09-2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony M

I've given this a BZ number of 3222 for tracking purposes.

Good news, I have found and fixed the initial error where the re-licensing dialog failed to work. It needs to under testing but should be in the 1st patch. Thanks for you help.

lstephen666 · 06-11-2009, 08:41 PM

Hi have been having this issue on Linux, but unlicense is also not working for me. This is not fun, as it looks like I am going to have to release the licenses through the PISD site every time.

Is there anything I might be doing wrong to have unlicensing not working?

pisdpaul · 06-12-2009, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lstephen666

Hi have been having this issue on Linux, but unlicense is also not working for me. This is not fun, as it looks like I am going to have to release the licenses through the PISD site every time.

Is there anything I might be doing wrong to have unlicensing not working?

That is very strange, you should be able to release the game from within the game preferences. Make sure you are cancelling the "re-enter serial number" dialog just is case it makes a difference.

06-04-2009, 10:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	BZ 3222: linux license issue I'm running a 64 bit Linux and was able to authorize and run the game without problem, however, I had to recompile my kernel for work. Afterword it prompted me for my license serial number. I assume it wanted my license number, I also tried the reference number. It didn't accept either one (tried both standard and with manual box checked), I'm able to run the game for now, using the second license number from the email, but I'm probably going to need to recompile my kernel again at some point Did I miss a step after recompiling my kernel, or is it because I tried so soon after the initial install? Thanks for your time and any assistance you can provide

06-05-2009, 01:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
Irishray Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 279 Thanked 5x in 4 posts	It is very sensitive, you should always unlicense your game before doing any software updates to your machine. I am careful about this, and I have not had any issues since following these steps. Ray __________________ Ray Linux - Kubuntu 8.10 32-Bit Linux - Gentoo 2.6.33-gentoo-r2 x86_64 Linux - Xubuntu 9.10 64-Bit Linux - Linux Mint 8 KDE 64-Bit Linux - Ubuntu 10.04 LTS 32-Bit and 64-Bit

06-05-2009, 07:51 AM	#3 (permalink)
pisdpaul Developer PISD & OOTP Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 508 Thanked 215x in 29 posts	I am trying to make the serial number less sensitive but everyones system is different. Did it ask you to re-enter the license? if so what happened? Irishray is right, if you are going to recompile release the license first and you will not have any issues. Last edited by pisdpaul; 06-05-2009 at 07:54 AM.

06-09-2009, 07:41 AM	#17 (permalink)
Tony M Global Moderator Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Here Posts: 6,078 Blog Entries: 3 Thanked 299x in 172 posts	I've given this a BZ number of 3222 for tracking purposes. __________________ This signature is intentionally blank

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06-05-2009, 08:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	After starting OOTP it prompted me to re enter the license due to a system change, at which point it wouldn't accept the original key. It gave me a message stating the game wasn't activated, I don't remember the exact wording, but I believe it was the same message I saw in a forum posting where the problem was the server was busy, so I tried the manual box, but got the same message. I'm still able to play the game using the second key, and don't plan on installing on any other machines, so I guess as long as I'm more careful in the future there shouldn't be any problem. Should I just unlicense before compiling the kernel, or before any upgrade of system software (glibc, drivers, X and so on), or before any upgrade period?

06-05-2009, 10:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	Before I put the second key in, I moved the old directory where the game was installed so that when I tried reinstalling it wouldn't overwrite it. If I try launching the game from that backed up directory, can I unlicense the game there to get that key back? Or do I need to make sure it uses the same path? Or who knows what will happen, and I should just be glad it works and not question it? Thanks for your help

06-05-2009, 12:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	I installed the game by selecting setting the installation prompt (and unchecking use default) to use the directory "~/local_root/ootp10" for installation, I think that is the only change I made to the default settings. But in theory, I should be able to put the folder back and unregister the license like you said? For example run the following commands: mv ootp10 ootp10_current_game mv ootp_back ootp10 <launch the game, unregister using the method you described> rm -r ootp10 mv ootp10_current_game ootp10 It seems this should work fine, and normally, I would try this first without asking, but since I'm down to one license, figured it'd probably be wise to ask first, then start using rm -r.

06-05-2009, 12:54 PM	#9 (permalink)
pisdpaul Developer PISD & OOTP Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 508 Thanked 215x in 29 posts	Yes, I think that will work.... I hope... maybe... I would try it personally but I am not gonna garentee anything.... (its very painful sitting on this fence )

06-05-2009, 01:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	I'll give a try then when I get the chance and let you know the result. Smart move on the guarantee, I never guarantee anything, no matter how sure I am it will work (a recent conversation about uninstalling grub comes to mind) If it does go horribly horribly wrong, don't worry I'll just sue you and say that smiley face was a threat that you'd put my head on a fence if I didn't try it.

06-05-2009, 03:27 PM	#11 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	Tried, didn't work, did give me a scare though. after putting the files back, it prompted me for the key, I tried my first key and it failed to authenticate. I then moved the old folder to the backup again and put the working copy back in, launched it and it claimed to be the demo version and prompted me for my license, I entered my second key and it accepted it, so for future reference, moving installation folders around seems like a very bad idea.

06-05-2009, 11:09 PM	#13 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	Was going to say how, there was a time when I found grub to a better option than lilo, but then I realized in that case it wasn't that grub was better, it's that I was too lazy to look online how to do the same thing in lilo, actually turned out even in that case lilo was actually easier once I did look it up. Although it did take me forever to figure out how to use a 2.6 kernel with lilo, before I realized I just had to change /dev/hda# to /dev/sda# For the license, any way you could use the gpg key in ~/.ssh instead of kernel settings? (although I'm sure if it were you'd already be doing it)

06-06-2009, 08:37 AM	#15 (permalink)
fiske Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 9	Good point, a few days ago I would of disagreed with you about ssh not being installed, but recently went through quite a bit of frustration trying to use scp on a machine before realizing that it appeared Ubuntu didn't install the ssh server by default. I would still think almost if not all machines would at least have the client, but as I said earlier, I'm certain you know a lot more about this than I. The reason I thought of ssh (although I have no idea if this is possible) is if you could find a way to make it real easy for some one to pirate the game, but since you'd need to use the same keys as the original owner, with keyless entry your machine is now exposed to any other pirate. Had a feeling it would be something that sounds good in theory, but actual implementation wouldn't be feasible, hey at least grad school is teaching me to do SOME thinking before coding. Anyway, thank you for all your assistance, and I'm glad I was able to allow you to do your debugging in your native Linux.

06-06-2009, 09:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
pisdpaul Developer PISD & OOTP Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 508 Thanked 215x in 29 posts	You also need to consider the legal aspect. Even if people are pirating your game it does not give you the right to expose their computer to illegal access by others. Tho I like your train of thought. Sometimes stopping piracy is not the best way to handle it, but finding a way to "sour the milk" is a good alternative. In the past I have worked for companies trying these kinds of techniques, some of which worked better than others. None have really been all that successful tho... Good news, I have found and fixed the initial error where the re-licensing dialog failed to work. It needs to under testing but should be in the 1st patch. Thanks for you help.

06-11-2009, 08:41 PM	#19 (permalink)
lstephen666 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 118	Hi have been having this issue on Linux, but unlicense is also not working for me. This is not fun, as it looks like I am going to have to release the licenses through the PISD site every time. Is there anything I might be doing wrong to have unlicensing not working?