License embedded into NK.bin
Jimmy Townsend
My boss seems to think that once we sign all the licensing agreements, our
microsoft distributor is going to give us a kind of license, key, etc that is
I will then add into project and generate new nk.bin's that are now
officially licensed. I have looked online and on this forum for quite a bit
to find out about this process to no avail. From what I can tell it looks
like the only thing we will get is a Certificate of Authenticity (sticker) is
packaged with the final device. Is there anything that will be entered in to
the OS image itself?
Thanks!
Paul G. Tobey [ eMVP ]
generally a piece of paper that has a license key on it and says how many
individual licenses it represents. What I've done in the past is make
stickers that I associate with a cost in inventory, one per license that I
purchase, and put those into stock. When I go to ship a device, one of the
stickers is connected to the assembly, etc. You actually don't have to stamp
nk.bin at all. You might want to use the license code for the first license
buy you make, I guess, but there's nothing in any of the agreements that I
ever signed that required that.
Paul T.
Paolo Patierno
5.0 and buy the licenses for it. Every licenses pack has 100 licenses and one
product key related to it.
When our engineering team create a Windows CE run time image (NK.bin), they
sign the image with “License Run-Time Image” tool (in Platform Builder) using
the product key for a 100 licenses pack. When the current pack finished they
sign the same image with the new product key (related to the new pack).
My first question is the following : is it necessary to sign the image with
the product key ? Or is necessary to put the Certificate of authenticity to
the machine only ?
Another problem is when we solve a bug in the image and we want supply the
new image to the customers that already have our machine (uploading the new
file .bin on our web site). We have to sign the new image for the numbers of
all the product keys of the all licenses selled ? For example, If I have
bought 100 packs licenses and I have 100 product key (1 for every pack), I
have to sign the update image 100 times ??!!!
What is the right way to manage this situation ?
--
Paolo Patierno
Embedded Software Engineer
Bruce Eitman [eMVP]
The right way to manage this situation is to contact your corporate Lawyer
and ask for an interpretation of the documents that you have signed.
--
Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
Senior Engineer
Bruce.Eitman AT Eurotech DOT com
My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman
Eurotech Inc.
www.Eurotech.com
"Paolo Patierno" <PaoloP...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:22E8AF30-CC82-4C5B...@microsoft.com...
Paolo Patierno
vague and it isn't precise on this situation. I think that it would be more
precise and it wouldn't be leave at the free interpretation...
--
Paolo Patierno
Embedded Software Engineer
![AndrewScholan[MCTS]'s profile photo](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a-/ALV-UjWsMat2AEfOgCBsswaBUInPSGbWXLNCIcF5F8Vli7FWjTppHA=s40-c)
AndrewScholan[MCTS]
>
> - Show quoted text -
Firstly, I'm not a lawyer, nor do I work for Microsoft! But here's how
I understand it...
For you to ship an OS image you must first sign a CLA agreement with
Microsoft. This is a very general contract and covers general
arrangements between Microsoft and your Company about the fact that
you are going to use a Windows Embedded product (eg. Windows CE).
The CLA also allows you to purchase COA labels from a distributor.
These COA labels must be affixed in some way to your product. When you
receive COA labels they are in a sealed envelope. Inside the envelope
are the COA labels and a flyer which contains a PID key (Product Key).
On the outside of the envelope is an additional document that is
refered to as Additional Terms and by opening the envelope your
Company has then accepted these additional terms. As you have already
signed a CLA with MS then your company has access to the Mobile &
Embedded Communications Extranet (ECE). The additional terms can be
found on this Website. These additional terms are far more specific
about how you are allowed to use Windows CE in your product.
However, to answer the OP's question...The current CLA on page 6 says
that you must enter a product key into your NK.BIN image (see "Product
Keys"). My understanding is that you can simply use one product key to
stamp your image and continue replicating that image and using COAs
from multiple envelopes, ignoring the additional PID flyers that
subsequently arrive. I don't think that there are any technical
implications if you don't stamp an image with a PID, but the legal
requirement appears to be quite clear to me.
Interestingly, Paulo's example of field upgrading a product is also
covered in the Additional Terms document and this appears to prohibit
such practise without executing a "Microsoft OEM Customer License
Agreement for Field Upgrades" and appropriately paying MS for each
field upgrade.
BUT... As Bruce points out, this is for your Company lawyers to sort
out. They should contact the distributer through which you signed the
CLA and they should be able to give you the definitive answer.
For those with access to ECE, CLA and Additional Terms for Windows CE
are here:
Regards,
Andrew.
Paul G. Tobey [ eMVP ]
obviously. The field upgrade license I have seen. You have to read it
carefully, as it may only affect upgrades from CE5, say, to CE6, not just
minor updates from CE5 January QFEs to CE5 February QFEs, for example. The
original CE license was much more-specific about field updates. It said
something to the effect that updates could only be applied at a licensee
facility by licensee personnel (so the field user could send the device in
for update, but you couldn't send him nk.bin). I believe that this phrasing
has all been removed, now, but as everyone has said, you need to check with
your lawyer for anything.
Paul T.
"AndrewScholan[MCTS]" wrote:
> .
>
Jimmy Townsend
stamp your image and continue replicating that image and using COAs
from multiple envelopes, ignoring the additional PID flyers that
subsequently arrive."
Can you point me to a place where this process is documented?
Or is this just the platform builder ID that I enter in when I install the
tools?
"AndrewScholan[MCTS]" wrote:
> .
>
Bruce Eitman [eMVP]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee478909.aspx
--
Bruce Eitman (eMVP)
Senior Engineer
Bruce.Eitman AT Eurotech DOT com
My BLOG http://geekswithblogs.net/bruceeitman
Eurotech Inc.
www.Eurotech.com
"Jimmy Townsend" <JimmyT...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:13615855-AB33-4659...@microsoft.com...
AndrewScholan[MCTS]
>
> >https://ece.partners.extranet.microsoft.com/ece/Embedded/Doing+Busine...
>
> > Regards,
> > Andrew.
> > .- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
"My understanding..." is based on verbal conversations that I have had
with our distributor in the UK. Bruce's post shows you how to stamp
the image in Platform builder. There is also this information on the
web (provided by Silica)... http://msembedded.biz/index.php?id=817&L=2
Andrew.
Paolo Patierno
stamp all my images...
Another question : if I don't stamp an image, is there a 180 days time bomb
on it ?
After 180 days, the OS doesn't start ??!!
Thanks,
Paolo
--
Paolo Patierno
Embedded Software Engineer
"AndrewScholan[MCTS]" wrote:
> .
>
AndrewScholan[MCTS]
I'm not aware that there is a 180 day time-bomb in the NK.BIN. I'm not
sure how it could possibly work because in most of the images that I
have built we don't have a battery backed real time clock so how could
it know the date that it was being booted???
Maybe other contributors know the definitive answer to this?
Andrew.
Valter Minute [eMVP]
On 4/12/2010 8:56 AM, Paolo Patierno wrote:
> Reading Silica link, I have understood that I can use always the same PID to
> stamp all my images...
> Another question : if I don't stamp an image, is there a 180 days time bomb
> on it ?
> After 180 days, the OS doesn't start ??!!
No.
The timebomb on CE is on the tools (romimage tool), not on the OS image
like in XP Embedded/Windows Embedded Standard.
--
Valter Minute (eMVP)
Training, support and development for Windows CE:
www.fortechembeddedlabs.it
My embedded programming and cooking blog:
www.geekswithblogs.net/WindowsEmbeddedCookbook
Windows Embedded support forums in Italian:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/it-IT/windowsembeddedit/threads
(the reply address of this message is invalid)