Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!bionet!ames!decwrl!granite!rwood@dec.com
From: rwood@dec.com (Richard Wood)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec
Subject: Re: CPU ID for Decstation 3100
Message-ID: <819@granite.dec.com>
Date: 3 Feb 90 02:19:56 GMT
References: <4033@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> <21230@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> <86@gilroy.dec.com>
Sender: news@granite.dec.com
Reply-To: rwood@dec.com (Richard Wood)
Distribution: na
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 33

In article <4033@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>, ereiamjh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Tom B
O'toole) writes:

> In article <86@gilroy.dec.com> price@decwrl.dec.com (Chuck Price) writes:

> >In article <21230@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
sparks@etch-eshop.berkeley.edu (Jay Sparks) writes:

> >>Is it possible for me to easily obtain the CPU ID
> >>on my Decstation 3100?  The software salesman plans to
> >>use it to restrict distribution of the program.

> >The normal method on the DECstation is to use the ethernet controller's
> >ethernet address, which is guaranteed to be unique. Note that you must

> 			 ... If the customer has to get the ethernet
> board replaced, or otherwise requires service that causes the hardware
> configuration to change, they are stuck with n pieces of broken software
> from n vendors.

In many (most?) cases, the hardware ethernet address is in a PROM that
is socketed for this very reason.  When a board breaks, take the socket
out and plug it into the replacement - it'll be the same I.D., ergo no
broken software.

Of course, in the unlikely even that it is the PROM that breaks, you're
out of luck.

*UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T in the U.S. and other countries.
-- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard Wood     Corporate Worksystems Team      Digital Equipment Corp.
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[Not an official spokesman yet...]