Using pre-purchased keys (PPK)
Since QueueMetrics 1.7, pre-purchased license keys can be used instead of normal license keys. This is of interest for resellers and installers who want to pre-purchase a set of "blank" activation keys and then convert them into regular activation keys immediately, as and when required.
The advantages of this model are that:
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You can generate a key as soon as your clients ask for it (no delays due to bank payments, different time zones, etc.)
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If your business model is hosting remote call-centers with QueueMetrics instances, you can purchase QM licenses that last as long as your client has paid you for; if they pay you monthly, you do not have to commit to a four-year license in advance. Also, when each key expires, you can install a different one - you invoice your client for actual usage.
Terminology used
A pre-purchased key (PPK) is an activation key that you purchase from Loway and specifies an activation period for a given license of QueueMetrics - for example, a PPK that looks like this:
XQI-LOWAY-74KKMREX6TOH1:QM-50/1/90
Will eventually convert into a 90-day QueueMetrics key for 50-agents and 1 Asterisk server. You can purchase PPK for most common time lengths (one month, three months, one year, four years).
A license key is the actual key that has to be installed in QueueMetrics in order to activate it. It can be installed manually within the 'web.xml' file or can be installed over QM itself on the License page. It looks like the following example:
5231317C-5232476E-..... ...-307C
It is important to note that it must written all on one line.
Converting a PPK into a License key
In order to convert a PPK into a License key, you call a web service on a key server that you will be given when you purchase it.
For the license to be converted from a blank PPK to a full license, you need to pass a few parameters:
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The end-user name will be used to create the key name that appears on the License page of the QM instance. It should match the end-user firm name.
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The email address that you specify in the web service will receive a note containing all the information of the newly created license; this is for your reference only.
In order to activate the PPK, you issue an HTTP GET call to the activation URL you will be given, as in the example below (note: it has to be written all on the same line):
wget -O- "http://my.server/llm/licence_wsvc_gen.do? K_enduser=ABC& K_email=me@gmail.com& K_id=XQI-LOWAY-74KKMREX6TOH1:QM-50/1/90"
The output will look like the following:
S:OK D:2011-08-26 15:51:58 K:5231317C-5232476E-..... I:2011-08-25 18:46:56 X:2011-09-24 M:R
A successful call will start with the S:OK status preamble; any other status is invalid. The D parameter shows the current time on the activation server. The K parameter holds the key itself; the key can be 50-200 characters long. The I parameter shows the Issue date; subsequent calls made with the same activation key will always return the same key, with a different D parameter. The X parameter shows the expiration date for this license; note that QM may stop working at any time after the expiration date is through. The M parameter should be ignored.
In case there is an error, the output will look like:
S:KO - Key not found U:1234 D:2011-08-26 15:53:31 K:n/a I: X: M:ERR
And will start with S:KO.
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Automatic key installation
Although the key can be manually generated by issuing the 'wget' command, the process was built so that it can easily be automated via a script or a client-management program. We suggest installing the newly-generated key on the destination instance by calling the method QM.setActivationKey on the QM instance and passing the new key. This way the whole provisioning process can be easily automated. For more information, see QueueMetrics' XML-RPC manual. |