Prevent programs from knowing they are not running on the Console

[JN]

We have a program that uses the FlexLM key locks to prevent more than one
person running the program. Even when you try to fire up a second instance
of the program you are denied a license. Since only one instance on the
computer can run at a time we have had this installed on the Terminal Server
and not violated the license agreement because even when 10 people are using
the TS for whatever, only one can use the program using the FlexLM key lock.

I baggered out of a developer that they put in the restriction on the
program (no details on how) but Sales and Management of the software company
deny it is there because they know we and other customers will go nuts on
them for doing it. Also, there is nothing in the license agreement stating
any TS restrictions.

Since sales and management deny the fact that there is this restriction in
there and there is nothing in the license agreement about TS restrictions I
have no problem asking here .... How do you prevent a program from knowing
it is running in a TS session other than using "/console"?

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

Re: Prevent programs from knowing they are not running on the Console

The standard method is calling GetSystemMetrics().

The following function returns TRUE if the application is running
in a remote session and FALSE if the application is running on the
console.

BOOL IsRemoteSession(void){
return GetSystemMetrics( SM_REMOTESESSION );
}

Not much you can do there, I believe.
I would yell at the vendor.
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
*----------- Please reply in newsgroup -------------*

"JN" <me@here.com> wrote on 30 okt 2008:

> We have a program that uses the FlexLM key locks to prevent more
> than one person running the program. Even when you try to fire
> up a second instance of the program you are denied a license.
> Since only one instance on the computer can run at a time we
> have had this installed on the Terminal Server and not violated
> the license agreement because even when 10 people are using the
> TS for whatever, only one can use the program using the FlexLM
> key lock.
>
> I baggered out of a developer that they put in the restriction
> on the program (no details on how) but Sales and Management of
> the software company deny it is there because they know we and
> other customers will go nuts on them for doing it. Also, there
> is nothing in the license agreement stating any TS restrictions.
>
> Since sales and management deny the fact that there is this
> restriction in there and there is nothing in the license
> agreement about TS restrictions I have no problem asking here
> .... How do you prevent a program from knowing it is running in
> a TS session other than using "/console"?

 

[jolteroli]

Re: Prevent programs from knowing they are not running on the Console

There are two source where you can obtain reliable information if a session
is running in a terminal server session:

1.) GetSystemMetrics(0x1000) will compare KUSER_SHARED_DATA.ActiveConsoleId
against PEB.SessionId. If they differ, 1 is returned else 0.

2.) GetVersionInfo(Ex) and VerifyVersionInfo(Ex) can be used to test for the
VER_SUITE_SINGLEUSERTS and VER_SUITE_TERMINAL bits set in the wSuiteMask
member of the OSVERSIONINFO(EX) struct. In fact the information also comes
from KUSER_SHARED_DATA

Problem: The KUSER_SHARED_DATA is plain readonly memory. Any write to that
page would result in a page fault. Hence, it is not possible to inject a
helper-dll into the process of your program and alter any data the
KUSER_SHARED_DATA page before the program starts running.

Altering the PEB.SessionId that is equals to
KUSER_SHARED_DATA.ActiveConsoleId and GetSystemMetrics will return 0, might
have ugly side effects, because the session manager relies on
PEB.SessionId...

And patching your program after calling either GetSystemMetrics,
GetVersionInfoEx or VerifyVersionInfoEx and make it think what you want is
not allowed (wild guess

That's the theory and as Vera already said: "Not much you can do there, I
believe..."

-jolt

"JN" <me@here.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:uXqXvYpOJHA.144@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> We have a program that uses the FlexLM key locks to prevent more than one
> person running the program. Even when you try to fire up a second
> instance of the program you are denied a license. Since only one instance
> on the computer can run at a time we have had this installed on the
> Terminal Server and not violated the license agreement because even when
> 10 people are using the TS for whatever, only one can use the program
> using the FlexLM key lock.
>
> I baggered out of a developer that they put in the restriction on the
> program (no details on how) but Sales and Management of the software
> company deny it is there because they know we and other customers will go
> nuts on them for doing it. Also, there is nothing in the license
> agreement stating any TS restrictions.
>
> Since sales and management deny the fact that there is this restriction in
> there and there is nothing in the license agreement about TS restrictions
> I have no problem asking here .... How do you prevent a program from
> knowing it is running in a TS session other than using "/console"?
>
>
>
>

 

[JN]

Re: Prevent programs from knowing they are not running on the Console

Thanks all....

"Vera Noest [MVP]" <Vera.Noest@remove-this.hem.utfors.se> wrote in message
news:Xns9B479FFD08DB3veranoesthemutforsse@207.46.248.16...
> The standard method is calling GetSystemMetrics().
>
> The following function returns TRUE if the application is running
> in a remote session and FALSE if the application is running on the
> console.
>
> BOOL IsRemoteSession(void){
> return GetSystemMetrics( SM_REMOTESESSION );
> }
>
> Not much you can do there, I believe.
> I would yell at the vendor.
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> *----------- Please reply in newsgroup -------------*
>
> "JN" <me@here.com> wrote on 30 okt 2008:
>
>> We have a program that uses the FlexLM key locks to prevent more
>> than one person running the program. Even when you try to fire
>> up a second instance of the program you are denied a license.
>> Since only one instance on the computer can run at a time we
>> have had this installed on the Terminal Server and not violated
>> the license agreement because even when 10 people are using the
>> TS for whatever, only one can use the program using the FlexLM
>> key lock.
>>
>> I baggered out of a developer that they put in the restriction
>> on the program (no details on how) but Sales and Management of
>> the software company deny it is there because they know we and
>> other customers will go nuts on them for doing it. Also, there
>> is nothing in the license agreement stating any TS restrictions.
>>
>> Since sales and management deny the fact that there is this
>> restriction in there and there is nothing in the license
>> agreement about TS restrictions I have no problem asking here
>> .... How do you prevent a program from knowing it is running in
>> a TS session other than using "/console"?
>