Product Registration Schemes

tegan

Im new to php and will be learning in an effort to produce a slick product registration scheme for a neat litle shareware program I'm designing.

I need to know some thoughts on doing the following... Imagine you just bought my software on my website....

Customer or retailer initiates sale on e-commence. After credit card is successfully entered a PHP script needs to generate a random code within a given range and then add that number to the SQL database as a Vendor ID. It also needs to check if the Vendor ID is in the database, if it is then modify the range and generate a new code. Once successfully created this code needs to be revealed to the customer.

When the end user installs the program the executes within the program encrypt and combine customers name with bios serial number. It then reveals this scrambled code to the user as a Serial Number. The user is instructed to visit a website with an additional PHP script that will request the Serial Number and Vendor ID. The script then verifies the Vendor ID exists in the SQL database mentioned above; and if so removes that vendor ID from the SQL database and proceeds. If non-existent then and error is produced and registration is halted. The Serial Number supplied is further encrypted to some degree and possibly merged with the Vendor ID and then revealed to the customer as a Product Activation Code. The customer is then instructed to enter this in the registration area of the software.

At this point the Serial Number supplied by the customer is added to a SQL database of all registered products. If the user hardware changes, computer crashes, etc, causing the Serial Number to change and the program to ultimately to refuse the original Product Activate Code the user will have an option on website to enter the Product Activation Code supplied to them in addition to the Vendor ID. This PHP script checks entered data against the database of all previously registered products, and if it exists, then allows them to generate a new Product Activation Code using the above PHP script. Note user will only be allowed to repeat this process once in a given amount of days.

I need a PHP God and a good tutorial now. Looks like im going to be learning a new language in the next few weeks. Any critiques or suggestions.

Norman_Graham

Hi Tegan

You're planning to implement this level of security for a shareware programme? If I had to go through this amount of hassle for a shareware programme, I'd go look for an alternative product. It sounds to me like you're trying to be Microsoft. The difference is that MS exmploys this level of security for a product - Windows - which is already the most successful operating system in the world. You're trying to do the same for a product that you haven't finished programming yet.

I note also that you talk about "a neat little shareware programme". If it really is "little", i.e. it's just a tool for a specific task, then no-one is going to bother with this extensive activation process.

However, I wish you every success nonetheless.

Norm

bpat1434

I'm with Norman on this. It's a great idea, but that much security (in that many layers) for a simple "little" program? Your program better do more than just one neat little task....

Normally for free/share-ware programs, the user just needs to input their information so that there is a record of them being a user/supporter. Software is the one that really needs the security...

Your idea sounds good, but I'd rework the process: either upgrade your shareware so that it becomes full fledged software that you have to pay for, but can try for 30-days; or, simplify your "registration" process.

Either way, best of luck. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I don't know of any tutorials about this subject, but try Google. And if you're lookin for a God of PHP, I think Weedpacket may be close...

~Brett

tegan

Your idea sounds good, but I'd rework the process: either upgrade your shareware so that it becomes full fledged software that you have to pay for, but can try for 30-days; or, simplify your "registration" process.

I made the mistake of saying shareware. It is payware, and trialware.

The program I speak of is not a handy little program it is a very extensive program with a wide variety of features and is being marketed to the 28 million small businesses world wide.

Many years of thought and design have went into it and its going to be a big seller. It could very well be sitting on the shelf right next to microsoft office in best buy.

I have already designed a PHP script to grab the E-commernce Transaction ID from a customers recorded sale. The customer then opens the downloaded program and enters that ID and their name, clicks register and it reveals to them an Product ID based on their computer hardware and their ID and name. They are instructed to goto a website to enter their Transaction ID, Product ID, and Name. The PHP script then checks the database for the Transaction ID they entered and generates an encrypted Activation ID based on the information.

I have the front end already done for this in the program. It seems this is really not that hard at all.

I just started learning PHP and already am making great head way.

bpat1434

Then read up on mySQL (or Postgre, or MSSQL, or whatever database type you use) and learn to do queries in PHP.

Then, depending upon how you're combining the information, either salt one with the other, or use an MD5 hash, or sha256, or whatever encryption method.

Then it's just a matter of letting PHP get the information from form ($_POST) and selecting it from a database (mySQL) and then reporting from a field within the database (mySQL).

It could possibly take you a weekend to get everything layed out to a working model (minus security and speed), but you'd have some stepping stone.

~Brett

tegan

It could possibly take you a weekend to get everything layed out to a working model (minus security and speed), but you'd have some stepping stone.

Exactly what Im now doing...