JP5256247B2 - Software expiration date changing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a software expiration date changing method and apparatus for changing the expiration date of a software installation package.

  In Patent Literature 1 below, an option routine is stored in advance in a nonvolatile memory of an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is shipped, and a user attaches a USB memory key to the image forming apparatus when he / she wants to try this optional routine. Then, a configuration is disclosed that allows the option routine to be used for a predetermined period of time.

JP 2007-257555 A

  The use of this optional routine may be limited for other reasons. For example, there is a case where the version of hardware or firmware of the image forming apparatus is scheduled, and the trial cannot be performed unless the option routine is upgraded accordingly.

  In such a case, it is necessary to set an effective period of the option routine itself separately from the trial period determined by the user. This valid period needs to be adjusted according to the shipping timing of hardware and firmware, and the shipping timing of hardware varies depending on the sales region. For this reason, it is difficult for the software developer to adjust the validity period of the software.

  In order to allow the image forming apparatus dealer to change the validity period, the software developer must pass the source code to the dealer, the dealer must change the validity period on the source code, and recompile the source code. The source code will flow out from the software developer, and there is a risk of secret leakage.

  In addition, there is a method in which the effective period can be changed via a user interface so that the dealer activates the effective period to change the effective period. However, such manual change can be performed for each image forming apparatus. It is cumbersome because it must be done.

  In view of such problems, the object of the present invention is software that can change the expiration date without recompiling the source code, and that does not require manual change of each expiration date after the software is installed. An object of the present invention is to provide an expiration date changing method and apparatus.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a software expiration date changing method in which the computer changes the expiration date of the software installation package to other expiration date information,
(A) Installation provided with a component with a use restriction function including an expiration date information and a use restriction program for stopping or continuing an operation based on the expiration date information and the current time, and installation processing information including version information of each component Disassemble the package into components,
(B) detecting the position of the expiration date information based on the header of the expiration date information;
(C) changing the detected expiration date information to the other expiration date information;
(D) In response to this change, rewrite the version information included in the component with use restriction function and the version information of the component with use restriction function included in the installation processing information,
(E) Combine the components to regenerate the installation package.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the computer detects an identifier of the component with use restriction function in the process (b), and from the identifier to the end-of-file identifier of the component with use restriction function. In the range, the position of the expiration date information is detected.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, the installation package is disassembled, the position of the expiration date information is detected based on the header of the expiration date information, and the information is changed to other corresponding expiration date information, Since the version information included in the component with use restriction function and the version information of the component with use restriction function included in the installation processing information are rewritten and the installation package is reproduced by combining the components, without recompiling the source code The expiration date can be changed, and there is an effect that it is not necessary to manually change each expiration date after installing the software.

  In addition, when the validity period information exists outside the component, there is a high possibility that malicious validity period information replacement is performed. However, according to the configuration of the first aspect, the validity period information is provided with a use restriction function. Since it is included in the component, there is an effect that such replacement is difficult.

  According to the configuration of the second aspect, since the search range of the header of the expiration date information is limited to the component with use restriction function, there is an effect that erroneous detection of the header can be prevented.

  Other objects, characteristic configurations and effects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in connection with the appended claims and the drawings.

It is a functional block diagram of the software effective period change apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the installation package as a process target. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structural example of the component A in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the installation package after a valid period change. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the process which replaces the effective period information of the component A with another by the use restriction change part in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the software effective period change apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the software valid period changing device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  This hardware is a general computer, in which a CPU 11 is coupled to a PROM 13 and a DRAM 14 via an interface 12, a hard disk drive 16, an input device 17 and a display device 18 coupled to the interface 12. It has. In FIG. 6, a plurality of types of interfaces are represented by one block 12 for simplification.

  The PROM 13 is a flash memory, for example, and stores a BIOS. The DRAM 14 is used as a main storage device. The hard disk drive 16 stores a virtual storage OS (operating system), various drivers, applications, and data.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the software validity period changing device 10.

  The hard disk drive 16 stores an installation package 160 having a validity period A as a processing target. The installation package 160 is, for example, in the JAR or MSI format (extension is .jar or .msi), and a plurality of compiled components are compressed and merged into one. On the other hand, the computer main body 15 is provided with a use restriction changing unit 150 that operates in cooperation with software and hardware.

  The operator operates the input device 17 while viewing the display on the display device 18 and inputs the validity period to the computer main body 15. The usage restriction changing unit 150 generates valid period information 151 corresponding to the format of the valid period information included in the installation package 160 according to the valid period input from the input device 17, and installs the install package from the hard disk drive 16. 160 is read out on the DRAM 14, the validity period information is replaced with the validity period information 151, and the JAR or MSI format installation package 161 is reproduced and stored in the hard disk drive 16. The installation package 161 is copied and installed in each image forming apparatus 20.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the installation package 160.

  The installation package 160 includes components 30, 31, and 32 (A, B, and C) for realizing the function, and installation processing information 33 that is used when the installer installs these in the image forming apparatus 20. Yes. For example, each of the components 30, 31 and 32 includes version 1.0 information. Correspondingly, information indicating that the version of the components 30, 31 and 32 is 1.0 is included in the installation processing information 33. include.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration example of the component 30 in FIG.

  In the component 30, the preprocessing unit 301 of the main function unit 300 calls the use restriction unit 302, and in response to this, the use restriction unit 302 obtains the current date and time via the current date and time acquisition unit 303, and from the valid period information 304 The effective period is acquired. If the current date and time is outside the effective period, the execution is stopped, and if not, the process returns to the preprocessing unit 301. The preprocessing unit 301 transfers control to the main body unit 305, thereby starting execution of the original process.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing a process of replacing the valid period information 304 of the component 30 with the valid period information 151 by the use restriction changing unit 150. In the following, the step identification codes in FIG. 5 are shown in parentheses.

  (S0) The installation package 160 is disassembled (decompressed) on the DRAM 14. As a result, the end identifier of each component appears, and the installation package 160 is disassembled into components.

  (S1) A predetermined identifier (header) of component A, for example, “HyPAS_Comp_A” excluding the version identifier in “HyPAS_Comp_A.ver.20100101” is predetermined every time one byte is shifted from the start end to the end of the component 30. It is detected by comparing with the byte, and the range from here to the end of file identifier is determined as the range of component A.

  (S2) Within this range, the valid period information 304 of FIG. 3 is detected by detecting the identifier (header) of the valid period information 304, for example, “Data53269”.

  (S3) The valid period information 304 is arranged at a position away from this header by a predetermined byte, and the valid period information 304 is replaced with the valid period information 151 by overwriting it with the valid period information 151.

  (S4) The version information “ver.20100101” of component A included in “HyPAS_Comp_A.ver.20100101” is rewritten as “ver.20100101r”, for example, and the version information of the component 30 as a whole described at the top of the component 30 (Not shown) is rewritten in the same manner.

  (S5) Corresponding to this rewriting, the corresponding version information in the installation processing information 33 in FIG. 2 is similarly rewritten.

  (S6) The installation package 161 as shown in FIG. 4 is reproduced by performing processing (combination processing) reverse to the above disassembly on the installation package 160 rewritten as described above.

  After disassembling the installation package 161 into components, the installer refers to the installation processing information 33A, and if the version information of the package installed in the image forming apparatus 20 is older than that in the installation processing information 33A, the installer performs processing. Continuing, if the version information of each component included in this package in the image forming apparatus 20 is older than that in the installation processing information 33A, the component is replaced with the corresponding one in the installation package 161. As a result, when the installation package 160 is installed in the image forming apparatus 20, the component 30 is replaced with 30 A, and the valid period information 304 is replaced with the valid period information 151.

  According to the first embodiment, the installation package 160 is disassembled, the position of the expiration date information 304 is detected based on the header of the expiration date information 304 in the component A, and this information is used as another corresponding expiration date information 151. Since the version information included in the component A and the version information of the component A included in the installation processing information 33 are rewritten and the components are combined to reproduce the installation package 161, the source code is not recompiled. The expiration date can be changed, and there is an effect that it is not necessary to manually change each expiration date after installing the software. More specifically, the software developer does not need to provide source code to the dealer, and the dealer can change the validity period information 304 of the installation package 160 as appropriate, and further change the validity period. By copying and distributing, there is an effect that it is not necessary to manually change each expiration date.

  In addition, since the search range of the header of the expiration date information 304 is limited to the component A, there is an effect that erroneous detection of the header can be prevented.

  Further, when the validity period information 304 exists outside the component, there is a high possibility that the malicious validity period information 304 is replaced. In the first embodiment, the validity period information 304 is included in the component 30. Such replacement is difficult.

  In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention includes various other modifications, and those using other configurations for realizing the functions of the above-described components can be used by those skilled in the art. Other configurations that would come from these configurations or functions, if any, are also included in the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the valid period of the software is changed has been described. However, the present invention only needs to change at least the valid period.

  The installation package is not limited to the image forming apparatus, but may be other software, for example, a plug-in of SDK (software development kit).

10 Software valid period change device 11 CPU
12 Interface 13 PROM
14 DRAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Computer main body 16 Hard disk drive 17 Input device 18 Display apparatus 20 Image forming apparatus 150 Use restriction change part 151,304 Valid period information 160,161 Installation package 30-32, 30A Component 33, 33A Installation process information 300 Main function part 301 Previous Processing unit 302 Usage restriction unit 303 Current date and time acquisition unit 305 Main unit

Claims (6)

A software expiration date changing method in which the computer changes the expiration date of the software installation package to other expiration date information,
(A) Installation provided with a component with a use restriction function including an expiration date information and a use restriction program for stopping or continuing an operation based on the expiration date information and the current time, and installation processing information including version information of each component Disassemble the package into components,
(B) detecting the position of the expiration date information based on the header of the expiration date information;
(C) changing the detected expiration date information to the other expiration date information;
(D) In response to this change, rewrite the version information included in the component with use restriction function and the version information of the component with use restriction function included in the installation processing information,
(E) Combine the components and replay the installation package.
A software expiration date changing method characterized by the above.   In the process (b), the computer detects the identifier of the component with use restriction function, and detects the position of the expiration date information in a range from the identifier to the file end identifier of the component with use restriction function. The software expiration date changing method according to claim 1.   3. The software expiration date changing method according to claim 1, wherein the computer rewrites the version information by adding an expiration date identifier to the version identifier before rewriting in the process (d). A software expiration date changing device that changes the expiration date of a software installation package to other expiration date information,
An installation package comprising: a component with a use restriction function including an expiration date information and a use restriction program for stopping or continuing an operation based on the expiration date information and the current time; and an installation process information including version information of each component, Installation package disassembly means for disassembling each component;
Expiration date information position detecting means for detecting the position of the expiration date information based on the header of the expiration date information;
Expiration date information changing means for changing the detected expiration date information to the other expiration date information;
Corresponding to this change, version information rewriting means for rewriting the version information included in the component with use restriction function and the version information of the component with use restriction function included in the installation processing information;
An installation package reproduction means for reproducing the installation package by combining the components;
A software expiration date changing device characterized by comprising:   The expiration date information position detecting means detects an identifier of the component with use restriction function and detects the position of the expiration date information in a range from the identifier to a file end identifier of the component with use restriction function. The software expiration date changing device according to claim 4, wherein:   6. The software expiration date changing device according to claim 4, wherein the version information rewriting means rewrites the version information by adding an expiration date identifier to the version identifier before rewriting.

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