Software Protection and Licensing

UML Use Case Diagram Example

Sentinel License Development Kit (Sentinel LDK) is a Software Digital Rights Management (DRM) solution by SafeNet Inc. that delivers strong copy protection, protection for Intellectual Property (IP), and secure and flexible licensing. Sentinel LDK separates licensing and production processes (implemented with Sentinel EMS) from the software protection process (implemented with Sentinel Licensing API or Sentinel LDK Envelope).

Sentinel EMS is a web-based graphical application provided as part of Sentinel LDK that is used to perform a range of functions required to manage the licensing, production, distribution, customer support, and maintenance of protected applications. This application is a role-based application designed to manage the business activities required to implement and maintain Sentinel LDK in the organization which needs to protect its software. Sentinel EMS Server maintains a database containing a wide range of information, including data related to product features, licenses, sales, orders, and customers.

Use case diagram below shows some simplified view of software licensing use cases supported by Sentinel EMS Application (shown as «Application» stereotyped subject). The Sentinel EMS handles three major workflows:

Software licensing with Sentinel EMS application UML use case diagram example.

Software licensing with Sentinel EMS application UML use case diagram example.

Product Manager defines Features and Products. Each Product has one or more Features. After Features and Products have been defined in Sentinel EMS, entitlements can be processed and produced using the Production group of functions.

Users assigned the Development role can fulfil one of the following development-related activities:

Entitlement Manager defines and manages customers, and also enters and manages entitlements. An entitlement is the execution of a customer order for Sentinel LDK items, and can be either an order for Products to be supplied with one or more Sentinel protection keys, or a Protection Key Update that specifies changes to be made to the license terms and/or data stored in Sentinel protection keys that have already been deployed.

Customer Services role can manage customers the same way as Entitlement Manager does, and can also manage Product activation.

For entitlements that generate Product Keys, the customer receives an email from Sentinel EMS that contains the keys. The customer is able to log in to the EMS Customer Portal using the Product Key in order to activate the Product.