imtlic Namespace Reference

Core licensing domain model providing feature-based product licensing and instance management. More...

Classes
class	CFeatureInfoProviderComp
class	CFeatureMetaInfoCreatorComp
class	CHardwareInstanceInfo
class	CLicenseBasedRightsProviderComp
class	CLicenseControllerComp
class	CLicenseDefinition
class	CLicensedHardwareInstanceInfo
class	CLicenseInfoManager
class	CLicenseInfoProviderComp
class	CLicenseInstance
class	CLicenseKeyProvider
class	CLicenseMetaInfoCreatorComp
class	CProductCollection
class	CProductInstanceInfo
class	CProductInstanceInfoComp
class	CProductInstanceMetaInfoCreatorComp
class	CProductLicensingInfo
class	CProductLicensingInfoComp
class	CProductLicensingInfoMetaInfoCreatorComp
class	CProductMetaInfoCreatorComp
class	IEncyptedLicenseKeyProvider
class	IFeatureDependenciesManager
class	IFeatureDependenciesProvider
interface	IFeatureInfo
	Interface for accessing information about a feature within a product. More...
class	IFeatureInfoProvider
class	IHardwareInstanceInfo
class	IKeyRing
class	ILicenseController
interface	ILicenseDefinition
	Interface for license definition information. More...
class	ILicenseDependenciesManager
class	ILicenseDependenciesProvider
class	ILicensedHardwareInstanceInfo
class	ILicenseInfoProvider
class	ILicenseInstance
class	ILicenseInstanceProvider
class	ILicenseStatus
class	IPartProductionInfo
interface	IProductInfo
	Interface for accessing information about a product (software or hardware). More...
class	IProductInstanceInfo
class	IProductInstanceInfoProvider
class	IProductLicensingInfo
class	IProductLicensingInfoProvider

Detailed Description

Core licensing domain model providing feature-based product licensing and instance management.

Overview

The imtlic module implements a comprehensive, feature-based licensing system for software and hardware products. It provides a clean separation between product definitions and deployed instances, enabling flexible licensing models with temporal control, hardware binding, and dependency management.

Architecture

The module uses a three-level abstraction hierarchy:

Level 1: Definitions** (What can be sold)

• Products: Container of all available features
• Features: Atomic units of functionality

• License Definitions: Specification of which features a license unlocks

  Level 2: Instances** (What was sold and deployed)

• Product Instances: Deployed product at customer site

• License Instances: Activated licenses with expiration dates

  Level 3: Management** (How it's controlled)

• Controllers: Import, validation, and management
• Providers: Data access and dependency resolution
• Meta-info Creators: Metadata generation

Conceptual Model

Products

A Product (IProductInfo, CProductInfo) represents a software or hardware offering.

Key Characteristics:**

• Unique product ID and human-readable name/description
• Category classification for organization
• Container of Features (all capabilities the product offers)
• Part of potential product families

• Template for creating Product Instances

  Design Pattern:** Container pattern - Products contain Features

Features

A Feature (IFeatureInfo, CFeatureInfo) represents an individual capability or functionality.

Key Characteristics:**

• Atomic unit of product functionality
• Unique feature ID and name
• Optional vs. Mandatory classification
• Permission flag for access control features
• Hierarchical organization (parent-child relationships)

• Dependency management (feature A requires feature B)

  Feature Types:**

• Optional Features: Functionality that can be sold separately, not required for core operation
• Mandatory Features: Core functionality included in all licenses

• Permission Features: Access control rights (NOT sellable features, but operational permissions)

  Design Pattern:** Composite pattern - Features can form hierarchies

License Definitions

A License Definition (ILicenseDefinition, CLicenseDefinition) specifies a license type available for purchase.

Key Characteristics:**

• Container of Features that this license unlocks
• Unique license ID and name
• Belongs to a specific Product
• Can have dependencies on other licenses

• Template for creating License Instances

  Conceptual Model:**

  Product = Container of Features
  License Definition = Container of Features (subset of Product features)
  Therefore: Product = Container of License Definitions

  Design Pattern:** Container pattern - License Definitions contain Features

Product Instances

A Product Instance (IProductInstanceInfo, CProductInstanceInfo) represents a deployed product installation.

Key Characteristics:**

• References parent Product (N:1 relationship)
• Unique instance ID (hardware ID, MAC address, etc.)
• Customer/account association
• Serial number and project assignment
• Container of activated License Instances

• Hardware binding support

  Lifecycle:** Created when product is sold/installed, persists throughout deployment

  Design Pattern:** Definition-Instance pattern separating static definitions from runtime instances

License Instances

A License Instance (ILicenseInstance, CLicenseInstance) represents an activated license.

Key Characteristics:**

• Based on License Definition (extends it)
• Expiration date with goodwill period
• Cryptographic license keys
• Validation status (Active, Expired, Grace Period)

• Instance-specific activation data

  Temporal Control:**

• Expiration Date: Primary validity period
• Goodwill Period: Grace period after expiration

• Unlimited Licenses: Special case with no expiration

  Design Pattern:** Decorator pattern - extends License Definition with temporal data

Hardware Instances

Hardware binding support through hardware instance abstractions.

IHardwareInstanceInfo / CHardwareInstanceInfo:**

• Physical hardware identification (MAC, serial numbers)
• Production tracking information

• Part manufacturing data

  ILicensedHardwareInstanceInfo / CLicensedHardwareInstanceInfo:**

• Links software licensing to physical hardware
• Prevents license transfer between hardware units
• Hardware-locked licensing support

Product Licensing Info

Product Licensing Info (IProductLicensingInfo, CProductLicensingInfo) provides the complete licensing catalog.

Key Characteristics:**

• All available licenses for a product
• Complete feature catalog
• License dependencies and relationships

• Feature dependencies and hierarchies

  Purpose:** Single access point for all licensing information about a product

Design Patterns Used

Definition-Instance Pattern

Separates static definitions from runtime instances:

• Product → Product Instance (1:N)
• License Definition → License Instance (1:N)
• One definition can spawn many instances
• Centralized definition management
• Instance-specific customization

Container Pattern

Products and License Definitions are containers:

• Product contains Features
• License Definition contains Features (subset)
• Hierarchical feature organization
• Dependency management between contained items

Provider Pattern

Data access through provider interfaces:

• IFeatureInfoProvider - Feature catalog access
• ILicenseInfoProvider - License definition access
• ILicenseInstanceProvider - Activated license access
• IProductInstanceInfoProvider - Product instance access
• Decouples consumers from data sources
• Enables dependency injection

Component Pattern (ACF)

All major classes are ACF components:

• Factory-based instantiation
• Interface-based programming
• Configuration-driven composition
• Dependency injection support

Typical Workflows

Product Definition Workflow

1. Create Features (atomic capabilities)
2. Organize Features in hierarchies (if needed)
3. Define Feature dependencies
4. Create Product containing all Features
5. Create License Definitions specifying Feature subsets
6. Define License dependencies
7. Create Product Licensing Info (complete catalog)

Product Deployment Workflow

1. Customer purchases Product with selected licenses
2. Create Product Instance with customer info
3. Generate hardware binding data (if needed)
4. Activate License Instances on Product Instance
5. Generate license files with cryptographic keys
6. Deploy license files to customer site
7. System validates licenses and enables features

License Validation Workflow

1. Application starts, loads license files
2. CLicenseControllerComp imports license files
3. Cryptographic validation of license keys
4. Check expiration dates and goodwill periods
5. Build list of unlocked Features
6. CLicenseBasedRightsProviderComp provides access control
7. Application enables/disables features accordingly

Feature Availability Check

1. Application needs to use a Feature
2. Query CLicenseBasedRightsProviderComp (implements IRightsProvider)
3. Check if feature is unlocked by active licenses
4. Check feature dependencies (if feature A needs feature B)
5. Enable/disable functionality based on result

Key Components

Controllers

• CLicenseControllerComp: Client-side license file import, validation, and status checking
• CProductControllerComp: Product data persistence and management

Providers

• CFeatureInfoProviderComp: Access to feature catalog
• CLicenseInfoProviderComp: Access to license definitions
• CLicenseBasedRightsProviderComp: Feature-based access control

Core Implementations

• CProductInfoComp: Product information implementation
• CProductInstanceInfoComp: Product instance implementation
• CProductLicensingInfoComp: Complete licensing catalog

Meta-Information Creators

• CFeatureMetaInfoCreatorComp: Feature metadata
• CLicenseMetaInfoCreatorComp: License metadata
• CProductMetaInfoCreatorComp: Product metadata
• CProductInstanceMetaInfoCreatorComp: Product instance metadata
• CProductLicensingInfoMetaInfoCreatorComp: Licensing catalog metadata

Key Interfaces

All interfaces follow ACF conventions with virtual inheritance and smart pointers.

Domain Model Interfaces:**

• IProductInfo, IFeatureInfo, ILicenseDefinition
• IProductInstanceInfo, ILicenseInstance

• IProductLicensingInfo

  Provider Interfaces:**

• IFeatureInfoProvider, ILicenseInfoProvider
• ILicenseInstanceProvider, IProductInstanceInfoProvider

• IProductLicensingInfoProvider

  Dependency Management Interfaces:**

• IFeatureDependenciesManager, IFeatureDependenciesProvider

• ILicenseDependenciesManager, ILicenseDependenciesProvider

  Control Interfaces:**

• ILicenseController, ILicenseStatus

  Hardware Interfaces:**

• IHardwareInstanceInfo, ILicensedHardwareInstanceInfo

  Security Interfaces:**

• IKeyRing, IEncyptedLicenseKeyProvider, IPartProductionInfo

Integration Points

With imtlicgql Module:**

• Provides GraphQL API layer over imtlic domain model
• Collection controllers for CRUD operations

• Metadata delegates for JSON serialization

  With imtlicdb Module:**

• Database persistence layer
• SQL/JSON storage in PostgreSQL

• Query and filtering capabilities

  With Client Applications:**

• License file import and validation
• Feature availability queries
• Access control enforcement

Additional Documentation

• CONCEPTUAL_MODEL.md: Detailed English conceptual overview
• CONCEPTUAL_MODEL_RU.md: Russian translation
• DOKUMENTATION_ZUSAMMENFASSUNG.md: German documentation summary
• LICENSING_ARCHITECTURE.md: Complete three-module architecture

See also

imtlicgql For GraphQL API layer

imtlicdb For database persistence layer