CPUID's/Serial Numbers - What They Are & How To Find Them

The terms CPUID and Serial Number are generally taken to mean the same thing !

This subject isn't really complicated at all,  these pages are aimed at giving you a look-up type "Q&A" feature ...... you can scroll through the whole lot, or just jump to the section which most interests you;

CPUID's - A Structured Walkthru
XPFC, in common with the majority of MVS/JES2 host system software packages, is license protected to only operate on authorized host processor systems.

XPFC achieves this by checking the identity of the host processor complex, and an expiry date, at runtime against an encoded key in the **CONTROL section of the Configurator File whereupon it will either execute in the normal manner, or disable itself.

This checking is performed when XPFC is to intervene on a print job AND for ONLINE XPFC when the InFlight Reloader commands $DXPFC and $TXPFC,M=CONFIGxx are to be processed. The command $TXPFC,REVERT performs NO license checking.

This section, and the following ones, details CPUID's, their formats, how XPFC uses CPUID's, and the approach employed by XPFC in handling the authorization control process, and the expiration warning messages.

Along the way we will recap on how the CPUID string is composed, and how you obtain this so that a suitable XPFC license key can be supplied.

EVERY IBM or Plug Compatible Mainframe processor (such as Hitachi, or Amdahl, etc ....) has a fixed format unique CPUID assigned to it during manufacture.

This is true from the early processors (3081's, 3083's, etc ..) right through to the 3090 family and ES/9000 series, including all the latest CMOS processors from IBM and future models from PCM suppliers.

The CPUID can be easily obtained by entering the MVS command;

D M=CPU

at a console attached to the MVS system where XPFC is to run. The system will reply with the following display;

The "+" , "-" and "." codes under the CPU heading are explained on the last line.

The CPUID information is displayed under the SERIAL heading.

It is very common for a processor complex to have several physical CPU’s.

If more than one physical processor is available for the logical partition, there will be a line for each CPU.

Note that the rightmost 8 digits of the serial number are identical for each entry ....... so it is only necessary to quote the information displayed on the first line.

Character positions 3-6 are VITAL for XPFC licensing purposes.

Here is how this 10 character string is composed;

	The first character identifies the physical CPU number if operating in Basic mode ..... or the the logical CPU number if operating in LPAR mode
	If operating in LPAR mode, the second character will identify the logical partition number   Note ...... XPFC license keys are not concerned with either of these first two components because they indicate HOW the system is configured/used, rather than the identity of the physical host processor complex itself ...... a single license key will enable XPFC on ALL logical partitions on the same host processor complex
	The next 4 characters (positions 3-6) are unique for a given machine and will be the same for ALL the CPU's in a processor complex ....... this is the field that is sometimes referred to as the CPUID ....... or Serial Number ....... this is the field that XPFC checks as being the authorized processor
	The last 4 characters (if present) typically reflect the processor model number (such as 3090 or 9021 for IBM, or perhaps 5890 or 5995 for Amdahl)

So .............. just to recap, a schematic;

XPFC License Validation
The **CONTROL section of the Configurator File is where one or more license keys must be defined.

Online and Offline XPFC license keys are different, but can happily co-exist in the same single **CONTROL Configurator File section.

Where XPFC has been licensed for use on multiple (separate) processor systems, then it is perfectly legal and proper to have ALL the various **CONTROL keys defined in this single Configurator File section.

At runtime, XPFC will establish the identity of the processor complex where it is running, the mode (online or offline), and then search the **CONTROL section for an unexpired license key that will authorize XPFC to operate.

If a suitable key is located, then XPFC runs as normal. If no suitable key is located, then XPFC will disable itself.

If a valid license key is located, but the expiry date has less than 30 days before termination, then XPFC will enable itself, but will also issue suitable warning messages on the MVS console.

Additionally, XPFC will check for unreasonably long use of any special "evaluation" license keys that have been supplied for user site trials of the software, and may decide that this feature is being abused, and disable itself accordingly.

Example XPFC License Key
The XPFC license key has been designed to be easy to handle, and for reliable transmission by fax/email etc.

It is a simple format 14 character string (from XPFC V3R3 onwards), and must be inserted in the **CONTROL section of the Configurator File EXACTLY as supplied, including maintaining the case.

You MUST NOT insert spaces in this string.

Additionally, the key is confirmed in "Air Traffic Control Speak" to ensure no misunderstanding or transcription errors occur.

Here is a typical example of a license key notification ....... you'll see that it's almost self explanatory.

Warning Messages & License Expiry
Warning messages will be sent to the MVS operators console starting 30 days before license expiry, and the messages will change in style to reflect the urgency of the situation.

These messages will typically take the form as shown below, where GC70516C is the job currently being processed by XPFC.

$HASP997 GC70516C **XPFC WARNING - LICENSE EXPIRES WITHIN nn DAYS

This message will appear on the console and SYSLOG ..... and will be generated for every job that XPFC processes whilst in the "approaching expiration" state.

During this period when the warning messages are being output, online/offline XPFC will operate as normal.

When the XPFC license has expired XPFC will be disabled and no cover sheets or DJDE sequences will be sent to the XPS.

If running an expired Online XPFC, laser output will still be sent to the printer, but there will be no XPFC intervention action.

If running an expired Offline XPFC, the task will terminate and output will remain on the Spool.