CodeMeter Hardware key conversion in Update installers

[Csaba Kezer]

Dear All,

As you might have noticed already, lately Apple has started to become less tolerant with 3rd party hardware devices that are reached through a so-called Kernel Extension. Because of this the CodeMeter driver’s Kernel Extension already needs manual approval on macOS 10.13.

If the above trend continues, 3rd party Kernel Extensions might get completely blocked with macOS 10.14 in September 2018. This means, that users upgrading to macOS 10.14 might not be able to run ARCHICAD from CodeMeter hardware licenses altogether and will need to have their keys replaced with new, compatible ones!

To avoid the above from happening, CodeMeter hardware keys need to be converted to a format that remains compatible with future versions of macOS. To make this as easy and convenient as possible, we are extending our Update installers with a converter tool to enable a straightforward key conversion process.

The following new Updates will contain the conversion:
ARCHICAD 19 Update 9001 – released today for all languages!
- This is the same Update that we released in 2017 June, now repackaged with the converter tool as an addition: 
- Check for Updates will offer this Update only when it’s relevant: for those, who haven’t installed 9001 yet, and for those who have, but run ARCHICAD from a local single license key that needs conversion
ARCHICAD 20 Update 8000
ARCHICAD 21 Update 6000
LMT Update 2018

The converter is also already available in a standalone format (in english language), downloadable from here: CodeMeter Protection Key Updater.
This tool is useful for those, who:
- prefer to do the conversion independently from an ARCHICAD/LMT Update 
- use NET keys (plugged into computers where ARCHICAD or LMT is not installed) 
- use GRAPHISOFT products that won’t receive a converter Update 

You can read more about the conversion in our FAQ article.

Best regards,
Csaba

[Ralph Wessel]

Apologies if this was answered elsewhere, but is an updated key backward compatible with ARCHICAD versions earlier than 19?

[Barry Kelly]

Does the Archicad 21 update 6000 fix any of the problems with the recalled 5010 update?

Barry.

[Csaba Kezer]

Ralph wrote:
Apologies if this was answered elsewhere, but is an updated key backward compatible with ARCHICAD versions earlier than 19?

Hi Ralph,

Yes, it will remain compatible with earlier versions. I updated the FAQ article with this info.

Csaba

[Csaba Kezer]

Barry wrote:
Does the Archicad 21 update 6000 fix any of the problems with the recalled 5010 update?

Barry.

Hi Barry,

Actually we plan to release an Update 50XX soon to address the regression issues found in Update 5010. Build 6000 will also contain those fixes, but it will be released later than the corrected 50XX Update.

Csaba

[Karl Ottenstein]

Csaba wrote:
The converter is also already available in a standalone format (in english language), downloadable from here: CodeMeter Protection Key Updater.
...
You can read more about the conversion in our FAQ article.

Hi Csaba,

Some more clarification please:

As I read this and the FAQ, this process is ONLY for MacOS compatibility and has no impact on Windows users now (but may in the unknown future). So, may I change the subject of your post to clarify that this thread really only targets Mac users?

In other words, if someone's key is NEVER used in a Mac, they can safely ignore this entire topic and conversion for now. However, if a key is used on both platforms, then the conversion needs to happen, and the new drivers are required on each platform to recognize the modified codemeter keyplug?

Finally, what versions of MacOS and Windows is the updated codemeter keyplug and driver compatible with? You stated it will work with older versions of ARCHICAD, but there seems to be an assumption that people are running High Sierra or Windows 10...

Thanks,
Karl

[Csaba Kezer]

Hi Karl,

Thanks for weighing in!

You are correct in saying that the threat is more imminent for those who wish to use their license key in a MAC computer in the near future. At the same time there are three considerations why we are releasing the converter for our Windows users as well:
1. From our user base there is a certain percentage who switches from PC to MAC every year (and obviously vice versa as well)
2. The issue is tricky, because you can't convert your license key AFTER you have moved to a new macOS. For the conversion to be possible, the key first needs to be recognized with the Kernel Extension.
3. Microsoft can decide to do the same in the near future and it just makes no sense for us to wait for that to happen, now that we have a solution that we can offer to all our customers.

If you say you'll never use your CodeMeter key in a MAC, then indeed you can safely ignore this topic (as long as Microsoft tolerates 3rd party Kernel Extensions). It's worth considering though, that now you can get this done with little to no inconvenience, while it might hit back hard if you forget about this and realise the issue only when it's already too late.

To get a better picture on the "inconvenience" of this key conversion process let's see the technical details of the changes:

Firmware update: if your key has a FW version lower than 2.02, it needs to be upgraded to be compatible with the HID technology. The FW upgrade is being done automatically in our solution (using WIBU's mechanism, the same function that you can reach in the CodeMeter app as well). In the end of this process keys will get Firmware version 2.04. Any keys with a FW version between 1.15 and the newest 4.03 can run ARCHICAD 12-21 without a problem. So this is not a restriction.

CodeMeter Driver version: For the conversion to be successful (and then the key to be usable with the HID communication) the CM Driver needs to be 5.0 or higher. If someone is still on an old ARCHICAD version, then they might be below 5.0 with their CM Driver version. (ARCHICAD 18 and newer should already use 5.0 or higher.) So for some people it's a bit of an extra hassle to uninstall their old CM Driver and install a new one. The new CodeMeter Driver still supports older ARCHICAD versions though. Recently we ran a set of tests with Driver version 6.30d and we even went back to ARCHICAD 13 which - apart from a few cosmetic glitches - was still usable with this new Driver.

Network connection: Just for the time of the conversion process the updater needs to reach WIBU's servers (in case the firmware update is necessary) and a GRAPHISOFT server for the HID conversion. I have extended our Help Center article with further information on the requirements of the conversion: https://helpcenter.graphisoft.com/?p=75276

HID communication vs compatibility of macOS and Windows: The only restriction is the CodeMeter Driver's version. With the current CodeMeter Drivers on GRAPHISOFT's Download site this means any version of Windows or OS X 10.9 and newer.

I hope this answers your questions

Csaba

[Karl Ottenstein]

Thanks for the detailed clarification, Csaba!

And for the last question - OS version for which the conversion can be done, and for which it all will still work properly:

Karl wrote:
Finally, what versions of MacOS and Windows is the updated codemeter keyplug and driver compatible with? You stated it will work with older versions of ARCHICAD, but there seems to be an assumption that people are running High Sierra or Windows 10...

Cheers,
Karl

[Csaba Kezer]

Karl wrote:
Thanks for the detailed clarification, Csaba!

And for the last question - OS version for which the conversion can be done, and for which it all will still work properly:

Karl wrote:
Finally, what versions of MacOS and Windows is the updated codemeter keyplug and driver compatible with? You stated it will work with older versions of ARCHICAD, but there seems to be an assumption that people are running High Sierra or Windows 10...

Cheers,
Karl

We have first released CodeMeter keys for ARCHICAD 13. According to the System Requirements, Windows XP/Vista and OS X 10.5/10.6 were the supported Operating Systems for it: http://www.graphisoft.com/support/system_requirements/ARCHICAD13.html

As mentioned above, the CodeMeter Driver needs to be updated at least to 5.0 before the conversion and that's the only bottleneck after it as well. Since WIBU claims that even their latest Driver is still compatible with all 32/64 bit versions of Windows, this is only a limitation for MAC users. Particularly those, who are still using a machine with OS X 10.5-10.8 and can't upgrade it to 10.9.

[David Maudlin]

Csaba wrote:
Firmware update: if your key has a FW version lower than 2.02, it needs to be upgraded to be compatible with the HID technology. The FW upgrade is being done automatically in our solution (using WIBU's mechanism, the same function that you can reach in the CodeMeter app as well). In the end of this process keys will get Firmware version 2.04. Any keys with a FW version between 1.15 and the newest 4.03 can run ARCHICAD 12-21 without a problem. So this is not a restriction.

CodeMeter Driver version: For the conversion to be successful (and then the key to be usable with the HID communication) the CM Driver needs to be 5.0 or higher. If someone is still on an old ARCHICAD version, then they might be below 5.0 with their CM Driver version. (ARCHICAD 18 and newer should already use 5.0 or higher.) So for some people it's a bit of an extra hassle to uninstall their old CM Driver and install a new one. The new CodeMeter Driver still supports older ARCHICAD versions though. Recently we ran a set of tests with Driver version 6.30d and we even went back to ARCHICAD 13 which - apart from a few cosmetic glitches - was still usable with this new Driver.

I can now run AC10 with the older (current) setup on OSX10.10.5. (Firmware 2.02, CodeMeter 6.04b.) Will this still work once the key and firmware are upgraded? Or should I leave the firmware and CodeMeter app alone?

Thanks,

David