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PFPX license checks: How, when, how often?


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Hello,

OK, so the server problems were fixed rather quickly (especially seeing it is Saturday!), and thus -- previous gripes notwithstanding -- first of all a big Thank You! to the people who brought things back on track, thus saving our weekend. ;-)

But I am still worried by the vast range of consequences: If the servers go down, obviously the online data (weather, winds aloft, NOTAMs, etc.) are not available. And while perhaps sad, that is not really such a big deal.

But why did this affect the licence aspect at all?

With a view to similar future "surprises", it would be good to have a clarification why and how this server issue could interrupt not only the online data supply, but indeed bring down (and prevent from successful re-starting) the whole application on the customer side by (temporarily) "invalidating" licences.
PFPX per se (i.e. minus the online data) is not a server-client application, is it?

Hence the questions:

Assuming access to the online data is not required...

  • Is it possible at all to start and run PFPX completely offline?
  • Or is an Internet connection required in any case, because some server demands to perform some sort of licence check?
  • If the latter is true: Is such a check conducted only at program start-up, or repeatedly also later in the session?
    (Keeping in mind that in the incident earlier today, licences were erroneously "revoked" and PFPX "crashed" *) in mid-session.)
  • If checks are made more than once, what is their number and/or frequency?

Please note that these questions are asked not (only :-)) out of idle curiosity, but because we the users need to know what to expect, and to manage our usage of PFPX accordingly.

Thanks in advance for clarifying this.

Cheers,
Martin

*) Not sure if these were genuine crashes -- they might be the method "by design" to deal with a missing or invalid license.

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We indeed had a complete server crash today. Took some time switching back to yesterday's backup and re-configuring all data feeds.

This is complete now and the servers seem back to normal operations now.

Here my answer to your questions:

Is it possible at all to start and run PFPX completely offline?

Or is an Internet connection required in any case, because some server demands to perform some sort of licence check?

Yes, you can start PFPX completely offline for an unlimited amount of time.

The only time you need an internet connection is for online activation, unless you do an offline activation.

If the latter is true: Is such a check conducted only at program start-up, or repeatedly also later in the session?
(Keeping in mind that in the incident earlier today, licences were erroneously "revoked" and PFPX "crashed" *) in mid-session.)

If checks are made more than once, what is their number and/or frequency?

License checks are only conducted when downloading real-time data, such as winds, METAR, TAF NOTAMs.

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Thanks, Christian, for the prompt reply ("in the face of adversity" :) ); this clears it all up nicely.

Yes, you can start PFPX completely offline for an unlimited amount of time.

This is good news indeed.

License checks are only conducted when downloading real-time data, such as winds, METAR, TAF NOTAMs.

Ah yes, that was what I was wondering about, but it makes sense: checking against unauthorized use of the data, too, not just the program.

All clear now.

Have a pleasant Sunday (as far as possible :) )....

Cheers,

Martin

PS. Can we the post authors ourselves flag a post as "Best Answer", and a thread as "Answered", etc.? I can't find any relevant option.
Or can only the moderators do it?

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I'm not sure this answer (that PFPX can be run offline) is correct considering my experience Saturday.

During the server problems when I tried to run PFPX is would start and then immediately quit with a "license expired" error.

I guess this occurred when it tried to get data from the server.

It shutdown so quickly that I would not have had time to go quickly to the options and "turn off" the online weather.

So how do we run PFPX "offline" when the servers are broken if our PFPX options are set to retrieve weather online?

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So how do we run PFPX "offline" when the servers are broken if our PFPX options are set to retrieve weather online?

I had assumed (but haven't tried it yet systematically) that PFPX remembers the "mode" in which was closed down, i.e. if you close it in "offline" it starts again "offline" next time.

If that were true one could simply always set the program to "offline" before shutting it down, and it would always come up again next time, server or no server.

Or does it always start in "online" mode? That would indeed be a problem.

(At one point I actually thought it does this, but that was after the crash, so perhaps not normal behaviour.)

Cheers,

Martin

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You can soon test for yourself by disabling your network card (or otherwise disconnecting your computer from the internet) and trying to run PFPX.

I'm also interested in the answers to this for the same reasons. €41 is a lot of money for an application that isn't as offline as it might first appear. I expect it to run offline without issues for that price.

Best regards,

Robin.

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