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NetIntercept® iButton Information

IButton Information

In versions 2.0 and earlier, NetIntercept used the Dallas Semiconductor iButton for license management. The iButton is a solid-state device which can interface with other devices using the 1-Wire interface specification. These devices have internal memory and real-time clock functions which are used by NetIntercept's license management functionality. They have been superceded by the KeyLok (USB or parallel) dongle in later versions of NetIntercept.

Early NetIntercept versions shipped with:

  • a DS 1994 iButton, programmed for the configuration that the customer has licensed
  • an iButton reader with a serial port connector, which may or may not have a cord.

Each iButton has a unique serial number. The serial number of the iButton shown in the sample image on this page is 400000004E753E04 (i.e., the two larger numbers are the beginning and end of the serial number, respectively).

Earlier versions of NetIntercept used the iButton for license management and key storage. The iButton included with each NetIntercept system contained a unique license certificate created by Sandstorm. This license certificate determined:

  • The maximum number of processors for which this NetIntercept is licensed.
  • The maximum amount of disk space for which this NetIntercept is licensed.
  • The expiration date, if any, for this license.

If the reader was removed from the serial port or the iButton was removed from the reader, the NetIntercept system would stop capturing network traffic after the end of the next rollover interval. The capture subsystem would continue to run, but no traffic would be written to disk. When capture stopped, NetIntercept sent messages to the system error log, the system console, and the NetIntercept GUI (if running). When the iButton reader was reattached to the serial port, the NetIntercept system would start capturing data again after one minute.

NetIntercept produced error messages if:

  • the iButton was missing or not seated properly in the reader (iButton not found)
  • the reader was not attached to the serial port (reader not found)
  • a different iButton was inserted into the reader (certificate not found)

This is an image of a cordless reader with iButton inserted. It is inserted into the reader with the text side down. Two small metal clamps hold the iButton secure inside the reader.

This is a drawing of the text appearing on an iButton.


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