Updated June 2008

SERIAL=Serial Security key

The Serial statement must be present in order for A-Shell to run, and it must be the first line of the initialization file except for comments (see History, below).

If the security key field is set to DEMONSTRATIONXX, then A-Shell will operate in demonstration mode. If the field is set to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, then the first time A-Shell is invoked, then the correct security key will be requested:

A-Shell Serial Number:

A-Shell Serial # nnnn security key:

Company name:

You should then enter the serial number, security key and company name as listed in the A-Shell license paperwork which accompanied the A-Shell software. This key will then overwrite the SERIAL line in miame.ini. An incorrect security key will cause A-Shell to operate in demonstration mode.

Use the LICENS command (from the A-Shell prompt) to force A-Shell to prompt for a new security key.

The security key and company name must match, although the case and punctuation of the company name are not important.

Note that the SERIAL line in miame.ini can be replaced with an INCLUDE=<fspec> line, where <fspec> is the full native filespec of a file which contains SERIAL. This feature allows sites supporting multiple A-Shell installations to maintain just one miame.ini for all the installations, while storing the one thing that is unique—the SERIAL specification—in a separate file.

History

2008 June, A-Shell 5.1.1117:  Beginning with this update it is possible to have comments (starting with either ; or #) appear in the file above the SERIAL line. Prior to this update, SERIAL had to be the first line of the file in order for A-Shell to run.