OEM authentication mandatory?

[Former Member]

He experts,

Customer is not able to change app code so they would like to use 12.0.1. OEM version without authentication on both sides (new db server will be installed without setting database_authentication). Does OEM installation (+OEM license key) has some limitations (programmatic) that requires db to be authenticated or it will work without authentication same as authenticated?

Many thanks!

HP

[Chris_Kleisath]

While this forum is a great place to discuss the technical aspects of what will, and won't work, the only place to determine what you are ALLOWED to do is in the text of your license agreement from Sybase. In particular, the un-authenticated version of SQL Anywhere for OEMs usually has a higher royalty fee, if it is allowed by your license.

[Breck_Carter]

The limitations of V12 OEM installations are discussed here... in particular, non-authenticated connections have read-only access.

[VolkerBarth]

That's true for non-authenticated connections to an authenticated database on an OEM edition.

If my understanding is right, the question is whether a non-authenticated database will run on an OEM edition - and whether it will allow write access? (And I don't have the answer...)

---

Here's more discussion on OEM edition vs. Authenticated edition - though I don't claim to understand the differences...:

• Oem vs. Authenticated

[Breck_Carter]

From the Help topic quoted in the reply above: "Authentication is not a security mechanism. Anyone running an unauthenticated database server against the database can perform any operation, subject to the usual SQL permissions scheme."

...that tells me "OEM" and "Authenticated" are attributes of the server software, not the database. The database inherits the attribute when it is started.

TANSTAAFL is the founding principle here, methinks 🙂

[Former Member]

Thanks for asnwers. Question was is it possible to have OEM Edition which doesn't require authentication. And it seems that answer is NO. OEM license key makes installed version OEM Authenticated Edition and it requires server to use authentication, otherwise only read is possible.

[VolkerBarth]

I don't think so - in the cited FAQ, Jason has stated:

Yes. A database created for the OEM edition does not have to be authenticated.

(That's the difference between an OEM edition and an Authenticated edition, or at least my understanding of these subtle differences...)

[Breck_Carter]

Actually not so subtle... "OEM" is a legal agreement that may or may not imply "Authentication", whereas "Authenticated" is an actual attribute of the software. I'm guessing very few OEM customers get to deploy non-authenticated software, but apparently it is possible.

Volker, thanks for clarifying.