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uniqueidentifiermac-addressidentify
Sarah Aziziyan
Sarah Aziziyan

Reputation: 516

how can I Uniquely identify a computer

I would like to develop an application that can connect to server and uniquely identify clients then give them permissions to run a specific query on server's database. How can I identify clients in a unique way. Is MAC address reliable enough? or should I use something like CPU id or something else?

clarification : I do not what to create a registration code for my app. As it's suppose to be a free application. I would want to detect each client by an id and decide which one could have the permissions to run a specific method on server or not.

Upvotes: 1

Views: 3388

Answers (2)

Aaron Digulla
Aaron Digulla

Reputation: 328556

The usual approach is to give each client a login (name + password). That way, it's easy to replace clients when they need upgrade or when they fail.

MAC address should be unique but there is no central registry which enforces this rule. There are also tools to change it, so it's only somewhat reliable.

CPU and HD IDs are harder to change but people will come complaining when their hard disk died or when they upgrade their system.

Many PCs have TPM modules which have their own IDs but they can be disabled and the IDs can be wiped. Also, there are privacy issues (people don't like it when software automatically tracks them).

Another problem with an automated ID approach is how to identify them on the server. When several clients connect for the first time in quick succession, you will have trouble to tell them apart.

Upvotes: 3

Garuda
Garuda

Reputation: 39

This question appears to have already been asked and answered in detail (although, you may not like the answers, since they appear to add up to: it's problematic.) I agree with Xefan's comment that more details would help define your question. Here's a link to earlier discussion on this:

What is a good unique PC identifier?

Upvotes: 1

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