Programming Security

Programming Security is intended to be a means of password-protecting your intellectual property. If you wish to prevent others from accessing the user programs you write, you can enable the Programming Security feature.

Delta reserves the right to disable or bypass security features enabled by the copyright holder of user programming in RMC series controllers. Delta’s responsive customer support is an important service that benefits the customers. In order to ensure responsive service, Delta reserves the right to disable or bypass any and all security features applied to the user programming downloaded to an RMC series controller. For details on when and how Delta will do this, refer to the RMCTools Security Policy and Agreement.

The Programming Security applies to the items in the Programming node of the Project Pane. The protection can be applied to an online or offline project. When password-protected programming is downloaded to the RMC, it will be protected in the RMC also. This means that when a password-protected project is uploaded from the RMC, the programming will be protected as specified in the original project.

RMCTools offers three levels of User Source Code Security:

Copyright Notice
This level will apply a copyright notice to the Programming. The contents of the Programming node will still be accessible and editable, but the copyright notice will appear to the user. Copying and exporting of user programs will be disabled. By entering the password, the user can disable the copyright notice.
Protect Programming Source Code
This level will password-protect the contents of the Programming node in the project. The programming contents can only be viewed or edited if the user enters the correct password. The programming contents can be uploaded to an RMCTools project, but cannot be viewed or edited unless the correct password is entered.
Copy Protection
In addition to password-protecting the programming, this level will prevent the programming from being uploaded to an RMCTools project, thereby preventing the project from being copied from one controller to another. Copy Protection also prevents the controller image from being uploaded via the Controller Image Upload/Download area.

Enable Programming Security

If you wish to apply security to the user programming source code, do the following:

In the Project Pane, right-click Programming and choose Properties.
On the Security page, click the Display Copyright notice checkbox. The RMCTools Security Policy and Agreement will open.
Read the RMCTools Security Policy and Agreement. If you accept the agreement, click I accept this agreement and click Close, and the copyright notice will be enabled. If you do not agree to the policy, click I do not accept this agreement and click Close, and the copyright notice will not be enabled.
Enter Copyright Info
1. If you agreed to the policy, check the Edit Copyright button.
2. Enter a copyright notice and click OK. If you plan on password-protecting the user programming source, make sure to enter contact information.
Source Protection
If you wish to password-protect the user programming source in addition to having the copyright notice:
1. Check the Protect programming source code box. Make sure that the copyright notice contains contact information.
2. Enter a password in the Password box and re-enter it in the Confirm Password box. Passwords are case sensitive; therefore, you may want to make sure the CAPS LOCK is not on.
Copy Protection
If you wish to copy-protect the programming:
1. Check the Copy Protection box.
Click OK to close the Programming Properties dialog.
If you are online with the RMC, right-click Programming and choose Download Programs to Controller.
Remember to update Flash, or the security settings will not be retained after cycling power.

Once programming security is enabled, a notice will appear each time the Programming node is downloaded. This is intended to prevent the user from unknowingly downloading a project with programming security enabled.

After applying the copyright notice and/or user program password protection and downloading to the RMC, the security settings in the RMCTools project itself is not password-protected. Anyone who uses that project can change the security settings and the password. If you wish to password protect the security settings in the project itself, lock the copyright notice and/or programming as described in the Locking the Copyright Notice or Programming section below.

Once password-protected programming is downloaded to the RMC, it is protected in the RMC. Therefore, if the controller contents are uploaded into a new RMCTools project, the copyright notice and/or user programming will be password protected as specified in the original project, and the security settings in the project will be locked. To unlock them, see the Unlocking the Copyright Notice or Programming section below.

Locking the Copyright Notice or Programming

Enabling a copyright notice, password protection, or copy protection and downloading to the RMC will password protect those items in the RMC, but the security settings in the RMCTools project itself is not password-protected. Anyone who uses that project can change the security settings and the password. To password-protect the security settings in the project, you can lock the copyright notice or programming. If a project with a locked copyright notice or programming is saved, the Programming portion will be saved in encrypted format.

A project with a locked copyright notice or programming can still be downloaded to an RMC.

To lock the copyright notice or programming:

On the Programming menu, choose Lock Copyright or Lock Programming. Now the security settings cannot be changed.

Unlocking the Copyright Notice or Programming

If the copyright notice or programming has been locked, the security settings and user programs in the project will be password protected. In order to change the security settings or access the user programs in the project, the programming must be unlocked.

Unlocking the programming will unlock the project. Notice that the security settings will still be set, and if downloaded to the controller, will be applied to the controller.

To completely disable the security features in a locked project, you must first unlock the project, then disable the security settings on the Programming Security Dialog.

To unlock the copyright notice or programming:

On the Programming menu, choose Unlock Copyright or Unlock Programming.
Enter the correct password and click OK. Now the security settings can be changed.
If you wish to disable the security, you can now do so on the Programming Security Dialog.

Required Firmware

The copyright notice and password protection features require RMCTools version 3.00.0 or newer and firmware version 3.00 or newer. Copy protection requires RMCTools version 3.43.0 or newer and firmware version 3.43 or newer.