FYI - Several Embarcadero services are currently unavailable

[Vincent Parrett 750]

1 hour ago, Joseph MItzen said:

Like a lot of stuff at this company, things are probably done a certain way just because they've always been done a certain way by the same people who have worked there since the 80s or 90s.

There are very few people left at Embarcadero that worked there in the 80s or 90s. A more likely explanation is that the people who know how all that stuff works are no longer there.. so people are afraid to touch it 🤔

[Vincent Parrett 750]

6 hours ago, Brandon Staggs said:

Does anyone have an insight on what keeps a company like Embarcadero using their own servers for this kind of stuff rather than something like AWS or Azure? (This is not me making a judgment, just genuine curiosity.) 

The cloud isn't always cheaper (been there, done that, bought new servers). To make the cloud cheaper you really need to leverage the features they provide (not just a bunch of vm's) - and that means re-architecting things (=time + more money) and it also means vendor lock in - once you leverage the cloud features it's not easy to switch providers. 

[bdw_nz20 11]

Still slow for RAD Studio 12 for me,

IDE says not responding and looks locked up if you press on the Extend the Ide or GetIT buttons on startup.

It does eventually come back but I don't understand why the code they are using would lock the IDE up like that.

It seems to come right eventually but surely a simple check could be done before locking up the IDE.

[Kas Ob. 121]

9 hours ago, Vincent Parrett said:

vendor lock in - once you leverage the cloud features it's not easy to switch providers. 

Hmmmmm, (scratching head emoji) (scratching head emoji) (scratching head emoji) (scratching head emoji) 

So Embarcadero might drink from the same cup, the one handed us for years ?!!!

Noice !

[Dalija Prasnikar 1396]

11 hours ago, Joseph MItzen said:

Like a lot of stuff at this company, things are probably done a certain way just because they've always been done a certain way by the same people who have worked there since the 80s or 90s.

AFAIK, Idera runs the whole IT infrastructure for multiple companies under their umbrella.

[Ivan Yuzafatau 0]

Today I tried to open Delphi’s Object Pascal Style Guide. https://docwiki.embarcadero.com/RADStudio/Athens/en/Delphi’s_Object_Pascal_Style_Guide
It doesn't open either.

Quote

Sorry! This site is experiencing technical difficulties.

 

[Attila Kovacs 629]

How can I install Delphi without their running servers?

What happens when these servers are gone forever for any reason?

 

[Der schöne Günther 316]

That is one of the reasons why you should, at least for closed-source development environments, always have a backup/snapshot of your full dev environment/build system that is proven to work offline (or already is offline).

 

If one day, Embarcaderos servers don't come back again, and only then you start wondering what to do, it's already too late.

Edited January 18 by Der schöne Günther

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

48 minutes ago, Attila Kovacs said:

How can I install Delphi without their running servers?

You still can install from ISO.

 

49 minutes ago, Attila Kovacs said:

What happens when these servers are gone forever for any reason?

I suggest converting any Workstation License into a Named Network License and setting up your own ELC server. (see Software Licensing and Management)

 

IMHO, all professional developers, especially companies, using Delphi should already have done this.

[Attila Kovacs 629]

1 minute ago, Uwe Raabe said:

You still can install from ISO.

How? The installer asks for a serial and l/p

[Kas Ob. 121]

18 minutes ago, Uwe Raabe said:

ELC server.

Does this server call home ?

Is there any documental confirmation that this server will not make outgoing connections ?

 

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

18 minutes ago, Attila Kovacs said:

How? The installer asks for a serial and l/p

See part two of my answer. The ELC Server provides a slip file to be used for that.

[Attila Kovacs 629]

25 minutes ago, Uwe Raabe said:

I suggest converting any Workstation License into a Named Network License and setting up your own ELC server. (see Software Licensing and Management)

How does it work? Sorry I'm not a professional, I'm constantly on the go. 

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

7 minutes ago, Kas Ob. said:

Does this server call home ?

Not that I am aware of - unless you initiate it to update your license (f.i. for a new major release).

 

8 minutes ago, Kas Ob. said:

Is there any documental confirmation that this server will not make outgoing connections ?

I don't know that, but I also have never searched for it.

 

What I can confirm due to own experience is, that working with the IDE as well as installing Delphi works even with no internet connection.

 

I also suggest to strip the Welcome Page from everything requiring a working internet connection. Mine has just the Create New and Recent Files/Favorites. It also feels quite a bit faster.

[Attila Kovacs 629]

3 minutes ago, Uwe Raabe said:

Not that I am aware of - unless you initiate it to update your license (f.i. for a new major release).

What? So let me ask the question again. I recently bought the latest Delphi. How can I install it without the running servers?

So the mentioned "update your license" or whatever won't work either.

[Kas Ob. 121]

1 minute ago, Uwe Raabe said:

What I can confirm due to own experience is, that working with the IDE as well as installing Delphi works even with no internet connection.

One more question about this though :

By not having internet for Delphi IDE or the server and for long time like few weeks or months, will it still running or fail to allow the IDE to run.

 

Because there is some shady stuff the IDE does after 12 months, the old ones that i have (at least), and i prefer not to discuss this in this forum, but concerned about that ELC, considering it is done by the same team.

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

5 minutes ago, Attila Kovacs said:

How does it work?

Most of that is covered in the link. Basically you set up ELC somewhere on your local network. I suggest using a dedicated VM, even if that resides on your one and only Computer. Then download the license files from ELC and use the named<xxx>.slip for each Delphi installation. You can run the same Delphi version on up to three computers.

 

Converting to a Network Named License is usually best done when renewing your subscription. Otherwise they may charge a small fee.

[Attila Kovacs 629]

Just now, Uwe Raabe said:

you set up ELC somewhere

Can I setup ELC without the running servers?

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

1 minute ago, Attila Kovacs said:

How can I install it without the running servers?

You cannot. I just explained what can be done to be independent when that happens next.

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

2 minutes ago, Kas Ob. said:

By not having internet for Delphi IDE or the server and for long time like few weeks or months, will it still running or fail to allow the IDE to run.

 

Because there is some shady stuff the IDE does after 12 months, the old ones that i have (at least), and i prefer not to discuss this in this forum, but concerned about that ELC, considering it is done by the same team.

Well, I didn't invest the time to check if everything works even when there is no internet connection for years. Also I don't know about some shady stuff - at least not for anything above a CE license.

 

I can only tell about my own experiences and that they are pretty good. If you are after a detailed security investigation, I am not the right person to ask.

 

BTW, you can even use Delphi when there is no connection to the ELC server for up to 30 days.

[Cristian Peța 103]

1 minute ago, Uwe Raabe said:

You cannot. I just explained what can be done to be independent when that happens next.

It is not somehow similar to having Delphi installed into a VM?

If Delphi can call home then also ELC can call home at some point in time.

[Cristian Peța 103]

1 minute ago, Uwe Raabe said:

BTW, you can even use Delphi when there is no connection to the ELC server for up to 30 days.

Delphi activated without ELC will run without internet connection indefinitely or this 30 days applies too?

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

2 minutes ago, Cristian Peța said:

It is not somehow similar to having Delphi installed into a VM?

Depends on the point of view. Delphi occasionally checks its license - either at Embarcadero servers or at the ELC server in your local network. That is the same in a VM as with a bare metal system.

 

4 minutes ago, Cristian Peța said:

If Delphi can call home then also ELC can call home at some point in time.

Of course if can, but there simply is no need for it.

 

If anyone is that keen to inspect the hidden connections of ELC: Test it yourself - it can be installed for free.

 

Anyway, if someone always suspects bad intentions in things from Embarcadero it may be better to move to something else.

[Uwe Raabe 2057]

1 minute ago, Cristian Peța said:

Delphi activated without ELC will run without internet connection indefinitely or this 30 days applies too?

Delphi usually checks its license more often than that. I cannot say for sure, but I expect the same 30 days for that, too. If anyone without ELC was able to run Delphi without internet for more than 30 days, please comment here.

[dummzeuch 1505]

8 minutes ago, Cristian Peța said:

It is not somehow similar to having Delphi installed into a VM?

If Delphi can call home then also ELC can call home at some point in time.

ELC could call home, but if you don't give it internet access, it can't and still works fine. In that case you need to update the license file(s) manually when a new Delphi version is released, otherwise you can tell ELC to do it for you.

 

I made that switch (from "named user license" to "network named user license") several years ago and never regretted it. If I remember correctly you can ask Embarcadero to switch the license at any time when you're on subscription.

 

I blogged about the "experience" back then.