In this article
Cycling '74 has four different options for how institutions and organizations can authorize Max 8,
RNBO, and Max 7 licenses: Activation Codes, Keyfile, iLok, and KeyServer. You can choose
one of these options, or mix and match. In order to have access to these authorization methods,
an institution/organization must purchase licenses by either emailing us directly at
sales@cycling74.com, or by filling out the Special Pricing form on our website. Licenses
purchased via our online shop do not have access to all of these options.
Please note that RNBO is considered an add-on to a Max license. If you own RNBO, both your
Max and RNBO licenses must be authorized via the same system. For example, if your Max
license is authorized via KeyFile, your RNBO license must be authorized via KeyFile as well.
Likewise, the license type must match your Max license type. If you own a full Max 8 license,
you can only purchase a full RNBO license. Our system cannot add RNBO subscriptions to full
Max licenses.
If you would like to move all or some of your licenses to a different authorization system, contact
support@cycling74.com and include the total number of licenses you want under each system.
In-house Solutions
Our in-house solutions are intended to provide solutions for most authorization scenarios. These
can be managed by the institution/organization through the institutional admin portal at
https://auth.cycling74.com/. Each institutional account can have one of more admins, who
manage the account’s AC and KeyFile licenses.
Activation Codes
The Activation Code (AC) system was developed in-house by Cycling '74 to allow
institutions/organizations to manage their Max licenses. They are easy to manage by the
license owner and are suitable for most cases, from authorizing individual students,
faculty, and staff, to larger teaching labs and classrooms. Using the institutional admin
portal, admins can create ACs that are then assigned to a specific Cycling ‘74 user
account. User Accounts can be created either in the Max application or at
https://cycling74.com/. Once an AC is created and assigned to a user account, the end
user can authorize Max on a specific machine by signing in with their account under
Help > User Account and Licenses. With this system, machines that have Max installed
only have to connect to the internet once every 6 months to renew their license (this
happens in the background so you don't have to actually do anything).
KeyFile
KeyFile is a license server solution developed by Cycling '74. Intended for use in
large-scale and multi-user lab environments, it requires minimal configuration and is
ideal for remote deployment. Using the institutional admin portal, admins can create and
download a KeyFile, which is a text file with an encrypted token. This is then placed on
all machines and will serve them with Max authorizations from the Cycling '74
authorization server as needed. This can be useful when you want to put Max on more
machines than your institution’s/organization's total number of licenses. This system
requires that all computers have an internet connection.
Third-Party Solutions
These third-party solutions are available if the in-house systems do not meet the specific needs
of the institutional environment. Both require the purchase or licensing of additional materials or
services not provided by Cycling ’74. They also require the installation of additional software on
all machines that will be used with Max.
iLok
iLok is a great option if you plan to use Max on computers that do not have an internet
connection. The iLok system allows you to permanently store a Max license on a USB
key. This makes the license portable, allowing the user to work on any machine that has
a USB port and the iLok License Manager software installed. Please note that iLok
authorization is only available for full licenses, not subscriptions. For more information
about iLok, visit this page.
KeyServer
KeyServer (KS) is a third-party server solution that allows on-demand licensing of Max
across any number of machines from a server on your local network. Typically, machines
have to be connected to that network for the duration of the Max work session, though
the server can be configured with a checkout policy for use off-network. While very
flexible, KS is third-party and requires additional licensing from Sassafras Systems
based on your number of licenses. While we offer this service free of charge, you do
need to pay a fee to Sassafras to use their software. Cycling ‘74 and Sassafras Systems
are not affiliated. Visit the Sassafras website to learn more, or our support page.