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Cycling '74 has four different options for how institutions and organizations can authorize Max 8 licenses: Activation Codes, iLok, Keyfile, and KeyServer. In order to have access to these authorization methods, an institution/organization must purchase licenses by either emailing us directly as 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.
Activation Codes
The Activation Code (AC) system was developed in-house by Cycling '74 to allow institutions and 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. Once you have created an AC you can then authorize specific computers with that code. Many schools and organizations prefer this method as it lets them manage their licenses without having to contact us. 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).
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. For more information about iLok, please visit this page.
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. A text file with an encrypted token is placed on all machines and will serve them with Max authorizations from the Cycling '74 authorization server as needed. This can also 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.
KeyServer
The other network authorization we offer is 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. For more information about KeyServer, please visit this page.