iLok - which location?

[Mick C]

Hi All,
Where do you keep your iLok licenses - Cloud, Machine or Dongle?

I see pros & cons with each and it seems to be a toss up between the risks of:

Cloud - No risk of loss or damage, but what if you can't connect for whatever reason, thereby disrupting a session
Machine - convenient, but what if your computer dies or laptop gets lost/stolen
Dongle - convenient for transferring between machines on the fly, but what to do if it gets broken / lost.

So what's the perceived wisdom for dealing with this conundrum?

thanks!

[muzines]

There's no real perceived wisdom, it's a user choice really.

Firstly, not all software offers all options - partly because Pace advise customers that machine activation is a weaker protection than the physical iLok or Cloud, so the developers more concerned about piracy often don't allow it. Secondly, there are different costs associated with each method - Cloud is more expensive to the developer because it has an online server component - hence, you tend to find people giving away free version of protected products don't offer iLok Cloud, because it has a cost to them, etc.

All methods have upsides and downsides, and people are affected differently by them. If you're on a desktop machine, for example, it's probably no big deal to leave an iLok dongle hanging off the back, or on a hub, but if you're a mobile laptop user, having to bring the dongle with you, keep track of it and not lose it, and having it stick out the side is more problematic.

Machine activations are convenient in that they don't require a physical dongle that get can lost or break, and work with the computer being offline, but if your computer or hard drive dies, you can lose activations (I've gone through this before, there is a method to recover lost activations if your machine is no longer accessible).

Physical iLoks cost about £50, so it's not insignificant, and they can get lost or break, but will survive computer death, and you can easily transport your licenses between different systems.

iLok Cloud means you don't have to buy a dongle, but now your system requires being online to work, so on that occasion you're out in the field and want to open up a project to work on it, or you lose your internet connection at home, all of a sudden a whole bunch of your plugins fail, which is annoying, and makes the system somewhat fragile.

So really it's up to you, depending on your needs, and the options of your software, what methods you choose. Personally, I prefer machine activations as the easiest and least hassle for me, as a mobile laptop user. If I can't have that, my UA plugins are all iLok Cloud, but I understand that if I have no internet access, I can't use them. Not a big deal for me currently as I'm not very mobile, but it certainly can be a factor.

I have a whole bunch of dongles from back in the day - emagic XSkey, Syncrosoft/e-licensor, iLok V1, and had to keep track of them - but luckily most of my software has transitioned away from those, so I don't really want to buy another iLok for licenses, but if iLok Cloud started to give me problems, I'd probably go that way.

But it's really down to you to understand the risks and benefits of each, and choose the most appropriate methods for you...

[sonics]

muzines lays things out nicely, but I'd like to add another couple of things to consider.

If you're interested in a physical iLok, then the ZDT should interest you too.

Also, some companies offer one, two or even three activations, which may have a bearing on your choice of activation method(s).

[Carrick]

I agree that muzines summary is excellent. It is your call. I would be wary of using the cloud, as we are finding out today, the internet is not guaranteed to always be on!
I've used iLok dongles for years and never had any issues, but the ZDT option is well worth it for the cost. As a complete aside, I was re-routing some cables in my setup recently and plugged in the wrong PSU into a USB hub. I could smell a slight burning smell and then realised what I had done. And yes, all the PSUs/plugs had labels on. All the memory sticks in the USB were fried but the iLok still works, so has some protection built in to it.
A good tip is to attach a lanyard to the iLok which makes it easier to find and less likely to leave it laying around.

[sc1460]

I was ilok cloud until a month ago when iLoks own cloud provider went down and I lost access for 1 day, or was it 2, since then I’ve moved to iLOK usb stick. Will probably get ZDT next…
Cheers
H

[OneWorld]

Hi All,
Where do you keep your iLok licenses - Cloud, Machine or Dongle?

I see pros & cons with each and it seems to be a toss up between the risks of:

Cloud - No risk of loss or damage, but what if you can't connect for whatever reason, thereby disrupting a session
Machine - convenient, but what if your computer dies or laptop gets lost/stolen
Dongle - convenient for transferring between machines on the fly, but what to do if it gets broken / lost.

So what's the perceived wisdom for dealing with this conundrum?

thanks!

On a dongle, but change is being enforced, it has worked flawlessly since before the Flood, but Steinberg don't seem impressed by that

[Mick C]

Thanks everyone for all your comments!

[easyrider]

USB Dongle and ZDT for me….Ilok is in a Hub and I forget it’s there.

Less hassle for me and just works.

[Dave Rowles]

Can't add anything more to Muzines' post.

I prefer to activate to my laptop, and tend to use the plugs that allow me to do that, which luckily happen to be my favourite plugs mostly.

I have a dongle as well, and there are a couple of plugs that I want to use occasionally that are dongle or cloud only, so they are activated to the dongle as I can't rely on having internet in some of the places I mix.

All of this is on a laptop and I use the plugs for live sound work, as such I look for plugs that allow machine activation. Not having this option makes me less likely to buy.

I understand wanting the "best" anti-piracy, but I think we could all find most plugins on cracked sites if you really want to risk your mixing environment with cracks, making anti-piracy systems for legally bought plugs that get in my way less attractive.