About the activation process

What is activation?

Activation is the process of assigning entitlement quantities to be used by a specific company and user. The activation process includes generating keys, and may include providing technical locking details.

When entitlements are activated, Poetic creates certificates containing the activation information and keys.

Types of activation

Types of activation include:

Machine activation	For machine activation, entitlements are activated to a specific machine. The activation includes technical details such as locking IDs. Keys are generated for the activated items. For machine activation, Poetic creates a machine certificate to represent each machine.
Registration activation	Registration activation may prompt the user for technical details, but in many cases there are no technical details. For all registration activation, the user is not prompted to select or create a machine. For registration activation, there are no technical details. The activated items are assigned to a registered company and user. A key, usually a serial number, may be generated. For registration activation, Poetic creates a registration certificate.
Upgrade activation	Upgrade activation involves either: Activating entitlements that have been marked as upgradeable. When users activate these entitlements, they can generate keys for either the new version or the old version. Activating upgrade entitlements. Customers purchase upgrade entitlements in order to upgrade other existing entitlements. When users activate these entitlements, they select the entitlements to upgrade. Upgrade activation can be for machine or registration activation.

There is also a process for generating temporary emergency keys.

How to start the activation process

Poetic includes the following methods to start the activation process:

• Logging in with a License Authorization Code (LAC). The LAC is associated with a specific set of entitlements.
• Using the Quick Key function on the Home page or Activation menu. The Quick Key function allows users to specify LACs for which to activate entitlements and manage activated items.
• Selecting the Activate option from the Activation menu

Steps in the activation process

The steps of the activation process are as follows:

1. Selecting the entitlements to activate. When you log in with a LAC or use the Quick Key, this is done by providing the LAC. The activation search that displays from the Activation menu provides additional criteria.
2. Selecting the machine to activate the entitlements on. The machine must be associated with the registered company for the activation. For registration activation, you do not select a machine. Instead, Poetic creates one or more registration certificates, each with a generated name.
3. Setting registration information, if required, including the registered user and the group.
4. For upgrades, specifying the upgrade information.
5. Providing the activation details. This can include information such as the locking ID, platform, activation quantity, and other information required for the activation. Registration activation does not require any activation details.
6. Confirming and completing the activation. The Confirm page, if included, includes an option to email the certificate to one or more email addresses. You can also provide additional notes concerning the activation. When the activation is completed, you can print or email the certificate. You may also be able to view and download the keys.