why a CD Key Autodesk?

[JamesMaeding]

What is the point of the CD key we have to enter for installs?

Its published and does not change.

Are they someday going to ask us our favorite color too?

[arlinpega.bibat]

HI jmaeding:

Product key changes every year for each version. Product key is to indentify the correct software being installed. Say for example, the suites we have, it has multiple products. During installation, the correct product key will have to be entered for each. You mentioned it was published? Could you please let us know the link? Although we do not have restrictions, as least we will also be aware.

Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Have a nice day!

Best Regards,

[JamesMaeding]

Well, I mean they are the same for everyone per product, what use is that?
Search Google for adesk product keys, you get at least four good links

[JTBWorld]

"The product key is very important when installing the software because it controls the cascading of the licensing of the product." is one thing I read on a blog post.

You can even find product keys listed on Autodesk Up and Ready blog so they cannot be that secret.

[TravisNave]

Right.  There is nothing secret about the product keys.  It is a means to separate the suites from which a product is installed from.  Sure, your key may be the same as everyone else's but if you are installing AutoCAD from another suite, it would be different.  It has to do with licensing and cascading because some installations of AutoCAD can pull licensing from other suites.  For example, AutoCAD LT has a different product key for stand-alone than it does for the Inventor LT Suite.  Hope that makes sense.

[JamesMaeding]

I completely understand that different products have different keys, but they are known public information.

I had to look them up from non-adesk websites, they are easy to find once you know they are static.

The point remains, they serve no real function.

The installs know what products they are, there is no reason to re-tell c3d "you are C3D" during the install.

The products reject serials that do not work for the product being installed.

I suspect the key was once menat to be custome per serial, but it got too hard to track, so they went static.

Why not get rid of them, the serial is all you need to run the product.

[TravisNave]

No no no, you're not understanding.  They do serve a function, but it has nothing to do with your personal serial registration.  It's to let the licensing know which suite the product comes from.  The installations are basically all the same.  To control the licensing on how one product can cascade and use licensing to another product is facilitated by this key.  It let's the license manager know that AutoCAD was installed from Building Design Suites rather than some other suite or stand-alone, for example.  It's just a way of making one installer instead of separate installers for all the different suite flavors.  There's nothing secret about it. 

It's like saying I am from the United States.  Okay, so are you.  But I am from Illinois because my postal code is IL.  We're all Americans but I am from Illinois based on that code.  AutoCAD works the same way.  We're all using AutoCAD.  Maybe yours is from Factory Design Suites.  How would I know?  From the product key. 

Based on that code, you are allowed the license cascade to other suites per the Cascade Sequence found here:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=18708338&linkID=9240897&CMP=OTC-RSS...

Hope that makes more sense now. 

[JamesMaeding]

All my tests show you cannot install enter a point product CD key into a suite install process.

The CD key must match the install going on, or you get a red X.

You see how that contradicts what you are saying.

My tests indicate:

1) serials do not indicate if they are for a point product or suite product, this would suggest that a CD key might be necessary.

2) The install process will only accept one CD-ky that matches the install files being used. This kills the idea that the install "does not know" what its doing.

3) The serial number has no effect on the CD key being accepted or rejected, its all dependent on the install files.

So if a given set of install disks, they cannot be used for both suite and point serials, so the CD key is redundant.

Your asserions are incorrect given that fact.

[TravisNave]

You are basing your tests on one set of software, whereas I have access to the entire product line in both stand-alone and network licensing.  The serial number is indeed registered in the system for what suite the product is part of.  However, those registrations can change or if in the instance of network seats, are irrelevant.  The install process for many suites will, in fact, allow you to use a product key from another suite if that product allows for the cascading of that suite.  The install media for a set of suites can in fact be used to install other editions.  This is why we often recommend that users install with Ultimate media even if they are installing Premium editions on their clients.  There is no reason to use both sets when the product key will enable the correct installation.  The product key is especially useful for network licensing schemes when cascading between the suites. 

Here's another example of how it works:

Let's say you downloaded a trial of Inventor and after using it you decide to purchase and activate your trial.  How is the trial install going to know what modules to activate for your use?  It does so based on your product key.  So if you only bought standard edition, you will not get the options available in professional. 

The product key serves multiple uses.  But it is public information and is not something individual to each installation, like your serial number is. 

[JamesMaeding]

I wish what you were saying matched reality, at least for the IDS products, but it does not.

I have both IDS standard and premium media, and I want to install vanilla acad using the premium media, but my statndard serial.

The premium media takes the standard serial, but will not take the standard cd key.

You are saying that cd key tells the lic server what suite a given product id from.

Is that true, or does the serial prevail when a seat is being pulled?

So I install vanilla acad using the standard serial, but premium cd key.

When it pulls a seat from flexlm, does it pull a standard or premium suite?

One answer may be that the serial and key do not matter, and that flexlm pulls the "lowest" value seat no matter what.

It may ignore both the serial and cd key info, and do its own analysis. That would be ideal 🙂

[TravisNave]

Now you're starting to get it. 

But I can see why you are confused.  The cascade is set up so that you can use your Premium media to install your AutoCAD.  AutoCAD, whether it is from vanilla or from either one of your IDS suites will pull an available license either from Vanilla or from Infrastructure Design Standard or Premium, depending on what is the least expensive seat available.  The serial number is irrelevant, the product key just tells the installer which product suite it was installed from. 

So to make a long story short, the FlexLM will handle it automatically.  You just need to install from your Premium and you will be set.

[JamesMaeding]

excellent, very useful info on flexlm!

Since flexlm does not care about serials or what suite a product came from, what does?

Seriously, can you think of anything affected by what suite a product came from, maybe the splash screen?

The answer reaslly has to be "no".

It would not be a kind thing to do if the installer adds or removes things based on a suite version.

Can you give an example of when a product behaves differently depending on what suite it came from?

[TravisNave]

Well, it does matter more on stand-alones.  And the example above that I gave about trials is fairly useful.  When you install a product as a trial, it will affect how it works after you activate it with the correct product key.  If I install Inventor Professional as a trial and activate it with a Standard product key, then I no longer have access to the professional modules.  Also, the product key for AutoCAD LT from the Inventor LT Suite will allow AutoCAD LT to be a network version.  There are probably a handful of other examples I can give.  But as for your network concerns, you should be fine by just installing the one suite for all of your licensing needs.

[JamesMaeding]

good enough, none of those affect acad, map, or civil 3d, so that is all I would care about.

thanks again

[TravisNave]

It's all good.  It's mostly useful in the other suites like Revit, and the Simulation Suites, etc.  But for consistency purposes, all the products have a CD key. It's really just a part number, for argument sake.