License activation is necessary when you distribute an application that will be locked to a particular end user's machine, or when the expiration date depends on the activation date. Otherwise, license activation is not usually necessary.
Fully automating license activation
We highly recommend using LM-X together with License Activation Center (LAC) for the ultimate solution to license activation, particularly for managing greater numbers of activations. LAC provides an efficient license activation solution that lets you quickly and easily generate licenses and activation keys for end users. LAC gives end users a means to activate their own licenses, without your intervention.
How LAC works
LAC provides a web-based SOAP API that can be used across many programming languages and streamlines communication between LAC and other applications. The SOAP APIs are separated into the Vendor API and End-user API. The former is used for the administration of licenses, including managing customers or license orders, whereas the latter is used to enable end users to activate licenses by means of an activation key and, if relevant, HostID parameters. However, using End-user API is sufficient to activate a license.
With LAC, you can automate license activation for end users thanks to two smart solutions that can be built in the vendor’s application. One such tool, License Activator, enables license activation on Windows, letting your end users:
Activate a license over the internet by entering the activation key obtained from you
Browse for and use an existing license file that has already been activated
Optionally (if provided by you), run the software as a trial without requiring license activation. In this case, you will see a “Run as 30-day Trial” option when you start License Activator
License Activator will also let your end users export the current computer’s HostIDs to a file.
Apart from License Activator, LAC includes a command line utility, lacutil, that lets you activate a license from a command line on a number of OS. You can retrieve HostIDs and send them as a part of the activation request, as well as specify proxy information.
You can also activate your license manually, or partially automate your license activation, as described in Different approaches to license activation.