Wiki Page: Custom Activation Groups

What are Custom Activation Groups?

Custom Activation Groups are site activation keys that allow your organization to provide users with valid licensing information without releasing your organization’s primary site activation key. Custom Activation Groups can be created for specific products with specific expiration dates within the product and date constraints of your license pool and SELECT agreement.

Utilizing a Custom Activation Group allows for the sub-division of your site’s license pool for distribution to various designated groups while also allowing for usage tracking. Application usage for Custom Activation Groups is recorded against the main site to which the key is created, and there are multiple reports available in the SELECTserver interface which can be used to view the usage data.

Who Can Use a Custom Activation Group?

Typically, Custom Activation Groups are utilized by organizations that have internal departments sharing a license pool but want to limit the applications available to each group. However, Custom Activation Groups can be utilized in many other scenarios where your organization collaborates with others (such as contractors or project participants).

Since a Custom Activation Group is just a type of sub-division of your organization’s license pool, the activation information can be used anywhere your primary site activation key can be used. Client machines will connect to your organization’s SELECTserver in order to activate.

• If your organization utilizes SELECTserver OnLine (Bentley Hosted server), then users will only need access to the internet.
• If your organization does not utilize SELECTserver Online, and maintains SELECTserver locally, your Site Administrator will be responsible for interfacing with your organization’s IT Support in order to grant users access to your SELECTserver.

How do I Create a Custom Activation Group?

Access to your organization’s SELECTserver Administration Page is required to create a Custom Activation Group. (For organizations utilizing SELECTserver OnLine, a Bentley Login and Password is required with the appropriate permissions.)

1. Navigate to your SELECTserver Administration Page. From the Navigation Bar, go to Site Configuration, then, Custom Activation Groups.

• If your SELECTserver manages multiple sites, choose the desired site from the “Select a site to configure” dropdown.

2. Click the New Group button.

3. A pop up box requesting the following information will appear.

• The Group ID will auto fill based on your site ID as well as the number of Custom Activation Groups you have already created, i.e. “Your Site ID-01,” “Your Site ID-02,” etc.
• The Activation Key will also auto populate with a unique sub-key that begins with the letters VS.

4. Enter a Group Name. (A Group Description is optional.)

5. Click the Check Box to select the applications available via the Custom Activation Group.

• If restrictions are not configured, then all of the site’s applications will be available for use.

• The products listed in the Application list will display based on the products available in your License Pool.
• It is not possible to restrict the quantity of licenses. The quantity of licenses available for each product will be the quantity available on the main site activation key.

How Do I activate with a Custom Activation Group?

Click here for detailed information on activating an application based on your organization’s SELECTserver configuration.