ITPEC IP April 2024 Question 19
Which of the following is a term that means the validation of a software license by using the product ID and the user’s hardware information, in order to prevent unauthorized use of the software?
Explanation
Activation — validating the licence by combining the product ID with information about the user's hardware.
At installation or first start, the software sends its product ID (or product key) together with information identifying the PC's hardware to the vendor, usually over the Internet. The vendor checks that the licence is valid and not already in use on more machines than it allows, and only then unlocks the software. Because the licence is now tied to that hardware, the same product ID copied to other PCs fails the check, which prevents unauthorized use.
Answer (a)
Why not others:
- •(b) Cloud computing — using servers, storage and software over the Internet as services instead of owning them; it is a way of providing IT, not a licence check
- •(c) Streaming — playing audio or video while it is still being received over the network, without downloading the whole file first
- •(d) Fragmentation — files and free space on a disk broken into scattered pieces after repeated writing and deleting, which slows access
Key rule: The licence agreement says who may use the software and on how many machines; activation is the technical check that enforces it, by tying the licence to a product ID and a device.
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