​​The Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC).
The CCDC websites use cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details about cookies and how to manage them, see our  cookie policy.

How to activate CCDC software without a direct internet connection on the system that it is installed on

Solution

If you do not have direct internet access from the computer you want to run CCDC software on, or the connection to our online activation servers is otherwise blocked, then you can complete activation by using the offline activation method. These are the steps you will need to carry out.

Obtaining a Licence Request File

On the computer where you are wanting to use CCDC Software, start the CCDC Software Activation tool and select the 'Activate Offline' tab. Enter your Activation Key and click the 'Generate Offline Request' button. You will be prompted to save a LicenceRequest.licreq file. Save this file and if necessary transer it to a location where you can access the internet.

Performing the Offline Activation

Go to https://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/licensing and log in if required. Enter the same activation key and customer id used to generate your Licence Request File. In the Licence Portal, click the 'Offlince Licence Activation' button. Select the LicenceRequest.licreq file you produced in step 1 and select 'Generate Licence'. If activation is successful you will be provided with a download of a Licence Response file. Save this file and transfer to the computer you are activating on.

If the activation step fails, some things to check are:

  • You are using the same activation key as used to generate the Licence Request File
  • Check you are selecting the correct Licence Request File and that it was produced recently. If in doubt, regenerate it.
  • Check you have activations available (the Your Licence tab will show you what activations you have used and how many are left)

If you continue to have problems, send your Licence Request File, customer id and activation key to admin@ccdc.cam.ac.uk who should be able to help further.

Applying the Licence Response File

Open up the CCDC Software Activation tool again and return to the 'Activate Offline' tab. Select the 'Apply Offline Response' button and select the file produced in step 2. Your activation should now be completed.