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hardware key

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hardware key
Also called a "dongle," it is a software copy protection device that plugs into the USB port of the computer. Upon startup, the application looks for the key and will run only if the key contains the appropriate code. Typically used for expensive software, hardware keys are very effective copy protection devices, because they cannot be duplicated by the user.

Earlier Keys Dangled
The first hardware keys plugged into the serial or parallel ports and acted as pass-throughs so that other keys or peripheral devices could also use the port. In fact, the nickname "dongle" was derived from multiple hardware keys "dangling" off the back of the computer. See DMCA and PC Card dongle.

Parallel Hardware Key
Parallel port keys provide a pass-through so that additional keys or a peripheral device can be plugged in.


Inside a Parallel Key
This shows the electronics inside the Sentinel hardware key, originally made by Rainbow Technologies. (Image courtesy of SafeNet, Inc., www.safenet-inc.com)


From Parallel to USB
Hardware keys have migrated from the disappearing parallel port to the ubiquitous USB port. This message from the General CADD installation program highlights this migration.

hardware key [′här‚dwer ‚kē]
(computer science)


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1 Driverless Hardware Key Thanks to the HID technology, your operation system will install the UniKey driver automatically.
About UniKey The UniKey Software License Management System is a combination of Hardware Key and Software.
Earlier versions of ID Vault have offered two-factor authentication using a combination of software and a hardware key, or "dongle.
 
 
 
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