Chapter 7. Configuring Activation Keys

Activation keys define selected properties of content hosts. You can use activation keys during content host registration to improve the speed, simplicity and consistency of the process. Activation can specify:
  • Associated subscriptions and subscription attach behavior.
  • Available products and repositories.
  • A life cycle environment and a content view.
  • Host collection membership.
The same activation key can be applied to multiple content hosts, as long as it contains enough subscriptions. However, activation keys only set the initial configuration for a content host. When it is registered to an organization, other content which that organization possesses can be attached to the content host manually.
A content host can be associated with multiple activation keys that are combined to define the host settings. In case of conflicting settings, the last specified activation key takes precedence.
Note that activation keys are only used when hosts are registered. If changes are made to an activation key, it is only applicable to hosts that are registered with the amended activation key in the future. The changes are not made to existing hosts.

7.1. Creating an Activation Key

This section describes how to create an activation key.

Procedure 7.1. To Create an Activation Key:

  1. Click Content → Activation keys.
  2. Click New Activation Key. Perform the following actions:
    1. Specify the activation key name. This setting is required.
    2. Optionally, clear the Unlimited Hosts check box if you want to limit the number of host that can be associated with the activation key. Specify the number in the Limit field. .
    3. Optionally, enter a suitable description in the Description field. You can also select the Environment and Content View to which this key should apply. For host registration, select a content view that has the Satellite Tools repository enabled.
  3. Click Save to create the activation key.