What is a hardware lock device?
Hardware lock devices or “dongles” are hardware modules that connect to your computer and communicate with software running on the computer in such a way that the software will not function fully or at all without the hardware lock device attached. The most common type of hardware lock device attaches to the printer port and provides a “pass-through” port to connect a printer cable. Hardware lock devices usually incorporate some kind of algorithmic encryption in their on-board micro-electronic circuitry; in some models of hardware locks these encryption algorithms can be very advanced. Many hardware locks also provide some amount of onboard non-volatile memory for the software to access. Some lock devices even have real-time clocks to keep track of date and time information, such as when an application’s temporary or demo license is set to expire.
