FIXED: iLok suddenly 100% broken on macOS Catalina

[mhschmieder]

So much for getting any music work done tonight; I just lost 90 minutes unsuccessfully trying to figure out why iLok just broke 100% on macOS Catalina (within the past day or two).

At first I thought my UVI World Suite v2 needed updating and/or UVI Workstation, and both did indeed have updates (which took eons to load) but that wasn't the issue. The iLok software did self-update a couple of days ago, so I went to their site but no news yet the current installer is older than the one that self-updated, so I ran it. No change of status.

The iLok license manager is A-OK. Yet any software using iLok says the products aren't licensed. I wonder if they made a change for Big Sur that breaks Catalina?

This is the sort of thing that scares people away from dongles for good, and hurts vendors that use them. I had time-sensitive work to do tonight and missed a promise to someone as there's no workaround when this sort of issue comes up.

I also wonder if its' related to their pre-announced downtime for iLok Cloud, scheduled for next weekend?

[monkey man]

The fact that your updated version is newer than the downloadable one suggests to me that it might be a beta or at least not quite ready for prime-time, Mark.

I disable automatic updates in all operating systems and apps precisely because of stuff like this. Kemper's Rig Manager's a good example. It'll update to the latest beta unless you tell it not to in Preferences.

I prefer to sit back and manually download and install updates only when absolutely-necessary. I'm running Licence Manager v5.0.3 still and it's just-fine, but I'm on High Sierra so I don't know how useful this version might be for you. I'm happy to send it to you if you'd like to try it.

[mhschmieder]

I'm running 5.3.2, which claims it's the latest version.

I may try uninstalling and then reinstalling, as I think that was the solution when last this happened a few years ago, but that always makes me nervous (I'll remove the iLok itself while doing this, so it doesn't accidentally erase the iLok, but it might require it to be plugged in).

Is it possible to run older versions of iLok License Manager when installing a brand-new iLok-licensed product? With eLicenser, you have to stay completely up-to-date due to how it manages its licensing database.

[mhschmieder]

Uninstalling, reinstalling, then re-synchronizing yet again, did the trick. This is also what Sweetwater recommends:

https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/ar ... -on-a-mac/

As I rarely have to uninstall for an iLok License Manager update, it's easy to forget that this is always recommended.

Probably it only becomes an issue when they do something that isn't backward compatible, such as Big Sur fixes.

I do wish that eval licenses didn't pop up every time; it makes me want to delete them all immediately (too annoying!).

As I brought nothing with me to NC and the Focusrite two-channel unit that I bought for here didn't have MIDI (I forgot to check as I didn't know this is no longer a basic feature of audio interfaces and the product page didn't show the back of the unit or the full specs!), I bought the SSL 2+ last week.

Not only does it have eval copies of several iLok-licensed plug-ins (possibly what triggered the overall problem), but my cancellation of the Slate subscription (which I've paid for without using for all three years that I've subscribed) also triggers annoying dialogs. Need to identify and delete all! It's easy to forget which ones I didn't already have perpetual licenses for.

[monkey man]

... the Slate subscription (which I've paid for without using for all three years that I've subscribed)...

Guilty here too mate. Subscribed since it was first offered 3 or 4 (or more?) years ago.

I may try uninstalling and then reinstalling, as I think that was the solution when last this happened a few years ago, but that always makes me nervous (I'll remove the iLok itself while doing this, so it doesn't accidentally erase the iLok, but it might require it to be plugged in).

Thanks for the tip, mate. I'd be inclined to disconnect the USB stick too.

Is it possible to run older versions of iLok License Manager when installing a brand-new iLok-licensed product? With eLicenser, you have to stay completely up-to-date due to how it manages its licensing database.

I've never had an issue that required an update, Mark, hence why I'm still on v5.0.3.