Installing Contribute for Multiple Users

It's one thing to install a software program for yourself; it's quite another to install the same program for a host of users. Depending on the size and network connectivity of your organization, you can take one of two approaches when rolling out Contribute:

• Manual installation. If you're working with a relatively small group of Contribute users and a number of separate Contribute packages have been purchasedit's probably easiest to distribute the CD-ROMs and have users install the program themselves. If you are concerned about their ability to perform the installation, or if security issues exist, you should install the software yourself one package at a time. Naturally, if your group is dispersed over a region or across the country, you probably need to distribute the CD-ROMs to the individuals and let them install the program.

• Network installation. If your working group is networked, you can post the Contribute installer in an accessible location and have each user install from the server. This type of installation is a major time-saver for the IT department (or the group that is handling the installation) and can result in substantial cost savings. Although the technical requirements for handling this type of installation are minimalit requires only that the user know the network path to the installer programsome novice users might balk at the unfamiliarity of not having a CD-ROM to insert.

Tip

The network approach is best if you're working with a customized installation.

With either technique, you'll also have to distribute serial numbers for each installation. If you're using the manual method, the serial number is written on a label on each CD-ROM. For network installation, you'll have to communicate a valid serial number to each user via email, fax, or letter.

If you're rolling out Contribute as part of the Macromedia Web Publishing System, you'll receive a single package containing three CD-ROMs: one for Contribute 3, another for Studio MX 2004, and a third for Contribute Publishing Services. Depending on the configuration you bought (10-pack, 50-pack, or 100-pack), you'll receive a serial number for each of the programs included. As administrator, it's your responsibility to distribute and keep track of the serial numbers used. Macromedia's activation implementation restricts the number of systems using its tools to the number of licenses available. In general, this means that if you purchase a 10-pack Web Publishing System, Contribute 3 and FlashPaper 2 can be installed on 10 machines, whereas both Studio MX 2004 and Contribute Publishing Services can only be installed on one machine. However, if one of your Contribute users leaves the organization and you need to install the Contribute software on another user's machine, you can transfer the license from within Contribute by choosing Help > Transfer My Software License.