How many users may have access to the customer area per license?

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HittingSmoke

Active member
I'm managing two forum projects, one is trialing XF currently while the other is on vB and looking to migrate. With vB users can be added to the license so the entire tech team can download addons from the web site or roll out software updates without sharing login credentials or waiting for a single person to download and share all of the desired content.

How many users can be added to a license in XF? I require at least two people on the license for the new project and three on the license for the existing vB forum I wish to migrate.

This would be a great thing to have in the pre-purchase FAQ.
 
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Only one person can access customer accounts, unless of course you give them your email and password.

You can however add multiple forum users to each license so they can access resources and post in the customer forums.

This is already stated in the FAQ:

Why can't I post, view or download attachments in the customer forums?
These forums are restricted to licensed customers only. Up to four forum user names can be associated with each customer account, enabling license owners to grant access for their site staff.
 
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Brogan said:
Only one person can access customer accounts, unless of course you give them your email and password.

You can however add multiple forum users to each license so they can access resources and post in the customer forums.

This is already stated in the FAQ:

Why can't I post, view or download attachments in the customer forums?
These forums are restricted to licensed customers only. Up to four forum user names can be associated with each customer account, enabling license owners to grant access for their site staff.
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Yikes, apologies. I somehow skipped over that one and only read the one below it. Thanks.
 
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No problem.

With the current set up it means only the license holder can download XenForo software and official add-ons, whereas any associated users can also download third party add-ons hosted here on xenforo.com.
 
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Brogan said:
No problem.

With the current set up it means only the license holder can download XenForo software and official add-ons, whereas any associated users can also download third party add-ons hosted here on xenforo.com.
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Thanks. So I'm assuming there are no issues with sharing login credentials then? As in, we won't be getting any notices about multiple IPs connecting to the same account? The site owner is going to be making the purchases on the account for the license and paid addons and I will be doing nearly 100% of the tech work to get it up and running. Likewise, for the vB install the money man will be purchasing all licenses and another admin and I will be doing the tech work.

I've experienced this issue with other projects in the past and had the account locked because of IPs from different parts of the country connecting because of multiple team members needing access.
 
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We don't have any IP things in place but ultimately you're responsible for whoever accesses/uses your license. Taking the worst case, but if they engage in some sort of bad behavior, that may effect the state of your license (for example).
 
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HittingSmoke said:
Thanks. So I'm assuming there are no issues with sharing login credentials then? As in, we won't be getting any notices about multiple IPs connecting to the same account? The site owner is going to be making the purchases on the account for the license and paid addons and I will be doing nearly 100% of the tech work to get it up and running. Likewise, for the vB install the money man will be purchasing all licenses and another admin and I will be doing the tech work.

I've experienced this issue with other projects in the past and had the account locked because of IPs from different parts of the country connecting because of multiple team members needing access.
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If you're doing the tech work, perhaps you should just be an associated user. The terms do not state that only one user may use your account, however I imagine that the rule may be implied and not explicitly stated.
 
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James said:
If you're doing the tech work, perhaps you should just be an associated user. The terms do not state that only one user may use your account, however I imagine that the rule may be implied and not explicitly stated.
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Yeah, that was what I was thinking. Have one person responsible for downloading the xF updates/software itself. They can then put it out on one of their servers in case the other admins needed to access it. All other "technical" users would be associates and able to access the resources.
 
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**sigh** This is the business model that finally caused me to kick IPB to the curb. I was always under the impression that if I added someone to the account, they would be able to download software updates in the event I was out of pocket. I don't share account logins, and really shouldn't need to for a member of my staff to act in my absence. Especially if I've added them to the account on XF.
 
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Biker said:
**sigh** This is the business model that finally caused me to kick IPB to the curb. I was always under the impression that if I added someone to the account, they would be able to download software updates in the event I was out of pocket. I don't share account logins, and really shouldn't need to for a member of my staff to act in my absence. Especially if I've added them to the account on XF.
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Why can't this other staff member just give you the funds to pay for it? I don't think it's in the interests of XF to allow up to 5 associated users the ability to download copies of their software. That increases the risk of piracy dramatically.
 
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Biker said:
**sigh** This is the business model that finally caused me to kick IPB to the curb. I was always under the impression that if I added someone to the account, they would be able to download software updates in the event I was out of pocket. I don't share account logins, and really shouldn't need to for a member of my staff to act in my absence. Especially if I've added them to the account on XF.
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I do have to agree, it is odd they can download 3rd party mods but not the core. IPB and vB both do it too, only the account holder can download the core but up to 5 ppl can d/l from vB.org just like you can the RM here.
 
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Mike Edge said:
I do have to agree, it is odd they can download 3rd party mods but not the core. IPB and vB both do it too, only the account holder can download the core but up to 5 ppl can d/l from vB.org just like you can the RM here.
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Yeah, I wondered about this when I was making my original point. I imagine the access to third-party add-ons is provided on the basis that you trust your admins to be able to install these add-ons in your absence. Add-ons are also not technically part of XF so they don't suffer from any loss of income if add-ons are pirated - as cruel as that may sound.

I, personally, wouldn't like an associated user on my licence to install software updates without my knowledge. I'd prefer to upload the newer version to FTP and let my tech take it from there.
 
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James said:
Why can't this other staff member just give you the funds to pay for it? I don't think it's in the interests of XF to allow up to 5 associated users the ability to download copies of their software. That increases the risk of piracy dramatically.
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It's about team structure. An owner would like to keep the licensing and ownership under under his own umbrella while still allowing the tech team to work autonomously without requiring his intervention. Someone shouldn't have to download then Dropbox a critical security patch to get it to his tech team. They should be able to get on that immediately without waiting. It's just putting an unnecessary step in the chain.

This is the same attitude that's fueling the pro-piracy movement. Inconveniencing paying customers in some misguided attempt at thwarting privacy doesn't work. XenForo is already pirated with impunity. You can download it lots of places with a catalog of the top addons ready to install. The people who say "This is a good product, I want to pay for it" shouldn't be met with walls intended to punish criminals. When you can point and say "Look, it's being pirated despite your efforts" you don't get to continue to claim it's a feature withheld to stop piracy. It becomes just arbitrary punishment of your paying customers.

All that said, I don't mind sharing a login as these aren't commercial ventures. These are both communities centered around a hobby where the owners don't mind paying for a quality product to make the hobby more enjoyable. We're not super serious. However...

If I personally were starting a company and needed to hire a team to push updates out I would definitely think twice about XF as a commercial venture is not an environment where I'd share login credentials. I wouldn't feel secure in knowing my web site wouldn't be subjected to a serious security vulnerability that my team wouldn't be able to patch if I was unable to access the internet when it came out. I go hiking and camping. Sometimes I spend days at a time disconnected from the internet doing remodeling or landscaping work. I should feel safe and secure knowing that the products I've paid for are providing the tools necessary to my tech team to immediately roll out important security hotfixes in a timely manner.

So ultimately, not an issue for me right now. I can see how it is a serious issue for others though.
 
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Morgain said:
Because it takes a while to ftp all those files and the owner might prefer to delegate it.
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It'd take just as long to upload to dropbox as it would to FTP it.

It's never going to be a unanimous decision. Licence holders have a responsibility to keep their licence secure so some may not wish to allow anyone the authority to download it. Others may need that authority in which case there is a compromise whereby you give them access to your account.
 
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James said:
It'd take just as long to upload to dropbox as it would to FTP it.

It's never going to be a unanimous decision. Licence holders have a responsibility to keep their licence secure so some may not wish to allow anyone the authority to download it. Others may need that authority in which case there is a compromise whereby you give them access to your account.
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Solution could be 3 opt in boxes when you add them to the list. 1) Allow access to licensed sections of forum. 2) Allow access to open and reply to support tickets. 3) Allow downloading of core files and updates.
 
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