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Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

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11–20 of 213 posts

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#12
post #9
post #2

yikes. having written aax plugins for a while, i have to say, i’m kind of surprised this came from AVID. from what it sounds like (having scraped the surface), it’s not their editing software (Pro Tools, et al.) but their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. i’m sure there are some very anxious engineers in the AVID offices today.

> but their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. Maybe Hollywood will learn that DRM hurts legitimate users. But they probably won't, I won't be shedding any tears either way.

Ironically film tools have some of the most stringent copy protection systems, and big studios break the licenses agreements without hesitation when they need to get something done.

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#13
post #2

yikes. having written aax plugins for a while, i have to say, i’m kind of surprised this came from AVID. from what it sounds like (having scraped the surface), it’s not their editing software (Pro Tools, et al.) but their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. i’m sure there are some very anxious engineers in the AVID offices today.

> their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. They're still using that? These things were successfully cracked in the nineties, I was convinced nobody uses hardware dongles anymore.

I believe the current generation is stronger.

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#14
post #2

yikes. having written aax plugins for a while, i have to say, i’m kind of surprised this came from AVID. from what it sounds like (having scraped the surface), it’s not their editing software (Pro Tools, et al.) but their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. i’m sure there are some very anxious engineers in the AVID offices today.

OT, what plugins? I’m a keen Pro Tools user!

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#15

Whats with this kneejerk advice? Honestly who turns off their macs? Are they talking about sleep mode?

I had an issue recently with Virtualbox which caused my iMac Pro to crash and power cycle. That, as well as certain Xcode updates (required by other software), meant I lost my 200+ days of workstation uptime.

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#16
post #2

yikes. having written aax plugins for a while, i have to say, i’m kind of surprised this came from AVID. from what it sounds like (having scraped the surface), it’s not their editing software (Pro Tools, et al.) but their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. i’m sure there are some very anxious engineers in the AVID offices today.

> their copy protection management tool/device driver - iLok. They're still using that? These things were successfully cracked in the nineties, I was convinced nobody uses hardware dongles anymore.

Oh, it's not just Avid. Some audio production software such as ReFX Nexus still uses a USB dongle. There is no way to use the software without it plugged in.

It also has a policy where if you damage the dongle, you have to buy again and get a 10% discount off the FULL price of the VST.

In the age of people gigging on laptops, I'm not entirely sure how they think they are gonna sell any more of them. I fancy it myself as it has quite a few 'familiar' sounds on it, but not with all the downsides.

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#18
post #15

Whats with this kneejerk advice? Honestly who turns off their macs? Are they talking about sleep mode?

I had an issue recently with Virtualbox which caused my iMac Pro to crash and power cycle. That, as well as certain Xcode updates (required by other software), meant I lost my 200+ days of workstation uptime.

> meant I lost my 200+ days of workstation uptime.

So nothing was lost except a world record?

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#19
post #8

Sounds unlikely to be a virus. Certificate expiry seems probable if it’s happened suddenly to everyone using this software and dongle.

Whatever it is, it's changing operating system settings, so not just certificate expiry:

https://twitter.com/MarcusPun/status/1176369954255331328/pho...

Re: Mysterious Avid Issue Knocks Out Mac Pro Workstations Across Hollywood

#20

Whats with this kneejerk advice? Honestly who turns off their macs? Are they talking about sleep mode?

i, as an app developer, have to reboot my mac atleast two times the week to get xcode back into a working state. not to sound like a jerk, but if you dont have to powercycle you prob not pushing your machine far enough
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