Understand Base Tier, Effective Tier, All Access, and Max Preview

This article distinguishes the underlying purchased/base tier from the currently usable effective tier, including Base Basic plus All Access or an active Max Preview becoming Effective Max without rewriting the base entitlement.

Current QCSB behavior

ItemCurrent behavior
Implementation baselineQC Storage Bridge 1.01.08
Current entitlementAuthorized-Domain based; no current customer-entered license key
Max PreviewOne-time 30-Day Max Preview; starts only from the explicit administrator action
Administrator tabsAbout, Support, Status, Settings, Storage Connections, Workspaces, Recovery Vault, Frontend Design, Frontend Text
Scheduled TasksEntitlement Revalidation 60m; Transfer Continuation 5m; Recovery Vault Cleanup 60m; Notification Delivery 5m

What you need to know

  • Basic includes Local storage and the first active Workspace. Pro adds FTP/SFTP, multiple Workspaces, advanced permissions, and background continuation. Max/All Access adds Google Drive, OneDrive, Private Connections, Recovery Vault management, and bulk operations.
  • A plan gate decides whether a feature exists at the current Effective tier. Joomla access and QCSB permission rules separately decide whether a particular user may use that feature.

How entitlement layers combine

TermCurrent QCSB behavior
Base tierThe underlying purchased/base QCSB tier. It is not rewritten merely because a temporary entitlement is active.
Effective tierThe tier QCSB may use right now after the Base tier plus valid All Access or Max Preview state is resolved.
All AccessCan make QCSB Effective Max while the All Access entitlement applies without changing the stored Base tier.
30-Day Max PreviewOne-time, server-authoritative temporary Max access started only by the explicit administrator action. Install, refresh, frontend use, and tasks do not silently start it.
After temporary access endsEffective capability falls to the valid underlying entitlement; higher-tier saved configuration is preserved rather than erased.

Verify the result

  • Status shows the expected Base tier and Effective tier.
  • Verification/domain state is current and the hourly Entitlement Revalidation task is healthy.
  • Stored Workspaces/connections remain intact if Effective tier falls.

Important limits and mistakes to avoid

  • Do not reintroduce obsolete key-entry or short-preview instructions; 1.01.08 uses Authorized Domains and the explicit one-time 30-Day Max Preview.

Community Discussion

For practical QCSB workflows and discussion with other Joomla site owners, visit the QC Storage Bridge Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.