Flexible license file feature controls

• US 20040054930A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Serkowski, Robert J., Walker, William T., Rhodes, James E., Gopalakrishna, Mohana Krishnan, Morgan, Lawrence J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00

Abstract

The present invention is directed to licensing data structures for telecommunication systems. The data structures comprise (a) a lock setting or status to permit the contents of the license file for an operational feature to take precedence over the corresponding translation information for the operational feature or to be used as a default setting if there is not corresponding translation information for the operational feature; (b) first and second value settings for an operational feature to permit a value associated with the operational feature to be set anywhere in the range defined by the first and second value settings; and (c) a right-to-use field for an operational feature that is separate from a setting field for the operational feature to provide flexibility in altering the setting field without deleting the operational feature. The present invention further provides a methodology for providing temporary licenses having different features enabled/disabled than a permanent license.

Claims

1. A data record for licensing a computational component, the computational component having configuration information different from the data record, comprising:

at least a first identifier for at least a first operational feature;

a first mode setting for the at least a first operational feature; and

a lock setting for the at least a first operational feature, wherein, when the lock setting has a first value, the first mode setting in the data record takes precedence over a second mode setting in the configuration information and, when the lock setting has a second value different from the first value, the second mode setting takes precedence over the first mode setting.

2. The data record of claim 1, wherein the first and second mode settings can each have at least two values, one of which enables the corresponding at least a first operational feature and the other of which disables the corresponding at least a first operational feature.

3. The data record of claim 1, wherein the computational component is associated with a telecommunications switch and/or server and the configuration file is stored in the switch and/or server.

4. The data record of claim 3, wherein the data record is stored at the switch and/or server.

5. The data record of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of a platform type, a serial number associated with the computational component, a platform identifier, an application name, a version, a license expiration date, and a right-to-use indicator.

6. The data record of claim 1, further comprising first and second value settings for at least a second operational feature.

7. The data record of claim 6, wherein the first operational feature is a Type I feature and the second operational feature is a Type II feature.

8. A method for configuring a computational component, comprising:

providing configuration information for configuring the computational component and license information for controlling use of the computational component within predetermined parameters, wherein the license information comprises at least a first identifier for at least a first operational feature, a mode setting for the at least a first operational feature, and a lock setting for the at least a first operational feature and

comparing the configuration information with the license information such that;

when the lock setting has a first value, the mode setting in the data record for the at least a first operational feature takes precedence over any corresponding mode setting in the configuration information and

when the lock setting has a second value different from the first value, any respective mode setting in the configuration information for the at least a first operational feature takes precedence over the corresponding mode setting in the data record.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mode setting can have at least two values, one of which enables the corresponding at least a first operational feature and the other of which disables the corresponding at least a first operational feature.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computational component is associated with a telecommunications switch and/or server and the configuration file is stored in the switch and/or server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data record is stored at the switch and/or server.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the data record further comprises a plurality of a platform type, a serial number associated with the computational component, a platform identifier, an application name, a version, a license expiration date, and a right-to-use indicator.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the data record further comprises at least a second identifier for at least a second operational feature and first and second value settings for the at least a second operational feature and the configuration information comprises a third value setting for the at least a second operational feature and further comprising:

comparing the configuration information associated with the at least a second operational feature with the license information associated with the at least a second operational feature such that;

when the third value setting is less than the first value setting, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a second operational feature;

when the third value setting is more than the second value setting, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a second operational feature; and

when the third value setting is between the first and second value settings, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a second operational feature.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first operational feature is a Type I feature and the second operational feature is a Type II feature.

15. A data record for licensing a computational component, comprising:

at least a first identifier for at least a first operational feature and

first and second value settings for the at least a first operational feature.

16. The data record of claim 15, further comprising configuration information associated with the computational component, the configuration information comprising a third value setting for the at least a first operational feature and wherein, when the third value setting is less than the first value setting or more than the second value setting, the first value setting is used in lieu of the third value setting and, when the third value setting is more than the first value setting and less than the second value setting, the third value setting is used in lieu of the first and second value settings.

17. The data record of claim 15, wherein the computational component has configuration information different from the data record and further comprising:

at least a second identifier for at least a second operational feature;

a mode setting for the at least a second operational feature; and

a lock setting for the at least a second operational feature, wherein, when the lock setting has a first value, the mode setting in the data record takes precedence over the configuration information and, when the lock setting has a second value different from the first value, the mode setting is a default value.

18. The data record of claim 16, wherein the mode setting can have at least two values, one of which enables the corresponding at least a second operational feature and the other of which disables the corresponding at least a second operational feature.

19. The data record of claim 16, wherein the computational component is associated with a telecommunications switch and/or server and the configuration file is stored in the switch and/or server.

20. The data record of claim 19, wherein the data record is stored at the switch and/or server.

21. The data record of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of a platform type, a serial number associated with the computational component, a platform identifier, an application name, a version, a license expiration date, and a right-to-use indicator.

22. The data record of claim 16, wherein the first operational feature is a Type II feature and the second operational feature is a Type I feature.

23. A method for configuring a computational component, comprising:

providing configuration information for configuring the computational component and license information for controlling use of the computational component within predetermined parameters, wherein the data record comprises at least a first identifier for at least a first operational feature and first and second value settings for the at least a first operational feature and the configuration information comprises a third value setting for the at least a first operational feature and further comprising;

comparing the configuration information associated with the at least a first operational feature with the license information associated with the at least a first operational feature such that;

when the third value setting is less than the first value setting, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a first operational feature;

when the third value setting is more than the second value setting, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a first operational feature; and

when the third value setting is between the first and second value settings, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a first operational feature.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the license information further comprises at least a second identifier for at least a second operational feature, a mode setting for the at least a second operational feature, and a lock setting for the at least a second operational feature and

comparing the configuration information with the license information such that:

when the lock setting has a first value, the mode setting in the data record for the at least a second operational feature takes precedence over any corresponding mode setting in the configuration information and

when the lock setting has a second value different from the first value, any respective mode setting in the configuration information for the at least a second operational feature takes precedence over the corresponding mode setting in the data record.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the mode setting can have at least two values, one of which enables the corresponding at least a second operational feature and the other of which disables the corresponding at least a second operational feature.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the computational component is associated with a telecommunications switch and/or server and the configuration file is stored in the switch and/or server.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the data record is stored at the switch and/or server.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the data record further comprises a plurality of a platform type, a serial number associated with the computational component, a platform identifier, an application name, a version, a license expiration date, and a right-to-use indicator.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the first operational feature is a Type II feature and the second operational feature is a Type I feature.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein in the comparing step further comprises the substep of:

when the first and second value settings are equal, selecting the first value setting as the setting for the at least a first operational feature.

31. A data record for licensing a computational component, comprising:

a right to use indicator associated with the at least a first operational feature and

at least one of a mode and value setting for the at least a first operational feature.

32. The data record of claim 31, wherein the mode setting can have at least two values, one of which enables the corresponding at least a first operational feature and the other of which disables the corresponding at least a first operational feature.

33. The data record of claim 31, wherein the computational component is associated with a telecommunications switch and/or server.

34. The data record of claim 31, further comprising a plurality of a platform type, a serial number associated with the computational component, a platform identifier, an application name, a version, a license expiration date, and a right-to-use indicator.

35. The data record of claim 31, comprising first and second value settings for the at least a first operational feature.

36. The data record of claim 35, wherein the at least a first operational feature is one of a Type I, II, and III feature.

37. The data record of claim 31, wherein the right to use indicator comprises a set of feature keywords corresponding to the at least a first operational feature.

38. A method for licensing a computational component, comprising:

providing a system record comprising first licensing information associated with a first set of operational features of the computational component;

receiving second licensing information associated with the first set of operational features, the first and second licensing information being different;

generating a temporary license file containing the second licensing information but not the first licensing information; and

maintaining the first licensing information in the system record.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

after a predetermined time, causing the temporary license file to expire; and

generating a permanent license file containing the first licensing information but not the second licensing information.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the temporary license file is replaced with the permanent license file.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the permanent license file has a later expiration date than the temporary license file.

42. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

replacing a permanent license file containing the first and not the second licensing information with the temporary license file.