Method for managing license of software program in storage system

• US 20040153416A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level

Abstract

In a storage system, a judgment is made as to whether respective programs installed in storage regions assigned to a plurality of channel control portions exchanging data input/output requests based on designated filenames with information processors connected to the storage system through a network are licensed or not. When a decision is made that the respective programs are licensed, the programs installed in the channel control portions in the storage system are managed to be controlled to be enabled to be used.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a storage system which includes channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions, said method comprising the steps of:

judging whether or not a license is set for a program installed in each of said storage regions assigned to first and second channel control portions of said channel control portions to allow said program to be used in each of said first and second channel control portions; and

performing control so that each of said first and second channel control portions can use said program when said license is set.

4. A method of controlling a storage system according to any one of claims 1 through 3, wherein setting is made so that processing executed by said first channel control portions is handed over to said second channel control portions when failure occurs in said first channel control portions.

2. A method of controlling a storage system which includes channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions, said method comprising the step of revoking licenses of a program set for first and second channel control portions of said channel control portions when uninstalling said program from said storage regions assigned to said first and second channel control portions.

3. A method of controlling a storage system which includes channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions;

said storage system holding a table for storing a first license number which is a number concerning licenses to allow said channel control portions to use a first program and which is the number of licenses that can be set for said channel control portions;

said method comprising the steps of;

extracting the number of channel control portions having said first program unlicensed in first and second channel control portions;

accepting entry of a license key for said first program when the extracted number is larger than said first license number;

storing a third license number in said table while obtaining said third license number by adding a second license number that can be newly set for said channel control portions based on said entry of said license key, to said first license number;

newly setting said licenses for unlicensed ones of said first and second channel control portions;

storing a fourth license number in said table while obtaining said fourth license number by subtracting the number of said newly set licenses from said third license number; and

performing control so that each of said first and second channel control portions can use said first program.

5. A method of controlling a storage system which includes channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions, said method comprising steps of:

installing a program to be executed by each of said channel control portions in each of said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions;

judging whether or not licenses of said program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions are set for said channel control portions respectively; and

performing control so that each of said channel control portions in said storage system can use said installed program when a decision is made that licenses of said installed program are set for said channel control portions respectively.

6. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, wherein:

at least two of said channel control portions constitute a cluster;

said method further comprises the steps of;

judging whether or not licenses of said program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions constituting said cluster are set for said channel control portions respectively; and

performing control so that each of said channel control portions in said storage system can use said installed program when a decision is made that licenses of said installed program are set for said channel control portions respectively.

7. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

judging in advance whether contents of said program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions are uniform or not; and

controlling the way of execution of said program in all said channel control portions when a decision is made that any one of said contents of said installed program is not uniform.

8. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

judging in advance whether versions of said program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions are uniform or not; and

controlling the way of execution of said program in all said channel control portions when a decision is made that any one of said versions of said installed program is not uniform.

9. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 7, wherein the step of controlling the way of execution of said program in all said channel control portions includes the step of revoking the licenses of said program.

10. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 7, wherein the step of controlling the way of execution of said program in all said channel control portions includes the step of uninstalling said program.

11. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, further comprising the step of performing control so that said program cannot be used when a decision is made that said licenses of said installed program are not set for said channel control portions respectively.

12. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, further comprising the step of requesting license key registration of said program when a decision is made that said licenses of said installed program are not set for said channel control portions respectively.

13. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

setting licenses of said program for channel control portions having said program unlicensed when a required number of license keys are registered though a decision is made that said licenses of said program are not set for said channel control portions respectively; and

performing control so that each of said channel control portions in said storage system can use said installed program.

14. A method of controlling a storage system according to claim 12, further comprising the step of judging whether the license key is a license key already registered or not when registration of the license key for said program is requested.

15. A storage system comprising channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions, said storage system further comprising:

means for judging whether or not licenses of said program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions are set for said channel control portions respectively; and

means for performing control so that each of said channel control portions in said storage system can use said installed program when a decision is made that licenses of said installed program are set for said channel control portions respectively.

16. A recording medium which can be read by a computer and in which a program is stored in a storage system including channel control portions for exchanging data input/output requests based on designation of filenames with information processors connected to said storage system through a network, storage regions assigned to said channel control portions so as to be able to be accessed by said channel control portions respectively, and storage devices provided with said storage regions, wherein said program provides:

a function for judging whether licenses of a program installed in said storage regions assigned to said channel control portions are set for said channel control portions respectively; and

a function for performing control so that each of said channel control portions in said storage system can use said installed program when a decision is made that licenses of said program are set for said channel control portions respectively.