System and Method for Extracting Device Uniqueness to Assign a License to the Device

• US 20120317418A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Brundridge, Michael, Liu, Gang, Savage, Marshal F., Mothukupally, Sruthi, Rosser, Darrell, Dale, Jason C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,614,678 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/68 Special signature format, e.g. XML format
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/103 applying security measure for protecting copyright
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

An information handling system includes a device, a controller, and a license manager subsystem. The controller is configured to determine whether the device has a license assigned and to extract a unique identification for the device in response to a request for information about the device. The license manager subsystem is configured to send the request for information about the device to the controller, to send the unique identification for the device to a license server as a request for the license for the device, to receive the license from the license server, and to assign the license to the device when the license is received.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a device;

a controller in communication with the device, the controller configured to determine whether the device has a license assigned and to extract a unique identification for the device in response to a request for information about the device; and

a license manager subsystem in communication with the device and with the controller, the license manager subsystem configured to send the request for information about the device to the controller, to send the unique identification for the device to a license server as a request for the license for the device, to receive the license from the license server, and to assign the license to the device when the license is received.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the license manager subsystem is further configured to verify an encrypted signature of the license, to determine whether the license is bound to the device, and if the license is bound to a unique identification, to verify the device by comparing the unique identification of the device with the unique identification in the license.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the license manager subsystem is further configured to determine restrictions associated with the license.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the restrictions are that the license is bound to a specific platform, that the license is bound to a service tag or the unique identification, that the license has a time constraint, and combination thereof.

5. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the request is sent via an application programming interface wherein includes whether the device has the license assigned.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the license is received via the license being embedded in an email, via a web portal interface, via a license management tool, or any combination thereof.

7. A method comprising:

sending a request for information about a device in a server from a license manager subsystem to a controller of the server;

extracting, by controller, a unique identification for the device in response to the request for the information;

determining whether a license is assigned to the device based on the information about the device; and

if the device is not assigned the license, then returning the unique identification for the device the license manager subsystem, sending the unique identification for the device from the license manager subsystem to a license server as a request for the license for the device, receiving the license from the license server, and storing the license in a memory when the license is received.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether an import action is selected for the device in the server via a licensing graphical user interface; and

when the import action is selected;

expanding the licensing graphical user interface to display a file text box, a browse button, an apply button, and a cancel button;

opening an operating system file browser when the browse button is selected;

receiving a selection of a license file when the license file is highlighted;

copying a file name of the license file into a file input text box of the licensing graphical user interface when an open button of the operating system file browser is selected;

importing the license to the device in response to the apply button being selected;

verifying an encrypted signature of the license and determining whether the license is bound when the license is imported to the device;

if the license is bound to a unique identification, verifying the device by comparing the unique identification of the device with the unique identification in the license; and

assigning the imported license to the device.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining whether a delete action in a licensing graphical user interface is selected;

if the delete action is selected, removing the license from the specific device and un-assigning the license, otherwise determining whether a replace action in the licensing graphical user interface is selected;

if the replace action is selected, assigning a new license to the device, otherwise determining whether an export action in the licensing graphical user interface is selected; and

if the export action is selected, exporting the license is exported to an external memory.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

generating, by a license key generator of the license server, the license for the device based on the unique identification of the device;

signing, by the license key generator, the license with an encrypted signature;

including the unique identification of the device within the license; and

including restrictions for the license in the license based on licensing requirements of a manufacturer of the device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the request is sent via an application programming interface.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the restrictions are that the license is bound to a specific platform, that the license is bound to a service tag or the unique identification, that the license has a time constraint, and combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein binding the license to the specific platform causes the license to be valid only for a specific system identification, binding the license to a specific platform causes the license to be valid only for a specific platform generation, and binding the license to the service tag or unique identification causes the license to be valid only for the device with the service tag or the unique identification that matches the unique identification of the license.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the license is received via the license being embedded in an email, via a web portal interface, via a license management tool, or any combination thereof.

15. A method comprising:

connecting with a license manager subsystem of a server;

parsing, by the license manager subsystem, a license template to determine a device to locate;

locating the device within the server by matching a peripheral component interconnect identification of the device with a unique identification in the license template;

determining that the device located in the server is not assigned a license;

determining a unique identification of the device;

sending the unique identification of the device to the license manager subsystem;

returning, by the license manager subsystem, the unique identification of the device;

providing the unique identification of the device to a license key generator;

generating, by the license key generator, the license for the device using the unique identification of the device;

sending the license to the license manager subsystem; and

assigning the license to the device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

generating a hash and signing the license with an encrypted signature; and

validating, by the license manager subsystem, the license based on the hash and the encrypted signature.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the license manager is connected to near the end of the manufacturing of the server after a user has purchased the server.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the device is selected from a group consisting of a controller, a redundant array of independent disk, a network interface card, and host bus adaptor.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the license template includes a type of license, a time period for the license, whether the license is bound to the server or the device, or any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the unique identification is sent as part of a comprehensive embedded management license application programming interface.