Technique for monitoring for license compliance for client-server software

• US 6,056,786 A
• Filed: 07/11/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rivera, Angel, Ruby, Samuel Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Choules, Jack M.
• Application Number:
  US08/893,493
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 395/712, 709/229
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect

Abstract

A technique for determining the number of users or client computers which transact with a server program during a given period of time. The technique is used to ensure that more users or client computers are not transacting with the server program than operative program licenses allow. The technique is embodied in a license management routine that reads and parses data entries in the server program'"'"'s audit log to determine the number of users or client computers transacting with the server program over a time period. Client-server computing environments that record transactions in an audit log can employ this technique to monitor server program usage and to ensure that the appropriate number of client program licenses are obtained.

Claims

1. Computer readible code stored on media for determining client usage in a client-server computing environment having a server program and at least one client program, comprising:

first subprocesses for establishing a time period for which to review an audit log of the server program for transaction entries;

second subprocesses for locating a first transaction entry recorded in the audit log for the time period and reading the first transaction entry;

third subprocesses for determining whether the first transaction entry represents usage of the server program by a unique client not already counted, and, if so, counting the first transaction entry;

fourth subprocesses for repeating said second and third subprocesses for each remaining transaction entry recorded in the audit log for the time period; and

fifth subprocesses for generating a report regarding client usage during the time period.

2. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 1, further comprising:

sixth subprocesses for determining whether the number of counted transaction entries is greater than a number of client licenses that a licensee has obtained for the client programs.

3. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 1, wherein said first subprocesses further divides the time period into time intervals, said second subprocesses further determines the time interval during which each of the transaction entries was recorded, and said third subprocesses determines whether each of the transaction entries represents a unique client during the time interval during which the transaction entry was recorded, and if so, counting the transaction entry relative to the time interval during which the transaction entry was recorded.

4. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 3, further comprising:

seventh subprocesses for generating a report regarding client usage during each of the time intervals of the time period.

5. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 2, further comprising:

eighth subprocesses for alerting an administrator of the client-server computing environment that client usage is not in compliance with license terms if the number of counted transaction entries is determined to exceed the number of client licenses.

6. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 2, further comprising:

ninth subprocesses for alerting a software manufacturer of the server program that the licensee is not in conformance with license terms if said fifth subprocesses determines that the number of counted transaction entries is greater than the number of client licenses.

7. Computer readible code for determining client usage according to claim 5, further comprising:

tenth subprocesses for determining whether the licensee has come into compliance with the license terms after passage of a predetermined amount of time, and, if not, preventing the server program from performing any additional client transactions until compliance has been achieved.

8. In a client-server computer environment including a server program operating on a server computer and a plurality of associated client programs operating on client computers, a method for determining whether a licensee of the client programs is in conformance with license terms regarding client program usage, comprising the steps of:

establishing a time period for which to review an audit log of the server program in which entries regarding client program transactions with the server program are recorded;

determining which entry in the audit log was the first entry which occurred in the time period;

reading the first entry;

determining whether the read entry represents usage of the server program by a unique client not already counted, and if so, counting the read entry;

repeating said reading and second determining steps for each remaining entry recorded for the time period; and

alerting an administrator if the counted read entries exceed a number of client licenses.

9. A method for determining client usage according to claim 8, wherein said establishing step further divides the time period into time intervals, said reading step further determines the time interval during which the read transaction occurred, and said second determining step further determines whether the read transaction entry represents a unique usage during the time interval during which the transaction entry occurred, and if so, counting the transaction entry relative to the time interval during which the transaction entry occurred.

10. A system for determining a number of clients transacting with a server program in a client-server computing environment, said system comprising:

means for establishing first time period for which to review a log of transaction entries of a server program for client transactions with the server program;

means for locating an earliest transaction entry in the log which occurred during the time period;

means for reading the located transaction entry and determining whether the earliest transaction entry represents a usage of the server program by a unique client which has not already been counted, and, if so, counting the located transaction entry;

means locating each subsequent transaction entry which occurred during the time period and for repeating said reading and determining means relative to each said subsequent transaction entry; and

means for generating a report regarding client usage.

11. A system for determining a number of clients transacting with a server program according to claim 10, wherein said reading means further comprises recording a user identification and client computer identification combination in a file for each transaction entry which represents a unique client which has not been counted and comparing the user identification and client computer identification combination to those already recorded in the file to determine whether the located transaction entry has been counted.

12. A system for determining a number of clients transacting with a server program according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for determining whether the number of counted transactions entries is greater than a number of client licenses purchased by a licensee, and, if so, alerting a manufacturer.