Dynamically transferring license administrative responsibilities from a license server to one or more other license servers

• US 7,137,114 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Checca, Ronald P., Rich, Marvin J., Mellors, William K., Joe, Soon I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US10/317,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 717170-178, 707203-204, 709/203
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/101 applying security measures for digital rights management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

At least a portion of the administrative responsibilities of one license server is transferred from the one license server to one or more other license servers. These responsibilities include the management of software licenses. This transfer is performed dynamically, such that vendor authorization, at the time of the transfer, is not needed. Further, the transfer of the administrative capabilities can occur prior to the expiration of the licenses being administered.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of facilitating the transfer of license administrative responsibilities, said method comprising:

administering by one license server of a computing environment one or more licenses;

determining that ownership of at least one license of the one or more licenses is to be moved from the one license server to another license server of the computing environment; and

dynamically transferring from said one license server to the another license server administrative responsibility for the at least one license of the one or more licenses, wherein ownership of the at least one license is relinquished by the one license server and assumed by the another license server, said another license server being selected by an entity other than a vendor of the license, and wherein the transferring ensures multiple administrators of the at least one license is avoided.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said dynamically transferring comprises transferring the administrative responsibility absent renegotiation with a vendor of the at least one license of which license server is to administer the at least one license.

3. The method of claim 1, where the dynamically transferring comprises:

receiving acknowledgment from a vendor of the at least one license that a transfer is to take place; and

subsequently, sending information of the at least one license from the one license server to the another license server in order to enable the another license server to administer the at least one license.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically transferring occurs prior to expiration of the at least one license.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering a dynamic mode of operation for the one license server to enable the dynamically transferring.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the dynamic mode of operation is entered, in response to expiration of a defined amount of time in which administration of the at least one license is tied to the one license server.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising re-entering by the one license server a static mode of operation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically transferring comprises:

invalidating at least one license file corresponding to the at least one license prior to transferring the at least one license, the invalidating occurring at a time prior to expiration of the at least one license; and

creating by the another license server at least one other license file to include the at least one license, wherein the invalidating and creating ensure the at least one license is not administered by multiple license servers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one license server includes code to enable the dynamically transferring, and wherein the dynamically transferring includes transferring the administrative responsibility absent a seeking of authorization from a vendor of the at least one license outside of using the code.

10. A system of facilitating the transfer of license administrative responsibilities, said system comprising:

a license server of a computing environment to dynamically transfer from the license server to another license server of the computing environment administrative responsibility for at least one license of the license server, the transfer being in response to a determination that ownership of the at least one license is to be moved from the one license server to the another license server, and wherein ownership of the at least one license is relinquished by the one license server and assumed by the another license server, said another license server being selected by an entity other than a vendor of the license, and wherein the transferring ensures multiple administrators of the at least one license is avoided.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the license server is further adapted to receive acknowledgment from a vendor of the at least one license that a transfer is to take place;

and to subsequently, send information of the at least one license to the another license server in order to enable the another license server to administer the at least one license.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the dynamically transferring occurs prior to expiration of the at least one license.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising means for entering a dynamic mode of operation for the license server to enable the dynamically transferring.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the dynamic mode of operation is entered, in response to expiration of a defined amount of time in which administration of the at least one license is tied to the license server.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein to dynamically transfer:

at least one license file corresponding to the at least one license is invalidated prior to transferring the license, the invalidating occurring at a time prior to expiration of the at least one license; and

at least one other license file is created by the another license server and includes the at least one license, wherein the invalidating and creating ensure the at least one license is not administered by multiple license servers.

16. At least one program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of facilitating the transfer of license administrative responsibilities, said method comprising:

administering by one license server of a computing environment one or more licenses;

determining that ownership of at least one license of the one or more licenses is to be moved from the one license server to another license server of the computing environment; and

dynamically transferring from one license server to another license server administrative responsibility for the at least one license of the one license server, wherein ownership of the at least one license is relinquished by the one license server and assumed by the another license server, said another license server being selected by an entity other than a vendor of the license, and wherein the transferring ensures multiple administrators of the at least one license is avoided.

17. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, wherein the dynamically transferring comprises:

receiving acknowledgment from a vendor of the at least one license that a transfer is to take place; and

subsequently, sending information of the at least one license from the one license server to the another license server in order to enable the another license server to administer the at least one license.

18. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, wherein the dynamically transferring comprises:

invalidating at least one license file corresponding to the at least one license prior to transferring the license, the invalidating occuring at a time prior to expiration of the at least one license; and

creating by the another license server at least one other license file to include the at least one license, wherein the invalidating and creating ensure the at least one license is not administered by multiple license servers.

19. The at least one program storage device of claim 16, wherein said method further comprises entering a dynamic mode of operation for the one license server to enable the dynamically transferring.

20. The at least one program storage device of claim 19, wherein the dynamic mode of operation is entered, in response to expiration of a defined amount of time in which administration of the at least one license is tied to the one license server.