Method, system and computer program for hardware inventory in virtualized environments

• US 8,392,547 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: D'Alterio, Domenico, Mechelli, Marco, Perrone, Antonio, Salerno, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US11/532,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: 709212-226, 711147-153, 718/1, 718100-108
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

The invention proposes a solution for controlling logical guest machines, such as virtual machines or logical partitions, in a system management application (and especially in a licensing application). There is provided an enabler running in a physical host machine implementing the guest machines or in a corresponding console; this enabler gathers information relating to the hardware configuration of the host machine (which information is not available inside the guest machine). The hardware configuration information is then passed to a licensing agent of the guest machine; for example, the desired result may be achieved by means of dedicated variables or registry keys that are accessible without providing any user credentials. The licensing agent directly gathers other information, for example, indicating the software products that are used by the guest machine. The available information is then transmitted by the licensing agent to a runtime server for the correct management of the guest machine.

Claims

1. A method for managing licenses in a plurality of data processing target entities by a data processing control entity, the target entities consisting of logical guest entities implemented on at least one physical host entity, and wherein for each guest entity the method includes:

managing each guest entity by requiring physical configuration information and logical configuration information relating to the guest entity, wherein the host entity includes hardware resources, each guest entity implemented on the host entity being assigned at least part of the hardware resources, and wherein the physical configuration information is indicative of the hardware resources that are assigned to the guest entity;

gathering, during a period, the physical configuration information relating to the guest entity by an enabling module running in connection with the corresponding host entity;

causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity;

detecting a set of software products executing in the guest entity during the period;

selecting a subset of the set of software products such that a signature associated with a software product in the subset matches a second signature specified in a software catalogue downloaded in the guest entity from a licensing server, execution of the subset during the period forming the logical configuration information relating to the guest entity;

causing the transmission of the logical configuration information from a managing module to the data processing control entity; and

metering at the data processing control entity, a usage of a licensed software product in the guest entity using the physical configuration information during the period and the logical configuration information during the period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity includes:

passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module; and

transmitting the physical configuration information from the managing module to the data processing control entity.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein user credentials are required to access the guest entity, the step of passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module including:

writing the physical configuration information into a public memory area of the guest entity, the public memory area being accessible without requiring the user credentials.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity includes:

transmitting the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the guest entity is a virtual machine simulated by the host entity or a logical partition of the host entity.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metering the usage of the licensed software product further comprises:

determining that the licensed software product was included in the logical configuration information during the period;

determining that the licensed software product was utilizing hardware according to the physical configuration information during the period; and

charging a prescribed licensing fee for the usage of the licensed software product on a physical configuration according to the physical configuration information for the period.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the set of software products further comprises:

taking a snapshot of a set of processes executing in the guest entity;

accessing, for a process in the set of processes, an executable module corresponding to the process;

retrieving a set of attributes of the executable module.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the set of attributes of the executable module includes a checksum for the executable module.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the signature associated with the software product comprises the set of attributes of the executable module.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein selecting the subset of the set of software products further comprises:

finding that a value of an attribute in the set of attributes matches a second value in the second signature in the software catalogue;

concluding based on the finding, that the software product is the licensed software product;

selecting the licensed software product associated with the second signature in the software catalogue; and

including the licensed software product in the subset.

6. A licensing management system, comprising a computer usable non-transitory storage medium including computer usable code, for managing a plurality of data processing target clients by a data processing control server, the target clients consisting of logical guest machines implemented on at least one physical host machine, and wherein the system includes:

an enabling module and a managing module for managing each guest machine by requiring physical configuration information and logical configuration information relating to the guest machine, wherein the host machine includes hardware resources, each guest machine implemented on the host machine being assigned at least part of the hardware resources, and wherein the physical configuration information is indicative of the hardware resources that are assigned to the guest machine;

the enabling module running in connection with each host machine for gathering, during a period, the physical information relating to each guest machine implemented on the host machine and for causing the transmission of the physical information to the data processing control server;

a monitoring module running in each guest machine for detecting a set of software products executing in the guest machine during the period;

the managing module running in each guest machine for selecting a subset of the set of software products such that a signature associated with a software product in the subset matches a second signature specified in a software catalogue downloaded in the guest machine from a licensing server, execution of the subset during the period forming the logical configuration information relating to the guest machine;

the managing module running in each guest machine for causing the transmission of the logical information to the data processing control server; and

the data processing control server for metering a usage of a licensed software product in the guest machine using the physical configuration information during the period and the logical configuration information during the period.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control server includes:

passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module; and

transmitting the physical configuration information from the managing module to the data processing control server.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein user credentials are required to access the guest machine, passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module including:

writing the physical configuration information into a public memory area of the guest machine, the public memory area being accessible without requiring the user credentials.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control server includes:

transmitting the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control server.

11. The system according to claim 6, wherein the guest machine is a virtual machine simulated by the host machine or a logical partition of the host machine.

7. A data processing system including a plurality of data processing target entities and a data processing control entity for managing licenses in the target entities, the target entities consisting of logical guest entities implemented on at least one physical host entity, and wherein the system includes:

a storage device including a storage medium, wherein the storage device stores computer usable program code;

a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code;

an enabling module and a managing module for managing each guest entity by requiring physical configuration information and logical configuration information relating to the guest entity, wherein the host entity includes hardware resources, each guest entity implemented on the host entity being assigned at least part of the hardware resources, and wherein the physical configuration information is indicative of the hardware resources that are assigned to the guest entity;

the enabling module running in connection with each host entity for gathering, during a period, the physical configuration information relating to each guest entity implemented on the host entity and for causing the transmission of the physical configuration information to the data processing control entity;

a monitoring module running in each guest entity for detecting a set of software products executing in the guest entity during the period;

the managing module running in each guest entity for selecting a subset of the set of software products such that a signature associated with a software product in the subset matches a second signature specified in a software catalogue downloaded in the guest entity from a licensing server, execution of the subset during the period forming the logical configuration information relating to the guest entity;

the managing module running in each guest entity for causing the transmission of the logical configuration information to the data processing control entity; and

the control server for metering a usage of a licensed software product in the guest entity using the physical configuration information during the period and the logical configuration information during the period.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity includes:

passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module; and

transmitting the physical configuration information from the managing module to the data processing control entity.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein user credentials are required to access the guest entity, passing the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the managing module including:

writing the physical configuration information into a public memory area of the guest entity, the public memory area being accessible without requiring the user credentials.

14. The system according to claim 7, wherein causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity includes:

transmitting the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein the guest entity is a virtual machine simulated by the host entity or a logical partition of the host entity.