Platform and method for dynamic software license

• US 9,104,844 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: Fang, Tien-Chin, Tsai, Ching-Yu, Chen, Ming-Jen, Yang, Hung-Yu, Lin, Chia-Hung, Lee, Chen-Chung
• Primary Examiner(s): RAHIM, MONJUR
• Application Number:
  US13/565,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level

Abstract

A platform and a method for dynamic software license are disclosed. The dynamic software license platform comprises a license pool, a register manager, a user configure unit and a license manager. The register manager receives a software application from a user end. The user configure unit grants a setting permission to the user end in response to the software application, and allows the user end to submit a license setting according to the setting permission. The license manager adds the software license provided by the software supplier to the license pool, and dynamically provides the software license from the license pool unit according to the license setting.

Claims

1. A dynamic software license platform, comprising:

a license pool;

a register manager used for receiving a request from a user end to use a piece of software;

a user configure unit used for granting a permission to the user end in response to the request, to thereby allow the user end to submit a license setting that indicates a scope of the use desired by the user end; and

a license manager used for adding a software license provided by a supplier of the piece of software to the license pool, and dynamically providing the software license from the license pool to the user end according to the license setting submitted by the user end;

wherein the license setting from the user end indicates whether the software license is provided to either of a computer host of the user end and a virtual machine in the dynamic software license platform; and

wherein, when a number of software licenses required by the user end is greater than a number of the software licenses of the license pool, a highest priority user gets the software license and ordinary priority users share remaining software licenses according to a request order of the ordinary priority users.

2. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, further comprising:

a virtual machine pool unit comprising a plurality of virtual machines (VM);

a virtual machine manager used for managing the virtual machines to provide a virtual machine service; and

a use management unit used for determining whether to provide the virtual machine service to the user end according to the license setting submitted by the user end.

3. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 2, wherein the virtual machine manager installs the corresponding software of the software license to the virtual machines and updates the software installation information of the virtual machines.

4. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 2, wherein the virtual machine service refers to the actions that the virtual machine manager sets a virtual machine authorization to the user end, and that the virtual machine manager checks whether the authorization of the virtual machine expires and cancels the authorization of the virtual machine when the authorization of the virtual machine expires.

5. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, wherein the register manager sets a software expiring date, and inquires of the user end whether to extend the software expiring date before the software expiring date expires.

6. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, further comprising:

a management database; and

a report manager used for generating a use report according to the use record of the software license, and storing the use record of the software license to the management database.

7. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, wherein the register manager checks whether the software license expires, and removes the software license from the license pool if the software license expires.

8. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 7, wherein the register manager cancels the permission of the user end when the software license expires.

9. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, wherein the license setting comprises a list of equipment using the software, and the distribution and the specified effective date of the software license.

10. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, wherein the license manager checks whether the number of software licenses required by the user end is smaller than the number of software licenses of the license pool, and when the number of software licenses required by the user end is smaller than the number of software licenses of the license pool, the number of software licenses required by the user end is subtracted from the number of software licenses of the license pool.

11. The dynamic software license platform according to claim 1, wherein the license manager sets priority level for each user at the user end according to the license setting, in order to determine each user'"'"'s priority in getting the software license.