Vendor software activation using distributed ledger
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsShibi Panikkar, Murali Devendranath
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Abstract
Techniques for managing activation of software, e.g., an operating system, in an information processing system are provided. For example, a method comprises the following steps. A data object is obtained for a system having an un-activated computer program stored thereon. The data object comprises information about the system encrypted by a private value. The method then causes the data object to be securely stored on a distributed ledger for subsequent access during a process to activate the computer program.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving a private value and an identifier from a system having an un-activated computer program stored thereon;
- obtaining from a distributed ledger a data object corresponding to the identifier, wherein the data object comprises information about the system encrypted by the private value;
- attempting to decrypt the data object using the private value;
- and
- activating the un-activated computer program for use by the system when the private value successfully decrypts the data object;
- wherein the steps are performed by a processing device comprising a processor operatively coupled to a memory.
An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by a processing device causes the processing device to:
- receive a private value and an identifier from a system having an un-activated computer program stored thereon;
- obtain from a distributed ledger a data object corresponding to the identifier, wherein the data object comprises information about the system encrypted by the private value;
- attempt to decrypt the data object using the private value;
- and
- activate the un-activated computer program for use by the system when the private value successfully decrypts the data object.
An apparatus comprising:
- at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the at least one processing device, when executing program code, is configured to:
- receive a private value and an identifier from a system having an un-activated computer program stored thereon;
- obtain from a distributed ledger a data object corresponding to the identifier, wherein the data object comprises information about the system encrypted by the private value;
- attempt to decrypt the data object using the private value;
- and
- activate the un-activated computer program for use by the system when the private value successfully decrypts the data object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.