License management system

A method for providing flexibility to a license management system, the license management system permitting a concurrent use of n copies of a software program over a network comprising a plurality of client workstations, each client workstation having a copy of the software program installed thereon requiring an authorisation from one of a plurality of S license servers each time the software program is used, the license management system requiring that at least a integer majority of the plurality of license servers is active at any time, the method comprising the step of:

• allowing an increase or decrease in the number of license servers;
• limiting the number of the plurality of license servers with respect to an initial number S so that the integer majority of a minimum number s1 of servers plus the integer majority of a maximum number s2 of servers is strictly greater than the maximum number s2 of servers;
• and
• wherein n, s1, s2 are positive integers.

A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium for allowing, in a network comprising a plurality of client workstations having a software program installed thereon, and an initial plurality of S license servers, a concurrent use of a maximum number n of copies of the software program, each client workstation requiring an authorisation from one of the license servers before using the software program, the computer program product requiring that at least an integer majority of the plurality of license servers is active at any time, the computer program product comprising:

• computer readable program code means for allowing an increase or decrease in the number of license servers;
• computer readable program code means for limiting the number of the plurality of license servers with respect to the initial number S so that the integer majority of a minimum number s1 of servers plus the integer majority of the maximum number s2 of servers is strictly greater than the maximum number s2 of servers;
• and
• wherein, s1, s2 are positive integers.