US 9,286,448 B2Granted

Enhanced software license management

OwnerGrant Philip Cushion, Peter Kwan +1inventors

InventorsGrant Philip Cushion, Peter Kwan, Ajit Digambar Sabnis

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Abstract

Systems, methods, computer program product embodiments are provided for enhanced license management. An embodiment includes providing an asset management module for managing software license utilization in a computer processing environment, and allowing configuration of the asset management module to designate software license utilization based upon a containment level associated with virtualization capabilities of one or more computer processing systems within the computer processing environment.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for enhanced license management in a computer processing environment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a second computer processing environment, one or more software licenses allocated to the second computer processing environment, as received from one or more processors operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a first computer processing environment;
managing, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received software licenses across a virtualized computer processing system of the second computer processing environment;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, a containment level, wherein the containment level is one of a machine containment level, a partition containment level, or a resource containment level;
based on a determination, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the containment level is a physical machine, counting the processors for that determined physical machine and retrieving a physical machine identifier;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received licenses to a respective virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the assigned software licenses are used to operate a computer program within the virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, based on the containment level, a Quantity of licenses needed to operate the computer program in the second computer processing environment;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the determined Quantity of licenses to the one or more virtualized computer processing systems of the second computer processing environment as specified by the containment level;
and
running, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the computer program in the one or more virtualized computer systems of the second processing environment.

7 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, execution of which, by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a processor operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a second computer processing environment, one or more software licenses allocated to the second computer processing environment, as received from one or more processors operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a first computer processing environment;
managing, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received software licenses across a virtualized computer processing system of the second computer processing environment;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, a containment level, wherein the containment level is one of a machine containment level, a partition containment level, or a resource containment level;
based on a determination, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the containment level is a physical machine, counting the processors for that determined physical machine and retrieving a physical machine identifier;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received licenses to a respective virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the assigned software licenses are used to operate a computer program within the virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, based on the containment level, a quantity of licenses needed to operate the computer program in the second computer processing environment;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the determined Quantity of licenses to the one or more virtualized computer processing systems of the second computer processing environment as specified by the containment level;
and
running, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the computer program in the one or more virtualized computer systems of the second processing environment.

7 more elements

A system for enhanced license management, the system comprising:

a first computer processing system;
and
a second computer processing system comprising an asset management module operating on a processor of one or more virtualized computer processing systems of the second computer processing system;
A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, execution of which, by the second computing processing system, causes the second computing processing system to perform operations comprising:
receiving one or more software licenses allocated to the second computer processing environment, as received from one or more processors operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a first computer processing environment;
managing the received number of software licenses across a virtualized computer processing system of the second computer processing environment;
determining a containment level, wherein the containment level is one of a machine containment level, a partition containment level, or a resource containment level;
based on a determination that the containment level is a physical machine, count the processors for that determined physical machine and retrieving a physical machine identifier;
assigning the received licenses to a respective virtualized computer processing system;
determining that the assigned software licenses are used to operate a computer program within the virtualized computer processing system;
determining a quantity of licenses needed to operate the computer program in the second computer processing environment based on the containment level;
assigning the determined Quantity of licenses to the one or more virtualized computer processing systems of the second computer processing environment as specified by the containment level;
and
running the computer program in the one or more virtualized computer systems of the second processing environment.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A method for enhanced license management in a computer processing environment, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a second computer processing environment, one or more software licenses allocated to the second computer processing environment, as received from one or more processors operating on one or more virtualized computer processing systems in a first computer processing environment;
managing, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received software licenses across a virtualized computer processing system of the second computer processing environment;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, a containment level, wherein the containment level is one of a machine containment level, a partition containment level, or a resource containment level;
based on a determination, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the containment level is a physical machine, counting the processors for that determined physical machine and retrieving a physical machine identifier;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the received licenses to a respective virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, that the assigned software licenses are used to operate a computer program within the virtualized computer processing system;
determining, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, based on the containment level, a Quantity of licenses needed to operate the computer program in the second computer processing environment;
assigning, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the determined Quantity of licenses to the one or more virtualized computer processing systems of the second computer processing environment as specified by the containment level;
and
running, by the processor operating on the one or more virtualized computer processing systems in the second computer processing environment, the computer program in the one or more virtualized computer systems of the second processing environment.

7 more elements