Collector Device for Disconnected Network License Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software licensing systems face challenges in managing and auditing licenses, especially when channel partners are involved, leading to a lack of inventory visibility for vendors and customers, and difficulties in reconfiguring license usage across devices, particularly in secure networks that are disconnected from external networks.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based system that delegates authority from a license manager device to a collector device, allowing for the management and auditing of licenses in a disconnected network, enabling customers to maintain security while providing accurate profiles of registered products and entitlements, and allowing for the reallocation of entitlements across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional PAK-based licensing system is used with channel partners, then product distribution is enabled, but license inventory visibility is lost and compliance auditing becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a collector device as an intermediary component deployed at the customer's premises. This collector device receives PAKs from channel partners, registers hardware/software products, collects usage information, and communicates with the vendor's license manager. The collector device acts as a mediator that maintains the distribution ease of PAK-based systems while providing comprehensive license inventory visibility and automated compliance auditing, resolving the information loss problem.
2Reliability
If license keys are node-locked to single devices, then security is improved, but license flexibility and reconfiguration capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static node-locked license system into a dynamic entitlement-based system. Instead of permanently binding licenses to specific hardware nodes, the system uses entitlements that can be dynamically allocated, transferred, and reconfigured across different devices. The collector device manages these entitlements and provides authorization decisions that allow flexible license reconfiguration while maintaining security through centralized vendor control and authentication mechanisms.
3Reliability
If complete network dissociation is implemented for security, then security requirements are met, but licensing administration and communication with vendor becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The collector device serves as a critical intermediary that enables licensing administration in completely disconnected networks. It receives PAKs and manages license registrations locally, collects usage information from hardware/software products, and communicates with the vendor's license manager through minimal or periodic connections. This intermediary approach maintains strong network security by allowing operations within the disconnected network while enabling necessary licensing administration through the collector device's bridging capability.
4Ease of operation
If independent registration of each device is required, then device-specific control is achieved, but overall license management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the individual device registration processes into a unified management system. The collector device consolidates registration information from multiple hardware and software products into a single centralized database. Instead of managing licenses independently for each device, the system provides unified license management through the collector device, which handles all registrations, entitlement allocations, and compliance auditing in one integrated manner, reducing overall management complexity while maintaining device-specific control.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are provided for delegating authority over licenses to use computer products in a disconnected network. In one example, a collector device receives a delegation of authority from a license manager device to manage entitlements for a plurality of computer products installed in a network infrastructure. The collector device receives an identifier from each computer product. The collector device receives a configuration state of each computer product, wherein each configuration state includes a set of features that are enabled on the first computer product. The collector device sends to the license manager device a report that includes each identifier and each configuration state.