Dynamic Computer Resource Licensing Without Reboot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computer system resource management is inadequate in meeting fluctuating organizational needs, leading to wasteful over-purchasing or leasing of resources due to high costs and downtime associated with adding or removing resources.
Innovation Solution
A method that conducts an inventory of computer system resources, dynamically manages their licensing types (anytime with/without metering, periodic with/without metering, and unlicensed) to enable or disable usage without rebooting, allowing resources to be brought online or offline as needed, and tracks usage for accurate billing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If organizations purchase or lease additional computer systems or resources to meet increasing or fluctuating needs, then the computing power and resource capacity are improved, but the time and expense required for integration, shutdown, reboot, and reconfiguration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource licensing that allows computer systems to activate or deactivate specific resources (processors, memory, storage) on-demand without requiring system shutdown or reboot. The licensing mechanism enables resources to be dynamically brought online or taken offline based on organizational needs, eliminating the downtime traditionally associated with adding or removing computational resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments computer system resources into individually licensable units (processors, memory, storage devices) that can be independently activated or deactivated. This segmentation allows organizations to license only the specific resources needed at any given time rather than requiring entire systems to be shut down for resource changes.
2Quantity of substance
If organizations purchase or lease sufficient computer systems or resources to meet peak demands, then the resource capacity is improved, but the waste from unused resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables organizations to license resources on a partial and on-demand basis rather than requiring full capacity licensing. Organizations can license exactly the amount of computational resources needed at any given time, activating additional resources during peak demand periods and deactivating them when demand decreases, thereby avoiding the waste of continuously paying for unused capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic licensing mechanism allows resource capacity to be adjusted in real-time based on actual organizational needs. Organizations can scale resource usage up or down without long-term commitments, paying only for the capacity actually utilized during each billing period rather than for peak capacity throughout the year.
3Quantity of substance
If organizations add additional resources to existing computer systems, then the resource capacity is improved, but the complexity of integration and reconfiguration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal licensing interface that standardizes the activation and deactivation process across different types of computer system resources (processors, memory, storage). This universal mechanism eliminates the need for complex, resource-specific integration procedures, allowing organizations to license and activate resources through a consistent process regardless of the resource type.
Data Source
AI summary
Permitting utilization of computer system resources in accordance with the licensing thereof is disclosed. A method includes conducting an inventory of the resources of a computer system. The method determines which of the resources of the computer system are licensed for current usage, and permits utilization of these resources. Other resources of the computer system that are not licensed for usage are prevented from being used. The method may include determining which resources are licensed for usage with metering. The method permits the utilization of such resources, and tracks utilization availability of these resources. The method may further include determining which resources are licensed for periodic usage. Once the method receives indication to allow the periodic usage of these resources, the method permits their utilization, and tracks their utilization availability as needed. Preferably, the method performs its functionality without rebooting or restarting the computer system.