Dynamic Software Licensing via Ephemeral License Pools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional software licensing models are not intuitive for virtualized and cloud environments, as they rely on tying licenses to specific hardware, which is restrictive and does not adapt well to abstracted environments where resources can scale dynamically.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic licensing scheme that uses a master license to manage a pool of ephemeral licenses, where each ephemeral license has a short duration and is tied to a customer account, allowing for autoscaling and ensuring licenses are only active during the agreement period, with the option to renew or revoke them periodically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional licensing models tie software to specific hardware identifiers, then license security and control are improved, but adaptability to virtualized environments and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the license into multiple components: a persistent master license stored securely and ephemeral licenses that are temporary and revocable. This segmentation allows the system to maintain security through the master license while enabling flexibility through ephemeral licenses that can be dynamically allocated in virtualized environments without being tied to specific hardware identifiers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a licensing service as an intermediary between the software and the user environment. This service manages license validation, issuance, and revocation, allowing the system to maintain security control while adapting to various environments including virtualized ones. The intermediary handles the complexity of license management, freeing the software from direct hardware tying while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If traditional licensing models use restrictive licenses tied to specific hardware, then license control is improved, but ease of operation and scalability in cloud environments deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic licensing where ephemeral licenses can be created, activated, and revoked in real-time based on usage needs. This dynamic approach allows license control to be maintained through the master license while enabling easy operation in cloud environments where resources can be scaled up or down without reconfiguration. The system adapts to changing operational requirements without compromising control.
3Productivity
If software instances are allowed to grow or shrink dynamically in virtualized environments, then adaptability and productivity are improved, but traditional licensing models become complex and difficult to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service licensing mechanism where ephemeral licenses are automatically issued and revoked based on software instance activation and deactivation. The licensing service automatically manages the correlation between instance count and license availability without requiring manual intervention. This self-service approach enables autoscaling capability while keeping licensing management simple and automated.
Data Source
AI summary
A licensing service is disclosed that can be used in a virtual environment. A master license can be used by the licensing service to maintain a pool of licenses associated with a customer number. Multiple ephemeral licenses can be issued from the pool. The ephemeral licenses can have a short duration to ensure periodic renewal of the ephemeral licenses during the life of the master license. Tighter control of the licenses ensures that the ephemeral licenses are only used during the life of the master license. Additionally, autoscaling is promoted through the use of the license pool, which can adapt according to actual use.