IoT Licensing Platform Architecture for Resource-Constrained Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
IoT devices face challenges in managing licenses due to limited computing resources, making it difficult to run both licensing and IoT cloud platform software development kits simultaneously, which is essential for secure and efficient operation.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves shifting the licensing management logic from IoT devices to a network management system, using digital twins to allocate and manage licenses, thereby freeing up computing resources on the devices and enabling licensing capabilities even for severely constrained devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If licensing management logic is deployed onto IoT devices, then license management capability is improved, but computing resources are exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the licensing management logic from the IoT device and relocates it to an external licensing server. The IoT device retains only a minimal licensing client that can verify license status, while the complex licensing management functions run remotely on the server with sufficient computing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a licensing server as an intermediary between the IoT device and the licensing authority. This intermediary handles all computationally intensive licensing operations, while the IoT device communicates with it through simplified protocols, thus protecting the device's limited resources.
2Adaptability or versatility
If both IoT control logic and licensing management logic are loaded onto the device, then full functionality is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into two distinct components: a lightweight licensing client embedded in the IoT device and a comprehensive licensing server running externally. This segmentation allows the device to maintain simplicity while the server provides full licensing functionality through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The licensing server is designed as a universal platform that can serve multiple IoT devices with different requirements. It handles various licensing scenarios (device licensing, user licensing, feature licensing) through a unified architecture, eliminating the need for each device to implement its own complex licensing logic.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for managing licenses of Internet of Things devices. One embodiment includes receiving, at a network management system, a request to allocate a license to a first endpoint device. Real-time device metadata and state data for the first endpoint device are accessed. Embodiments select a license instance, from a plurality of license instances, to allocate to the first endpoint device, based at least in part on the real-time device metadata and state data for the first endpoint device. The selected license instance is assigned to the first endpoint device and at least an indication that a valid license has been assigned to the first endpoint device is transmitted to the first endpoint device.