Multi-Source Embedded Licensing Mode Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing embedded licensing systems face challenges when dealing with multiple licensing sources, as they either overwrite previous license authorizations (regenerative licensing) or fail to accumulate new capabilities effectively (cumulative licensing), limiting user flexibility and device capability upgrades.
Innovation Solution
The system allows hardware devices to transmit capability requests to multiple license servers, determining if the servers are the same or distinct, and activating either regenerative or cumulative licensing accordingly, ensuring that new capabilities are either replaced or added to existing ones, enabling seamless integration of licenses from multiple sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If regenerative licensing is used to maintain accurate license updates from a single server, then license accuracy is improved, but the system cannot accommodate multiple licensing sources
Solution Approach 1:
The licensing system is segmented into distinct modes (regenerative and cumulative) that can be selectively activated based on the licensing source. The hardware device determines the appropriate mode by identifying the license server, allowing accurate single-source licensing while enabling multi-source compatibility through mode selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The licensing behavior is made dynamic by allowing the hardware device to adapt its license management approach based on the identified server. The system transitions between regenerative and cumulative modes depending on the licensing source, providing flexibility and reliability in different contexts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cumulative licensing is used to accumulate capabilities from multiple servers, then multi-source adaptability is improved, but license management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware device performs self-identification of the license server and automatically determines the appropriate licensing mode without external intervention. This self-service approach simplifies multi-source license management by having the device autonomously handle the complexity of mode selection and license accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the licensing parameter (regenerative vs. cumulative mode) based on the identified server characteristics. This parameter change allows the system to maintain simplicity in single-source scenarios while enabling complex multi-source accumulation only when necessary, reducing overall system complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If license requests are sent to multiple servers, then capability options are improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardware device performs preliminary server identification before sending license requests. By pre-determining the appropriate licensing mode and target server, the system avoids unnecessary request retries and optimizes the license acquisition process, reducing overall processing time while maintaining capability options.
Data Source
AI summary
In embedded licensing from multiple license sources, a hardware device sends a capability request when a new licensed capability or modification to an existing licensed capability is desired. The hardware device transmits a first capability request to a first server and receives a first capability response from the first server. The hardware device then transmits a second capability request to a second server and receives a second capability response from the second server. When the first server and the second server are the same, regenerative licensing is activated by the hardware device, and an authorized capabilities list of the second capability response replaces an authorized capabilities list of the first capability response. When the first server and the second server are distinct, cumulative licensing is activated by the hardware device, and an authorized capabilities list of the second capability response is added to an authorized capabilities list of the first capability response.