초록 ▼

A distributed computer system employs a license management system to account for software product usage. A management policy having a variety of alternative styles and contexts is provided. Each licensed program upon start-up makes a call to a license server to check on whether usage is permitted, a

A distributed computer system employs a license management system to account for software product usage. A management policy having a variety of alternative styles and contexts is provided. Each licensed program upon start-up makes a call to a license server to check on whether usage is permitted, and the license server checks a database of the licenses, called product use authorizations, that it administers. If the particular use requested is permitted, a grant is returned to the requesting user node. The product use authorization is structured to define a license management policy allowing a variety of license alternatives by values called "style", "context", "duration" and "usage requirements determination method". The license administration may be delegated by the license server to a subsection of the organization, by creating another license management facility duplicating the main facility. The license server must receive a license document (a product use authorization) from an issuer of licenses, where a license document generator is provided. A mechanism is provided for one user node to make a call to use a software product located on another user node; this is referred to as a "calling card", by which a user node obtains permission to make a procedure call to use a program on another node.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method executed in a computer system for managing access to software items, the method comprising the steps of:maintaining a store of license authorizations for software items, each of said license authorizations including an identification of a corresponding software i

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A method executed in a computer system for managing access to software items, the method comprising the steps of:maintaining a store of license authorizations for software items, each of said license authorizations including an identification of a corresponding software item and one or more policy components used to define a license management policy for said corresponding software item, each of said license authorizations including a number of units of license use, and wherein said policy components defining said license management policy include a policy component identifying an allocative policy and a consumptive policy, said allocative policy permitting return of units allocated to a client after the client completes a requested use making said units returned available for use by another client, and said consumptive policy not permitting return of units;sending a request from a client executing in said computer system to a server to obtain access to said software item, said request including data identifying said client and said software item;retrieving from said store, in response to said request, a license authorization corresponding to said software item;determining whether to grant or refuse said request in accordance with said license authorization; andsending a response to said client indicating whether said request has been granted or refused.