Method and system for administering a concurrent user licensing agreement on a manufacturing/process control information portal server
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a server that provides session-persistent concurrent licenses for resources accessed by clients. In one embodiment, rather than requiring a license when the server is initially accessed, a license is not requested until a client seeks access to a licensed resource. In one implementation, scripts for Web pages associated with licensed resources include requests for licenses from a license management facility. Certain resources conditionally request a license based upon the origin of the access request: the license request may be bypassed for access requests from “pre-licensed” applications. Session-based licensing allows equitable assessment of compensation to a service provider for use of the services. The server includes many resources, some of which require a license for access while others do not. The services of premium value are the only ones for which customers are expected to obtain/claim a license.
1. A processor-implemented method for administering a session-based concurrent user licensing agreement on a computer portal such that a single logon during a session persists across multiple distinct resources to which access is provided via a portal server, the method comprising the steps:
receiving, by the portal server, an access request for a resource for which a license is required;
invoking, based upon a code within a sequence of commands associated with the requested resource, a license manager associated with restricted resources associated with the portal server, the license manager performing, for the purpose of granting, if needed, one of potentially multiple available session-based concurrent licenses, a set of further steps including:
first confirming that an identified source associated with the request needs a concurrent license;
second confirming that a concurrent license is available to assign to the identified source; and
adding the identified source to a list of session-based concurrent license users to which a session-based concurrent license is assigned.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second confirming step is based upon a maximum number of allowed concurrently licensed sessions under an established concurrent license agreement maintained by the license manager.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the invoking step is performed in response to an attempt by a particular identified user-session to access portal resources via a web page provided by the portal server.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first confirming step comprises determining that the identified source does not currently possess one of the session-based concurrent licenses.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first confirming step is carried out by comparing the identified source of the request with the list of session-based concurrent license users.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
allocating a session-based concurrent license to the identified source; and
adjusting a concurrent license counter value in accordance with the assigning step.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein an allocated session-based concurrent license grant, as a result of the adding step, persists across requests from the identified source spanning multiple distinct resources accessed via the portal server.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the license manager returning an indication of whether a session-based concurrent license has been granted to the identified source of the request.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:
receiving, by an entity that initiated a license request call to the license manager during the invoking step, the indication; and
determining, based upon the received indication, whether to grant the access request.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the sequence of commands include a conditional test for invoking the license manager.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the conditional test relates to an origin of the access request.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising, maintaining access via the portal server to a set of resources, wherein the invoking step is implemented with regard to the set of resources on an individual resource basis.
13. The method of claim 1 further comprising persisting a previous session-based concurrent license grant when a requestor exits a resource associated with an initial grant of the session-based concurrent license.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the code within a sequence of commands associated with the requested resource comprises a function call for invoking a service with which the license manager is associated.
15. The method of claim 1 further comprising maintaining a historical record of concurrent license usage information.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying the concurrent license usage information via a query results interface.
17. A non-transient computer-readable medium including computer executable instructions for facilitating administering a session-based concurrent user licensing agreement on a portal such that a single logon during a session persists across multiple distinct resources to which access is provided via a portal server, the computer executable instructions facilitating performing the steps of:
receiving, by the portal server, an access request for a resource for which a license is required;
invoking, based upon a code within a sequence of commands associated with the requested resource, a license manager associated with restricted resources associated with the plant information portal server, the license manager performing, for the purpose of granting, if needed, one of potentially multiple available session-based concurrent licenses, a set of further steps including:
first confirming that an identified source associated with the request needs a concurrent license;
second confirming that a concurrent license is available to assign to the identified source; and
adding the identified source to a list of session-based concurrent license users to which a session-based concurrent license is assigned.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the first confirming step comprises determining that the identified source does not currently possess one of the session-based concurrent licenses.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating the license manager returning an indication of whether a session-based concurrent license has been granted to the identified source of the request.
20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions facilitating maintaining a historical record of concurrent license usage information.