Peer-to-peer license enforcement in virtualized computing environments

1. A method for a first host running a client software to provision a virtual machine on the first host in a virtualized computing environment including one or more hosts, comprising:

generating, by the first host, a license key message to include a license key, a seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the license key and a sharable level indicator of the license key;

transmitting, by the first host, the license key message to a second host via a peer-to-peer (P2P) network including the first host and the second host;

receiving, by the first host, a determination of the second host whether the virtual machine can be provisioned on the first host via the P2P network; and

deciding, by the first host, whether to provision the virtual machine on the first host based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the license key is received at the first host via an input device of the first host or is received from other hosts in the virtualized computing environment via the P2P network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sharable level indicator of the license key refers to whether the seat number can be counted as a part of a total seat number by the one or more hosts in the P2P network after the first host is offline from the P2P network.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises transmitting an online or offline status associated with the first host and a client module configured to run on the first host to the second host via the P2P network.

5. A method for a second host running a client software to determine whether a virtual machine is provisioned on a first host in a virtualized computing environment including one or more hosts, comprising:

receiving a first license key message;

extracting information associated with a first license key, a first seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the first license key and a first sharable level indicator of the first license key from the first license key message;

locally storing the extracted information associated with the first license key message;

calculating a total seat number based on the first seat number and the first sharable level indicator;

determining whether the virtual machine is provisioned on the first host based on an available seat associated with the total seat number; and

transmitting the determination to the first host via a P2P network including the first host, the second host and the one or more hosts, wherein the first sharable level indicator refers to that the first seat number can be counted as a part of the total seat number after the first host is offline from the P2P network.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises receiving an online or offline status associated with the first host and a client module that is running on the first host via the P2P network.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second license key message from a third host;

extracting information associated with a second license key, a second seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the second license key and a second sharable level indicator of the second license key from the second license key message; and

locally storing the extracted information associated with the second license key message.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number can be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number further comprises aggregating the first seat number and the second seat number.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the third host is online on the P2P network;

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number cannot be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number further comprises aggregating the first seat number and the second seat number.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the third host is being offline from the P2P network;

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number cannot be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number is based on the first seat number but not based on the second seat number.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that includes a set of instructions which, in response to execution by a processor of a first host, cause the processor to perform a method for the first host running a client software to provision a virtual machine on the first host in a virtualized computing environment including one or more hosts, wherein the method comprises:

generating, by the first host, a license key message to include a license key, a seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the license key and a sharable level indicator of the license key;

transmitting, by the first host, the license key message to a second host via a peer-to-peer (P2P) network including the first host and the second host;

receiving, by the first host, a determination of the second host whether the virtual machine can be provisioned on the first host via the P2P network; and

deciding, by the first host, whether to provision the virtual machine on the first host based on the determination.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the license key is received at the first host via an input device of the first host or is received from other hosts in the virtualized computing environment via the P2P network.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the sharable level indicator of the license key refers to whether the seat number can be counted as a part of a total seat number by the one or more hosts in the P2P network after the first host is offline from the P2P network.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises transmitting an online or offline status associated with the first host and a client module configured to run on the first host to the second host via the P2P network.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that includes a set of instructions which, in response to execution by a processor of a second host running a client software, cause the processor to determine whether a virtual machine is provisioned on a first host in a virtualized computing environment including one or more hosts, wherein the method comprises:

receiving a first license key message;

extracting information associated with a first license key, a first seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the first license key and a first sharable level indicator of the first license key from the first license key message;

locally storing the extracted information associated with the first license key message;

calculating a total seat number based on the first seat number and the first sharable level indicator;

determining whether the virtual machine is provisioned on the first host based on an available seat associated with the total seat number; and

transmitting the determination to the first host via a P2P network including the first host, the second host and the one or more hosts, wherein the first sharable level indicator refers to that the first seat number can be counted as a part of the total seat number after the first host is offline from the P2P network.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises receiving an online or offline status associated with the first host and a client module that is running on the first host via the P2P network.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a second license key message from a third host;

extracting information associated with a second license key, a second seat number corresponding to a number of virtual machines to be provisioned based on the second license key and a second sharable level indicator of the second license key from the second license key message; and

locally storing the extracted information associated with the second license key message.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein:

the third host is online on the P2P network;

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number cannot be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number further comprises aggregating the first seat number and the second seat number.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein:

the third host is online on the P2P network;

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number cannot be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number further comprises aggregating the first seat number and the second seat number.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein:

the third host is being offline from the P2P network;

the second sharable level indicator refers to that the second seat number cannot be counted as a part of the total seat number after the third host is offline from the P2P network; and

the calculating the total seat number is based on the first seat number but not based on the second seat number.