IP Library Granted Patent US 8,589,304
Granted Patent B2
US 8,589,304 · App. 13/047,732 · Granted Nov 19, 2013

System and method for controlling the indexing of volume between network devices

Inventors: Vishal Patel (San Francisco, CA); Jimmy John (San Francisco, CA); Stephen Phillip Sorkin (San Francisco, CA); Johnathon Lee Cervelli (Alameda, CA); Mitchell Neuman Blank, Jr. (San Francisco, CA); Robin Kumar Das (San Carlos, CA)
Assignee: Splunk Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,589,304
App. No.
13/047,732
Filed
Mar 14, 2011
Granted
Nov 19, 2013
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3685
USPC
705/59
Abstract

The invention is directed towards enabling data volume and data type based licensing of software in a distributed system of a plurality of remote and/or local nodes. The invention enables measuring and optionally restricting the use of software based on one or more provided licenses that restrict the amount and type of data that may be processed by the software. New and older licenses may be added together for a single, bulk entitlement for a given volume of data processing for one or all types of data. Different users in the same enterprise may combine license entitlements too. Also, a new license can be acquired repeatedly, without requiring the issuance of combined licenses by the issuing authority and/or the revocation of prior licenses.

Claims (39)

1. A network device for managing the indexing of data, comprising:

a transceiver for communicating with at least one client device over a network;

a hardware processor;

non-transitory processor readable storage media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor, causes the hardware processor to perform the steps and actions of:

storing, in a master device, a quota on an amount of data licensed to be indexed;

identifying, at the master device, a pool of slave indexer devices to index the data in accordance with the quota, wherein the identifying includes enabling the slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices to index data, wherein slave indexer devices respond to the enabling by indexing data;

metering a volume of data indexed by individual slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices;

determining, at the master device, a total volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices, the determining the total volume being based on the metered volume;

determining, at the master device, that the volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices exceeds the quota; and

executing an action based on the determination.

2. The network device of claim 1 , wherein executing the action comprises generating a notification that the quota has been exceeded.

3. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the quota is applicable for a particular type of data or a time period.

4. The network device of claim 3 , wherein the total volume of data is determined for the time period.

5. The network device of claim 1 , wherein executing the action comprises stopping a slave indexer devices in the pool of slave indexer devices from indexing data.

6. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices includes event data that is obtained from source data.

7. A method for managing the indexing of data on one or more network devices, the method implemented as one or more processor executable instructions that when executed, cause a processor to perform the steps and actions of:

storing, by a master device, a quota on an amount of data licensed to be indexed;

identifying, at the master device, a pool of slave indexer devices to index the data in accordance with the quota, wherein the identifying includes enabling the slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices to index data, wherein slave indexer devices respond to the enabling by indexing data;

metering a volume of data indexed by individual slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices;

determining, at the master device, a total volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices, the determining the total volume being based on the metered volume;

determining, by the master device, that the volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices exceeds the quota; and

executing an action based on the determination.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein executing the action comprises generating a notification that the quota has been exceeded.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the quota is applicable for a particular type of data or a time period.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the total volume of data is determined for the time period.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein executing the action comprises stopping a slave indexer devices in the pool of slave indexer devices from indexing data.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices includes event data that is obtained from source data.

13. A non-transitory processor readable storage media having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to perform the steps and actions of:

storing a quota on an amount of data licensed to be indexed;

identifying, at the master device, a pool of slave indexer devices to index the data in accordance with the quota, wherein the identifying includes enabling the slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices to index data, wherein slave indexer devices respond to the enabling by indexing data;

metering a volume of data indexed by individual slave indexer devices of the pool of slave indexer devices;

determining, at the master device, a total volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices, the determining the total volume being based on the metered volume;

determining that the volume of data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices exceeds the quota; and

executing an action based on the determination.

14. The media of claim 13 , wherein executing the action comprises generating a notification that the quota has been exceeded.

15. The media of claim 13 , wherein the quota is applicable for a particular type of data or a time period.

16. The media of claim 15 , wherein the total volume of data is determined for the time period.

17. The media of claim 13 , wherein executing the action comprises stopping a slave indexer devices in the pool of slave indexer devices from indexing data.

18. The media of claim 13 , wherein the data indexed by the pool of slave indexer devices includes event data that is obtained from source data.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 22, 2025
From: SPLUNK INC.
To: SPLUNK LLC
Reel/Frame 072170/0599 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 22, 2025
From: SPLUNK LLC
To: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 072173/0058 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 12, 2011
From: PATEL, VISHAL; JOHN, JIMMY; SORKIN, STEPHEN PHILLIP; CERVELLI, JOHNATHON LEE; BLANK, MITCHELL NEUMAN, JR.; DAS, ROBIN KUMAR
To: SPLUNK INC.
Reel/Frame 026111/0905 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120239660A1 · Sep 20, 2012