Distributed license management for a data limited application

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.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method, comprising:
 indexing data for a customer on one or more indexing systems;   comparing a total amount of indexed data to a data indexing quota for the customer;   in response to the total amount of indexed data exceeding the data indexing quota, performing an action.   
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time, and wherein the action comprises:
 stopping indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 2  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data, and wherein the action comprises:
 stopping indexing of the data for the customer on indexing systems of the one or more indexing systems that are associated with the type of data.   
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the action comprises:
 notifying the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota is needed.   
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 notifying the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota must be established with a grace period;   stopping indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems when a new data indexing quota has not been established within the grace period.   
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the action comprises:
 disabling the customer's ability to search the data indexed for the customer.   
     
     
         10 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that indexes data for a customer on one or more indexing systems;   a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that compares a total amount of indexed data to a data indexing quota for the customer;   a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that, in response to the total amount of indexed data exceeding the data indexing quota, performs an action.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time, and wherein the action comprises:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that stops indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data, and wherein the action comprises:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that stops indexing of the data for the customer on indexing systems of the one or more indexing systems that are associated with the type of data.   
     
     
         15 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the action comprises:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that notifies the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota is needed.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that notifies the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota must be established with a grace period;   a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that stops indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems when a new data indexing quota has not been established within the grace period.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the action comprises:
 a subsystem, implemented at least partially in hardware, that disables the customer's ability to search the data indexed for the customer.   
     
     
         18 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform:
 indexing data for a customer on one or more indexing systems;   comparing a total amount of indexed data to a data indexing quota for the customer;   in response to the total amount of indexed data exceeding the data indexing quota, performing an action.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a period of time, and wherein the action comprises:
 stopping indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems.   
     
     
         21 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18  wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data. 
     
     
         22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the data indexing quota applies to a type of data, and wherein the action comprises:
 stopping indexing of the data for the customer on indexing systems of the one or more indexing systems that are associated with the type of data.   
     
     
         23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the action comprises:
 notifying the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota is needed.   
     
     
         24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18 , further comprising:
 notifying the customer that the data indexing quota has been exceeded and that a new data indexing quota must be established with a grace period;   stopping indexing of the data for the customer on the one or more indexing systems when a new data indexing quota has not been established within the grace period.   
     
     
         25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the action comprises:
 disabling the customer's ability to search the data indexed for the customer.