System and method for dynamic adjustment of expiration date for authorization key for antivirus products

摘要

A system for a dynamic adjustment of expiration date of an authorization key, the system comprising: a security product that will be installed on a predetermined number of computers. The administration key allows a use of the software product on the predetermined number of computers during a predetermined period of time. The plurality of authorization units purchased from a vendor that are the smallest increments of time that a duration period of the authorization key is measured in. The expiration date for all the computers can be updated at any time, depending on the number of computers on which the software is installed at any given time. The administration server determines a beginning and an ending date of a functionality of the authorization key for the security product. The data base receives and stores the beginning and the ending date of the functionality of the authorization key for the security product. The communication means that send the beginning and the ending date of the functionality of the authorization key to the software product. The expiration date of the authorization date dynamically changes when the number of computer on which the product is installed increases or decreases.

主权项

1. A system for a dynamic adjustment of authorization for antivirus software, the system comprising:
a predetermined number of computers having an antivirus product installed thereon; an authorization key that allows a use of the antivirus product on the predetermined number of computers during a predetermined period of time, wherein the authorization key is computer-independent and is associated with all the computers in the number of computers and not with any particular computer; a plurality of authorization units obtained from a vendor of the antivirus product, each authorization unit representing the smallest increment of time for measuring a duration of the authorization key, wherein the authorization unit represents a correlation between the predetermined number of computers and a predetermined period of the duration of the authorization key; an administration server that is configured to determine a beginning and an ending date of the authorization key for the antivirus product, and provides configuration data to the antivirus product, including frequency of updating of the antivirus product; a database that is configured to receive and store the beginning and the ending date of the authorization key for the antivirus product; wherein the administration server executes a console application that interfaces to the computers and to the vendor of the antivirus product, and sends the authorization key to computers having the antivirus product installed thereon; wherein the console application executing on the administration server changes an expiration date of the authorization key on each computer dynamically as time expires, such that the expiration date increases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed decreases and decreases when the number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed increases, wherein the console application executing on the administration server notifies the vendor of the antivirus product of a new expiration date and a new number of computers on which the antivirus product is installed, wherein the console application executing on the administration server is configured to acquire additional authorization units to extend or shorten the expiration date of the authorization key to the new expiration date, wherein the authorization key is maintained as a file and is stored on each of the computers, and the duration period of the authorization key is written into the file, wherein the predetermined number of computers are divided into several groups, such that computers in a group have a common expiration date for the authorization key, but each group has its own expiration date, and wherein the duration period for the authorization key is determined by the console application using the formula: D=(T0−Tnow)*N0/N1, T0 is the number of initial authorization units for each computer, Tnow is a current time, N1 is a new total number of computers, and N0 is a number of computers with the authorization key on which the antivirus product was initially installed.