Cisco Technology, Inc.

Prabhakara Rao Yellai

Alex Van Truong

Jan Medved

Mihir S Maniar

Eric B Eggel

Rengabashyam Srinivas

Jian Jin

Phong Ky Vo

Samer L Theodossy

Huy Thatminh Ton

Jyotsna Gummaraju

Robert Stebbins

Zafar Khalid

A method and system for transferring licenses between electronic devices supporting licensable features. Specifically, in a method a request is generated for transferring a license between first and second electronic devices. The request includes first information unique to the first electronic device, second information unique to the second electronic device. The request is sent to a license distributor to generates a master key. The master key includes a removal key including the first information and an add key including the second information. The removal key is used to remove the license from the first electronic device when the first information matches official versions of the first information. The add key is revealed from the master key when the license is successfully removed. The add key is used to add the license to the second electronic device when the second information matches official versions of the second information.

Method and system for transferring software and hardware feature licenses between devices

A software reload is executed. The hardware associated with the network device continues to forward network traffic during the software reload. Also, a kernel of the network device operates unaffected in a protected address space throughout the software reload. Further, the kernel preserves local checkpointed and shared memory data. Application processes running on the network node are shut down gracefully. The reloaded software is brought up and the network device is resynchronized.

Performing an in-service software reload on a network device

A method and system for installing software and hardware licenses on electronic devices supporting licensable features. Specifically, a method is disclosed for installing licenses in a node based licensing scheme. The electronic device defining the node receives an input containing an authorization key. The authorization comprises a license for a service feature, a node identifier, a software version, and a sequence number. Information in the authorization key is used to install the license on the electronic device. The node identifier is compared to an official node identifier stored at the electronic device. The sequence number is compared to an official sequence number stored at the electronic device. The license is installed into a pool of licenses available to the electronic device when the node identifier matches the official node identifier and the sequence number matches the official sequence number. The sequence number ensures that the authorization key at most can only be used once.

Method and system for installing software and hardware feature licenses on devices

A method and system for transferring licenses between electronic devices supporting licensable features. Specifically, in a method a request is generated for transferring a license between first and second electronic devices. The request includes first information unique to the first electronic device, second information unique to the second electronic device. The request is sent to a license distributor to generate a master key. The master key includes a removal key including the first information and an add key including the second information. The removal key is used to remove the license from the first electronic device when the first information matches official versions of the first information. The add key is revealed from the master key when the license is successfully removed. The add key is used to add the license to the second electronic device when the second information matches official versions of the second information.

A system and method to detect non-native storage components to manage configuration in a communications network are disclosed. A stored key set is retrieved from each storage component of a network switch in a communications network, the stored key set identifying each storage component in relation to the switch. The stored key set of each storage component is validated. Finally, a new key set is generated for each storage component if the stored key set is an invalid key set.

System and method to detect non-native storage components to manage configuration in a communications network

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for dynamic allocation and management of semaphores for accessing shared resources. In one implementation, a semaphore manager maintains a data structure of resources having currently active resource requests and a list of each task requesting access and the particular type of access requested. When an access request is received for the first time for a resource, an entry is added to the data structure and access is authorized. Additional requests to access the resource may be received while the resource is allocated. If a new request for read access is received and the resource is currently under read access, access is granted and an entry is added to the data structure. Otherwise, the resource is currently unavailable, and access is either immediately denied or queued for possible future allowance during a specified, predetermined or forever duration.

Method and apparatus for dynamic allocation and management of semaphores for accessing shared resources

Components to be verified for compatibility are identified. Each of the components maintains a relationship with the other components such that all of the components are compatible with one another. A change to one component triggers an automatic evaluation of the relationships between the changed component and the other components to determine if compatibility is maintained. The automatic evaluation of the relationships is based on predetermined compatibility information provided in a compatibility matrix. When the automatic evaluation identifies incompatibility between the changed component and the other components, the change is rejected.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Prabhakara Rao Yellai