Patent ID: 8392547

Claim:
A method for managing licenses in a plurality of data processing target entities by a data processing control entity, the target entities consisting of logical guest entities implemented on at least one physical host entity, and wherein for each guest entity the method includes: managing each guest entity by requiring physical configuration information and logical configuration information relating to the guest entity, wherein the host entity includes hardware resources, each guest entity implemented on the host entity being assigned at least part of the hardware resources, and wherein the physical configuration information is indicative of the hardware resources that are assigned to the guest entity; gathering, during a period, the physical configuration information relating to the guest entity by an enabling module running in connection with the corresponding host entity; causing the transmission of the physical configuration information from the enabling module to the data processing control entity; detecting a set of software products executing in the guest entity during the period; selecting a subset of the set of software products such that a signature associated with a software product in the subset matches a second signature specified in a software catalogue downloaded in the guest entity from a licensing server, execution of the subset during the period forming the logical configuration information relating to the guest entity; causing the transmission of the logical configuration information from a managing module to the data processing control entity; and metering at the data processing control entity, a usage of a licensed software product in the guest entity using the physical configuration information during the period and the logical configuration information during the period.