Patent ID: 8856952

Claim:
A blade removable from a housing of a blade server, the blade comprising a processor configured to: receive from another blade in the housing, a first license number indicative of a number of licenses that can use a function of given software and identification information specific to the housing; acquire from the housing, identification information specific to the housing; determine whether the received identification information is identical to the acquired identification information, and upon determining the identification information to be identical, further determine whether the function of the given software is usable by comparing the first license number with a second license number indicative of a number of blades in the blade sever using the function of the given software; set the blade to a state in which the function of the given software is executable upon determining that the function of the given software is usable; update the second license number upon setting the blade; and transmit to a blade in which the function of the given software is not set among the blades in the blade server, the first license number and the updated second license number.