Patent ID: 8165963

Claim:
A method of enabling features in a stack of devices where each device in the stack at least initially has disabled features, wherein a first device in the stack also stores a first device identifier in its memory, the method comprising: receiving a first encrypted license file by the first device in the stack wherein the license file comprises the first device identifier; decrypting the first encrypted license file by the first device using the first device identifier from its memory; enabling features in the first device by the first device using the decrypted license file; determining by the first device that a second device is in the stack, encrypting by the first device the license file using the first device identifier and transmitting by the first device the first device identifier and the encrypted license file to the second device; decrypting the encrypted license file by the second device using the transmitted first device identifier, authorizing by the second device the decrypted license file by determining that the transmitted first device identifier is in the decrypted license file and enabling features in the second device using the decrypted license file.