Abstract: The invention provides for tracking and day-to-day management of technical requirements, costs and environmental details of existing computer data centers, and the creation of scenarios for determining the optimum acquisition, expansion and reconfiguration strategies of the data centers as well as the forecasting of technical requirements, costs and environmental requirements of existing and proposed configurations of the data centers. A knowledge base comprises technical and financial specifications of various storage devices and other computer hardware as provided. A modeling tool allows for the creation of various “What-If” scenarios of possible data center configurations for long term projections of the technical and financial requirements of existing, modified or proposed data center configurations. The cost of individual devices, systems or data center locations, as well as the cost of proposed new equipment including software are tracked.

Abstract: A software monitoring and auditing system which determines the inventory of software products on a computer includes data reducer software which processes detailed software usage data gathered by a monitoring component of the software to create a condensed usage database. The reducer software contemporaneously converts the data records in a manner which reduces the amount of data records by at least a factor of 100, consuming less computer memory and allowing users of the software monitoring and auditing system to review usage data on a desktop PC or the like.

Abstract: A software processing method enhances the functionality of job-step, charge-back systems by providing accurate charge-backs based on cognizance of software products actually being used. In the invention, a license manager operating directly or via a plurality of agents interfaces with software clients and/or process-data collectors to correlate the process-related information with the software product use information.

Abstract: The invention provides for tracking and day-to-day management of computer data centers. A knowledge base comprises technical and financial specifications of various storage devices and other computer hardware as provided. A modeling tool allows for the creation of various “What-If” scenarios of possible data center configurations for long term projections of the technical and financial requirements. The management and day-to-day tracking system receives information from an auditing tool that inventories the software products that are stored on the data center.

Abstract: A computer system with internally provided base-capacity and additional reserve capacity that is responsive to a capacity on demand signal to turn on and off additional computer capacity. A license manager interacts with the computer and receives from the computer system, capacity-related-metric information which dynamically varies over time and which causes the license manager to adjust licensing monitoring based on the capacity-related-metric information.

Abstract: A computer program providing an output which is used to profile one or more operational characteristics of another computer program. The computer program being evaluated is defined by a group of events. In order to provide a user with a useful way to evaluate the performance of the computer program under evaluation, data is gathered corresponding to one or more of the group of events. A path map is constructed from the gathered event data in which the path map represents program operation performance relationships between the gathered events, and the path map is arranged in order of execution. The output is created based on the path map. The output is presented in such a manner that a user can quickly evaluate the performance of the program under evaluation.

Abstract: A job accounting and chargeback system for software products is comprised of a software license manager in the form of a software product use monitoring subsystem that handles requests for and grants rights to use software products, in such a manner that chargeback data is developed, which is then referenced to entities that are charged for the use of the software products. To better correlate the chargeback data with the use of software products, the chargeback data is referenced to the actual amount and type of use of software products being used, rather than on the use of computer facilities.

Abstract: A software processing method enhances the functionality of job-step, charge-back systems by providing accurate charge-backs based on cognizance of software products actually being used. In the invention, a license manager operating directly or via a plurality of agents interfaces with software clients and/or process-data collectors to correlate the process-related information with the software product use information.

Abstract: A method and system for centralizing and harmonizing the operation of plural software license managers operates in one embodiment thereof by providing a central license manager that replaces the plural license managers by duplicating and replicating their functionality in an manner that is transparent and automatic from the perspective of application programs which require and call for license certificates. In alternate embodiments of the invention, the invention comprises translation procedures that interface and harmonize API calls from application programs requesting license certificates and license certificate information obtained by the cental license manager.

Abstract: A system and method that automates the task of collecting information from different locations on the Internet and converts it from a variety of downloaded formats to standardized or consolidated formats for easier presentation and understanding. The invention includes a Raw Information Retriever, which communicates with various data providers via the Internet or other types of data lines. The raw information is supplied to a data collector which standardizes, consolidates or correlates information gathered from different sources and supplies it to an analyzer and report generator that provides the information to a user in a format that is easier to use or analyze the significance of gathered data.

Abstract: A method and system for auditing software systems by monitoring the use and non-use of software programs in a computer. An operating system of the computer controls execution of software products through the invocation of respective load modules thereof. A monitor is periodically triggered to collect load module execution information and a correlator correlates load module execution information with data that associates load module names with corresponding software products and develops a list of products executed in the computer over the course of a given time period. Alternatively, rather than operating periodically, the monitor collects load module execution information at the end of and by being triggered by computer processes controlled by the operating system. As a further alternative, the monitoring of the execution of software products is detected by monitoring inputs and/or outputs to specific files or datasets, reflecting uniquely the use of corresponding software products.

Abstract: A system and method which allows the identity of assets and their physical locations to be mapped and associated with one another. The invention includes a locator tool which receives an input which allows the tool to determine its own spatial location and thereby the spatial locations of various objects such as furniture, computer equipment, and structural components such as doors, windows to be identified and located and thereafter mapped in the form of architectural layout, diagrams, and the like. The invention is also an inventory system as well as a verification system that allows objects or assets to be inventoried, tracked, or verified against purchasing lists or the like.

Abstract: An Internet related method and process facilitates and streamlines obtaining or purchasing products or information by creating a so-called individualization wallet (IW) which has such components as a repository, which is a database of personal and preference information and related components such as a security controller, an inference engine and a request processor. When one desires to make a purchase all he or she need to do is provide a reference to the repository location where all the preference and personal information is stored and that information is automatically communicated in standardized formats, obviating the need for repeatedly keying personal and preference information.

Abstract: A system that enables the creation and/or modification of license certificates for software products and simultaneously limits the ability of system programmers who operate license creation or modification tools from inadvertently or deliberately creating or modifying license certificates indiscriminately. An authorization tool, to which access is granted to only a selected number of individuals, establishes or sets criteria that defines the conditions subject to which license certificates can be created or modified, to serve the evolving and changing needs of a large number of software product users. An authorization enforcer tool monitors the license rights being created or modified and assures that the license rights and usage thereof are in compliance with the criteria set by the authorization tool.

Abstract: A website constructing tool for retailers streamlines and substantially automates the task of creating a website for retailers that buy their merchandise from a plurality of vendors. The system avoids the laborious, painstaking, unstructured and unformatted approach to the creation of a retailer website by enabling a retailer website to be constructed by resetting certain criteria and formats for the graphic design and merchandise categories and selection. Thereafter, the system enables substantially automatic selection of the relevant merchandise information from the databases or websites of the vendors, in a manner which populates and inserts into the retailer website the relevant information about available merchandise meeting the criteria, format and organization of the retailer website.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring and for obtaining statistical information about the level of readership of promotional materials, includes providing with promotional materials RF ID tags which only become deactivated when a reader has opened the promotional material. Non-opened promotional material which has been discarded is scanned with a receiver/scanner device which identifies the promotional material pieces that have not been opened, including, optionally, the identity of the addressees who have not opened the promotional materials. Thus, statistical information and profile information is developed which improves the ability of targeting individuals for receipt of promotional materials.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for collating, correlating and redistributing information about the use of proprietary products including copyrighted works and licensed software products, at various computer sites. The system consolidates information (originally captured by other systems) by time period, such as day, week or month, about which proprietary products are installed at each computer site, as well as to what particulars of use are relevant. This may include the number of invocations of various software products, the number of logons, the number of concurrent users, as well as other usage metrics. The information is sorted by vendor or copyright owner, so that the information about all of the proprietary products licensed from a particular vendor can be periodically sent to that vendor, automatically, or in response to prompting by vendors or from within the central computer system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring events relating to executable program modules, for example, the usage of computer programs, and automatically recording each monitored event. The system is provided with a knowledge/data base of information relating module names and the products associated with those modules. A surveying component surveys the storage devices and records a list of modules names stored on the storage device in a system configuration log. The surveying component also, based in part upon the information in the knowledge base, records associations between each module and the product it is associated with. A monitoring component monitors events, e.g. invocations, of program modules, recording these events in a event log. Finally, a reporting component correlates these log files and produces an output report correlating the monitored events and the products stored on the storage device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring events relating to executable program modules, for example, the usage of computer programs, and automatically recording each monitored event. The system is provided with a knowledge/data base of information relating module names and the products associated with those modules. A surveying component surveys the storage devices and records a list of modules names stored on the storage device in a system configuration log. The surveying component also, based in part upon the information in the knowledge base, records associations between each module and the product it is associated with. A monitoring component monitors events, e.g. invocations, of program modules, recording these events in a event log. Finally, a reporting component correlates these log files and produces an output report correlating the monitored events and the products stored on the storage device.