Abstract

An improved software license management system in accordance with the present invention is disclosed. A license server initializes a license database by receiving a package license description that includes component license descriptions for component software products in a package. Licenses for software products are also received, and license records are created in the license database for components and suite packages, where each record includes a number of licenses available to be checked out. A client computer system can request a license for a component product in a package. A license is granted to the client when the client is allowed to receive the license according to a license policy. When a component license is checked out, a linked suite license is also automatically checked out. No other client thus may use a component license linked with the suite license record unless another suite license is checked out. The license management system also provides a number of modifiers to be included in license records, including an overdraft quantity, a fail safe indicator, a minimum license quantity, and a capacity indicator. A finder and a diagnostic process can be implemented at the client computer system to find the license server over a network and provide a tool to diagnose failures in the license management system.