A determining unit determines whether housing specific information decrypted from a license key is identical to housing specific information acquired from the housing to confirm legitimacy of license, thereby ensuring security. The determining unit determines that the license can be activated if a usage number in the housing does not exceed a usable number. Only when the determining unit determines that the license can be activated, the setting unit activates the license to make software usable so that any blade can freely use the software within a limit of the usable number.