IBM TSM PVU debacle

[rwhtmv]

I need to renew my annual maintenance for my TSM clients/servers. Thanks to IBM's PVU (processor value units) scheme, it is as easy as getting a root canal without anesthetic. I have several virtual servers, miscellaneous servers with different "core values", etc. Also we decommission servers and add them throughout the year, so nothing is the same as last year.

Has anyone figured out an easy way to understand how I can convert my TSM nodes into a real number, and renew the correct amount of PVU's for annual maintenance?

 

[hogmaster]

Check http://www-01.ibm.com/software/brandcatalog/ismlibrary/details?catalog.label=1TW10SM1V

 

[rwhtmv]

Thanks, but this tool costs me $15 per node and I have ~90 nodes. It's a nice tool, but for that cost I can just do it manually.

 

[chad_small]

It's been soooo long since I had to handle licensing...before they were not charging for VM's did that change? I thought they charged by processor cores.

 

[rwhtmv]

ummm not for a couple years now. They do PVU's. VM's are half the value of a physical host's cores. (VM's are .5 pvus, while hosts are 1 pvu). Then you multiply that by the cores, and you get the value. They sell the same way, so you need to know the core type of each client you buy for. Watch out, IBM audited me 2 years ago. I found out I was OVER licensed, and of course they didn't give me any credit for that.

 

[hogmaster]

Interesting so if I run ESX on a Intel Nehalem (120PVU /Core) server with 8 cores in total I wolu only pay 8*120/2 just beacuse the server runs ESX.
, or did I miss something?

 

[KB]

Please review the IBM PVU calculation documents on IBM.com

You need to review the full-capacity and sub-capacity licensing rules. http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/passportadvantage/pvu_licensing_for_customers.html#fullsubcap

You are going to be counting physical cores and virtual cores in a VMware environment. In general, for TSM EE license you are going to count the physical cores in your VM Cluster. So if I have 2 physical servers in my VMware cluster, and they have 8 sockets each and are the new Nehalem EX with 6 cores for each socket. To license the cluster it will work out like this:

Per server PVUs = 8 (# sockets) * 6 (# cores/socket) * 120 PVUs/core = 5670 PVUs

Since I have 2 ESX servers in my cluster, the total number of PVUs will be 2 * 5670 PVUs/server or 11520 PVUs.

OK. What this means is now is that I need 11520 PVUs TSM EE to license all the VMs on the cluster. If I put on 400 VMs at 2 virtual processors each or 800 virtual cores (which is more than the 96 physical cores), I don't have to count those virtual cores. I never have to license more than the physical cores.

Now I have a situation where the virtual cores assigned is going to less than the total physical cores. I can then take advantage of the sub-capacity rules.

For example, I'm running a SQL server on the VMware cluster. I could license 11520 PVUs of TSM for Databases and cover all the VMs but here I have only allocated 4 virtual processor cores to the VM running SQL. So, in this case I would count like this:

4 cores * 120 PVUs/core = 480 PVUs. (the PVUs/core is the same as the physical server calculation)

For the SQL server VM, I will need the TSM EE license which the 11520 PVUs covers, and then the 480 PVUs of TSM for Databases. Note, that since you are taking advantage of the sub-capacity you will be subject to the PVU counting rules. You may have to use the IBM Licensing Metric Tool (ILMT) which is available at no cost.

So, when you have situation where there are more virtual cores that the physical server cores, then count physical cores. When it is the other way around and you have more physical server cores than allocated virtual cores, then you can count the virtual cores. Either way IBM gives you the benefit the lowest count.
There is no difference in cost or part numbers for a physical or a sub-capacity license.

I hope this helps clears up some of the questions around counting PVUs in a VMware environment.

 

[bphealy]

hi, thanks for the overview on licensing, it took a few reads but i think I have it. This method of counting licenses places TSM at a disadvantage when compared to other products since most ignore the core issue and license per processor. I thought a Microsoft EA was difficult but its childs play when compared to TSM.

 

[rwhtmv]

See, I told ya it makes your head spin.

 

[GregE]

Check this too.
http://adsm.org/forum/showthread.php?21334-TSM-per-Terabyte

 

[rwhtmv]

You need to review the full-capacity and sub-capacity licensing rules. http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/passportadvantage/pvu_licensing_for_customers.html#fullsubcap

Now I have a situation where the virtual cores assigned is going to less than the total physical cores. I can then take advantage of the sub-capacity rules....

WAIT A Sec..I was told by IBM that I have to apply for sub-capacity licensing, and can only have one or the other. But I have heard so many different answers on the licensing that I don't know which way is up.