Learn about the software licensing and pricing strategy for IBM® products on an iSeries™ server with logical partitions.
Unique software resources exist and operate on hardware that is assigned to each partition. These software resources include separate copies of Licensed Internal Code, i5/OS™ , and other licensed program products. Additionally, language feature codes, security, user data, most system values, and software release and fixes (or program temporary fixes, PTFs) remain unique for each logical partition.
Software license behavior varies by software product. Each solution provider has its own licensing strategy. You can use IBM software products, licensed by the processor group, in any partition. All you need to do is purchase one license for the iSeries server. You can then install the product on any partition you choose. IBM user-based products are priced based on the total number of users running across all partitions of an iSeries server
Software licensing and pricing for IBM software products on servers running multiple partitions remains largely unchanged from current licensing and pricing policies. Processor-based products running in an environment with logical partitions are priced according to the Software Machine Group of the underlying iSeries hardware model. Processor-based one time charge IBM software products are licensed to run simultaneously in all of the partitions on the server. IBM user-based products are priced based on the total number of users running across all partitions of an iSeries.
Software license management functions that currently exist in i5/OS are available in an environment with logical partitions. Software license management supports the various pricing models that iSeries Independent Software Vendors typically use to license their products on an iSeries server.
Software license management has 3 usage types: registered users, concurrent users and processors. All three count usage across the server. It can determine and enforce the number of users for a licensed product across multiple logical partitions of an iSeries.