IBM licensing in VMware vSphere environments

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of IBM Licensing in VMware vSphere Environments

    The integration of the Software Asset Management publisher pack for IBM with authorized providers under the IBM Client Value Acceleration (CVA) Program enables the management of IBM licensing rules in VMware vSphere environments. This allows for the installation and operation of IBM software on virtual machines (VMs) effectively while adhering to IBM's licensing requirements.

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    Key Features

    • Full Capacity Licensing: Requires licensing for each processor core on the physical ESXi host where the IBM software is installed, regardless of the number of VMs running on that host.
    • Sub-Capacity Licensing: Only the virtual cores assigned to the VMs running the IBM software need to be licensed. This option requires a configured VM manager.
    • Licensing Models: Supports Processor Value Unit (PVU), Resource Value Unit (RVU), and Virtual Processor Core (VPC) licensing for both full and sub-capacity scenarios.
    • Rights Calculation: For sub-capacity, rights are calculated based on the sum of licensed virtual cores, unless this exceeds the physical cores, in which case the physical core count is used.

    Key Outcomes

    By understanding and applying the IBM licensing rules in VMware vSphere environments, customers can ensure compliance while optimizing their virtualization resources. This enables efficient management of software licenses and minimizes potential licensing costs, providing a clearer path to software asset management within their infrastructure.

    When you integrate the Software Asset Management publisher pack for IBM with Software Asset Management providers that are authorized to participate in the IBM Client Value Acceleration (CVA) Program, the Software Asset Management application supports IBM licensing rules for VMware vSphere.

    VMware vSphere is a virtualization platform through which you can install and run IBM software products on virtual machines (VMs). The Software Asset Management application supports both full capacity and sub-capacity processor value unit (PVU), resource value unit (RVU), and virtual processor core (VPC) licensing for IBM software products in VMware vSphere environments.
    Table 1. IBM licensing models on VMware vSphere
    Licensing capacity Licensing model
    Full capacity

    When you install and run an IBM software product on a VM, you must license each processor core on the underlying physical ESXi host that is running the VM. If the physical ESXi host is running multiple VMs simultaneously, you must still license each processor core on the host regardless of how many VMs you install and run the IBM software product on.

    Use the total number of processor cores on the underlying physical ESXi host to determine the number of rights that are required for your license, based on the license type. To determine the number of rights that are required for a PVU or RVU license, see IBM processor value unit (PVU) and resource value unit (RVU) licenses. To determine the number of rights that are required for a VPC license, see IBM virtual processor core (VPC) licenses.
    Sub-capacity
    Note:
    You can use sub-capacity licensing only if you configure and specify a VM manager for your VMs. For more information on VM managers, see Specify the virtual machine managers (VMMs) for which you are tracking IBM licenses.

    You must license only the virtual cores that are assigned to the VMs on which you install and run an IBM software product.

    Use the sum of virtual cores that must be licensed across your VMs to determine the number of rights that are required for your license, based on the license type. To determine the number of rights that are required for a PVU or RVU license, see IBM processor value unit (PVU) and resource value unit (RVU) licenses. To determine the number of rights that are required for a VPC license, see IBM virtual processor core (VPC) licenses.

    Note:
    By default, the number of required rights is calculated using the sum of virtual cores. If the sum of virtual cores exceeds the total number of processor cores on the underlying physical ESXi hosts that are running the VMs, the number of required rights is calculated using the total number of processor cores on the hosts instead.
    Note:
    If you install and run an IBM software product on both a VM and the underlying physical ESXi host that is running the VM, you must also license the installation on the host.