Software license metrics
Summarize
Summary of Software license metrics
Software license metrics in ServiceNow are defined within software entitlements and are essential for license reconciliation across various metric groups and software model combinations. Each metric group corresponds to specific publishers and includes a set of license metrics that reflect their licensing models. Customers can view and set metric attributes in software models and also create custom license metrics to tailor licensing needs.
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Publisher packs such as Adobe, Citrix, IBM (including Red Hat), Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and VMware are available as add-ons to manage licensing according to each publisher’s unique model. Installing SaaS License Management introduces subscription and consumption metric groups for SaaS products.
Key Features
- Metric Groups and License Metrics: Metrics vary by publisher and include types such as Per Device, Per User, Per Processor, Concurrent User, and Subscription-based metrics.
- Custom Metrics: Customers can enhance licensing calculations using the Resource Value table for 1:1 unit consumption to licenses required reconciliation.
- Publisher-Specific Metrics:
- Adobe: Metrics include Per Device, Per User, and User Subscription with detailed allocation statuses during reconciliation.
- Citrix: Requires discovery schedules; includes Concurrent User, Per Device, Per Processor, Per User/Device metrics.
- Common Metrics: Includes Per Core, Per Named User/Device, User CAL, Device CAL, and Resource Consumption supporting CAL reconciliation.
- Concurrent Licenses: Available with specific plugins, managing floating, token, and network licenses based on peak usage.
- Consumption Metrics: SaaS Consumption metrics license based on units consumed, including CrowdStrike and Sensor-based metrics.
- IBM: Metrics cover Authorized User, Processor Value Unit (PVU), Resource Value Unit (RVU), and Virtual Processor Core (VPC) licensing.
- Microsoft: Metrics include Device CAL, Per Core (updated to a unified Per Core metric), Per Processor, Server-based, User CAL, and User Subscription metrics.
- Oracle: Includes Named User Plus, Per Processor, and Employee-based licensing with options for aggregation levels during reconciliation.
- Red Hat: Metrics include Per Socket-pair and Per Core licensing for physical and virtual servers.
- SAP: Licensing based on Named Users, Engine Measurement, Digital Access, and Full Usage Equivalent (FUE) for cloud editions.
- Subscription Metrics: User Subscription metrics for SaaS license management.
- VMware: Metrics include Per Application Instance, Per Device, Per Named User, Per OSI, Per Processor, and Per Core with specific rules on core counts and licensing minimums.
- Unlimited Software Licenses: Enables creation of entitlements with unlimited allocations and rights, allowing unlimited software installations without true-up costs.
Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers
By leveraging these license metrics, ServiceNow customers can accurately model, reconcile, and manage software licenses according to vendor-specific rules, ensuring compliance and cost control. The ability to add custom metrics and integrate with consumption data enhances precision in license tracking. Publisher packs extend functionality for major software vendors, while SaaS License Management supports subscription metrics critical for cloud software licensing.
Understanding and correctly configuring these metrics helps customers avoid compliance risks and optimize license usage by aligning entitlements with actual consumption and deployment scenarios.
License metrics are set in software entitlements and used for reconciliation in various metric groups and software model combinations.
Each metric group has a set of license metrics that are specific to the publisher.
You can view the Metric Attributes related list in software models to set the attribute value. For more information, see Software model fields.
You can also add custom license metrics. For more information, see Add a custom license metric. You can use the Resource Value [samp_sw_resource_value] table to enhance the custom license metric capability by doing a 1:1 calculation between the Unit consumption column in the Resource Value [samp_sw_resource_value] table and the Licenses required column in the License Metric Results [samp_license_metric_result] table.
Adobe, Citrix, IBM (includes both IBM and Red Hat), Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and VMware publisher packs are available as add-ons. They provide the capability to manage software licensed under the publisher licensing models.
Installing SaaS License Management adds the Subscription and Consumption metric groups.
You can view descriptions of your license metrics by selecting the reference icon next to the License metric field in your software entitlements.
| Metric group | License metric |
|---|---|
| Adobe
Note: Adobe license metrics are visible only if the Adobe publisher pack is installed. |
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| Citrix
Note: Citrix license metrics are visible only if the Citrix publisher pack is installed. A discovery process is required for Citrix data to be collected. Admin users must create a Discovery schedule to run on the Citrix Delivery Controller for communication with the Citrix License Server. See for information on the Citrix discovery pattern and tables. |
|
| Common |
|
| Concurrent Licenses Note: Concurrent Licenses license metrics are visible only if the Software Asset Management Professional for Engineering Applications (sn_samp_eng_app) plugin is activated along with OpenLM and Open iT integration. |
These licenses are based on the number of simultaneous users or devices accessing the software.
|
| Consumption Note: Consumption license metrics are visible only if the SaaS License Management is installed. |
SaaS Consumption: Licenses an organization based on the unit of measure for the software units that can be consumed. |
| CrowdStrike |
Note:
These license metrics are available with Yokohama Patch 1, Software Asset Management - SaaS License Management (sn_sam_saas_int) 15.0.8, and Software Asset Management (sn_itam_samp) 2.1.0 version onwards. If you are on any version for Yokohama below Patch 1, refer KB1801232. |
| IBM
Note: IBM license metrics are visible only if the IBM publisher pack is installed. |
|
| Microsoft
Note: Microsoft license metrics are visible only if the Microsoft publisher pack is installed. |
|
| Oracle
Note: Oracle license metrics are visible only if the Oracle publisher pack is installed. |
Note: You can select the level of aggregation for the reconciliation calculation of VMware -based Oracle instances using the com.snc.samp.oracle.reconlevel property. See Software Asset Management properties. |
| Red Hat Note: Red Hat license metrics are visible only if the IBM publisher pack is installed. |
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| SAP
Note: SAP license metrics are visible only if the SAP publisher pack is installed. |
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| Subscription Note: Subscription license metrics are visible only if the SaaS License Management is installed. |
User Subscription: Licenses for the number of users. |
| VMware
Note: VMware license metrics are visible only if the VMware publisher pack is installed. |
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