Processor Value Unit (PVU) is a unit of measurement defined by IBM to determine software
licensing costs based on processor or server model.
A processor is defined as each core on a socket. Each software package has a price defined as
number of points or PVUs per core. For a complete explanation of IBM PVU licensing for
distributed software, see Processor Value Unit [PVU] licensing for Distributed
Software on the IBM website.
In the ServiceNow AI Platform, the concept of PVU is used by the legacy IBM PVU Process Pack,
which is an add-on to the legacy Software Asset Management (com.snc.software_asset_management)
plugin. This legacy process pack provides the ability to manage software licensed under the IBM
Processor Value Units licensing model.
Important: The legacy IBM PVU Process Pack is not required for tracking and managing
IBM PVU licenses through the
Software Asset Management publisher pack for
IBM, which is available as part of the
Software Asset Management Professional
(com.snc.samp) plugin. The
IBM publisher pack includes all capabilities that are
required for tracking and managing both full capacity and sub-capacity PVU and RVU licenses for
your
IBM products. See
Software Asset Management publisher pack for
IBM for more
information on the
IBM publisher pack.
The legacy
Software Asset Management (com.snc.software_asset_management) plugin Processor
Definition Extension is automatically activated when the legacy IBM PVU Process Pack is
activated. It provides data model support for processor definitions and is required by all legacy
Software Asset Management (com.snc.software_asset_management) plugin process packs.
Note: Oracle and Microsoft also use the concept of PVU, but have slightly
different definitions.