Software license metrics
Summarize
Summary of Software license metrics
Software license metrics in ServiceNow are defined within software entitlements and are crucial for license reconciliation across various metric groups and software models. Each metric group contains license metrics specific to software publishers, enabling precise tracking and management of software licenses. Customers can view and configure these metrics via the Metric Attributes in software models and can also add custom license metrics to suit their needs.
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Publisher packs for Adobe, Citrix, IBM (including Red Hat), Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and VMware provide tailored license metric capabilities aligned with each vendor’s licensing models. Additionally, installing SaaS License Management introduces Subscription and Consumption metric groups to manage SaaS licenses effectively.
Key Features
- Metric Groups and License Metrics: These include Per Device, Per User, Per Processor, User CAL, Device CAL, Concurrent Licenses, Consumption-based metrics, and more, each supporting specific licensing models for various software publishers.
- Publisher Packs: Available for Adobe, Citrix, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and VMware, these add-ons provide pre-configured license metrics tailored to the licensing requirements of each publisher.
- Custom License Metrics: Customers can extend capabilities using custom license metrics and leverage the Resource Value table for detailed 1:1 unit consumption calculations.
- Reconciliation Logic: Specific rules define how rights are consumed, allocated, or considered not in use, particularly for subscription-based licenses and concurrent usage.
- Concurrent Licensing: Supports floating, token, and network license management based on peak concurrent usage, available with specific ServiceNow plugins and integrations.
- SaaS License Management: Provides metric groups for subscription and consumption-based licenses, allowing organizations to license based on active users, endpoint counts, or usage averages over time.
- Unlimited Software Licenses: Allows creation of entitlements with unlimited allocations and rights, enabling licensing for unlimited software installations without additional true-up costs.
Publisher-Specific Metrics
- Adobe: Metrics include Per Device, Per User, and User Subscription licenses, with detailed allocation and usage logic for subscriptions.
- Citrix: Metrics support concurrent users, devices, processors, and combined user/device licensing, requiring Citrix discovery schedules for data collection.
- IBM and Red Hat: Include metrics such as Authorized User, Processor Value Unit (PVU), Resource Value Unit (RVU), and virtual processor cores, supporting both full and subcapacity licensing.
- Microsoft: Features Device CAL, Per Core (including cluster and virtualized environments), Per Processor, User CAL, and User Subscription metrics; some older metrics are deprecated and replaced.
- Oracle: Metrics like Named User Plus, Per Processor (with AWS VM considerations), and Employee-based licensing support complex organizational scenarios.
- SAP: Includes Named User, Engine Measurement, and Digital Access metrics for indirect usage tracking.
- VMware: Offers metrics such as Per Application Instance, Per Named User, Per OSI (for IP-addressed servers generating logs), and Per Processor licenses with automated core count attributes for reconciliation.
Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers
By leveraging the appropriate publisher packs and license metrics, customers can ensure accurate license entitlement management and reconciliation tailored to their software vendor agreements. The ability to add custom license metrics and utilize resource value calculations enhances flexibility for complex licensing scenarios.
Understanding each license metric’s purpose helps customers maintain compliance, optimize license usage, and accurately forecast costs. SaaS License Management integration extends license tracking to cloud-based subscriptions and consumption models, reflecting modern software licensing trends.
Unlimited software licenses offer a simplified approach for organizations needing broad coverage without incremental true-up, supporting scalability and cost predictability.
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. |
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| Common |
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| 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: aaThese license metrics are available with Xanadu Patch 6 and Software Asset Management - SaaS License Management (sn_sam_saas_int) 14.0.7 version onwards. If you are on any version for Xanadu below Patch 6, refer KB1801232. |
| IBM
Note: IBM license metrics are visible only if the IBM publisher pack is installed. |
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| Microsoft
Note: Microsoft license metrics are visible only if the Microsoft publisher pack is installed. |
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| 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: This license metric isn’t visible unless the VMware publisher pack is installed. |
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