--- sourceDocument: Yokohama IT Asset Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/it-asset-management Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama IT Asset Management ft:clusterId : - itam bundleId : - itam workflow : - Technology --- # IBM PVU and RVU licenses # IBM processor value unit (PVU) and resource value unit (RVU) licenses {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Yokohama * * Updated January 30, 2025 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 7 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of IBM processor value unit (PVU) and resource value unit (RVU) licenses This IBM licensing guide details how ServiceNow customers can track and manage IBM Processor Value Unit (PVU) and Resource Value Unit (RVU) licenses through integrations with the Software Asset Management (SAM) publisher pack. Supported integrations include Authorized SAM Providers (ASPs) participating in the IBM Client Value Acceleration (CVA) Program, IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), and BigFix Inventory. These integrations enable automated calculation and compliance tracking of IBM PVU and RVU license types in both physical and virtualized environments. Show full answer Show less ## Processor Value Unit (PVU) Licensing * **Definition:** PVUs quantify IBM license requirements based on processor technology in physical hardware, with PVUs assigned per core depending on the processor vendor, name, and model. * **Calculation:** Multiply PVUs per core by the number of activated processor cores available to or managed by the IBM software product. * **Capacity Models:** Supports full capacity licensing (all activated cores) and sub-capacity licensing (specific activated cores per virtualization rules). * **Usage Type Tracking:** The Usage Type field in the license workbench indicates whether PVU licenses are applied at full or sub-capacity per device. * **Configuration:** * For ILMT/BigFix integrations, modify Usage Type in the IBM Peak Consumption table in the Import Set Data interface. * For ASP integrations, adjust Usage Type through Device Settings in the Software Asset Workspace's License operations view. ## Resource Value Unit (RVU) Licensing * **Definition:** RVUs measure IBM license requirements based on total activated processor cores across all devices where the product is installed. * **Tiered Calculation:** Activated cores are segmented into tiers with corresponding factor values: * Tier 1: 0--2,500 cores (factor 1.00) * Tier 2: 2,501--10,000 cores (factor 0.80) * Tier 3: 10,001--50,000 cores (factor 0.60) * Tier 4: 50,001--150,000 cores (factor 0.40) * Tier 5: 150,001+ cores (factor 0.20) * **Calculation Method:** Multiply number of cores per tier by the factor, then sum results to determine total required license rights at the product level. * **Compliance Requirement:** Insufficient rights for all activated cores result in non-compliance and no licensed devices. * **Capacity Models:** Supports full capacity (all activated cores) and sub-capacity licensing (only cores used by virtual machines where the software is installed). * **Usage Type Tracking and Configuration:** Similar to PVU, Usage Type can be modified via ILMT/BigFix or ASP integrations as described above. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * Automated tracking and management of IBM PVU and RVU licenses improves license compliance and optimization. * Integration options ensure flexibility to align with existing IBM license metric tools or authorized providers. * Visibility into license application at device and product levels supports accurate license consumption reporting. * Support for both physical and virtualized environments accommodates complex infrastructure scenarios. If 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, you can track and manage IBM PVU and RVU licenses. Alternatively, you can track and manage these licenses when you integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory using version 1 or 2 of the integration APIs. With these integrations, the publisher pack adds the Processor Value Unit (PVU) and Resource Value Unit (RVU) license metrics for IBM so that you can calculate licensing for these license types. For more details on Authorized SAM Provider (ASP) integrations, see [Client Value Acceleration (CVA) integrations for IBM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/z5qFXM10aNJb1ieQUbS58Q "You can track and manage IBM licenses in both VMware vSphere environments and IBM LPAR infrastructures by integrating 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. With these integrations, you can track and manage IBM licensing directly without having to integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory."). For more details on ILMT and BigFix Inventory integrations, see [IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) and BigFix Inventory integrations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WnDG61oTqqnOmLZQOOxlAg "You can use an IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory integration to create a connection between your IBM servers and the ServiceNow AI Platform. Use this connection to import data into your ServiceNow instance so that you can track and optimize licensing for your IBM software products."). Note: IBM PVU and RVU licensing is supported in both physical and virtualized environments. ## Processor value unit (PVU) licensing {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__section_mkf_kfp_mpb} A processor value unit (PVU) is a unit of measure that enables you to determine the licensing requirements for an IBM software product based on the processor technology that is used in your physical hardware environment. Each processor technology is assigned a PVUs per Core value based on the processor vendor, processor name, and model number. You can determine the number of rights that are required for a PVU license by multiplying the appropriate PVUs per Core value by the number of activated processor cores in the physical hardware environment that is available to or managed by your IBM software product. The IBM publisher pack supports both full capacity and sub-capacity PVU licensing. If you are using a full capacity PVU license, you must account for all activated processor cores in the physical hardware environment that is available to or managed by the IBM software product. If you are using a sub-capacity PVU license, you must account for only the specific activated processor cores that are available to or managed by the IBM software product, as defined in [Virtualization Capacity License Counting Rules](https://www.ibm.com/software/passportadvantage/Counting_Software_licenses_using_specific_virtualization_technologies.html). You can gain visibility into how your PVU licenses are applied to your devices by using the Usage Type field in the [license workbench](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/HrWX9T3XSBA67sMboMe3Bw "Review reconciliation results in a simplified workbench view."). Use this information to determine whether your PVU licenses are applied to the full capacity or sub-capacity of each device. Depending on the type of IBM integration that you are using, specify how a PVU license is applied to a device using one of the following options: * If you are integrating the IBM publisher pack with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory, navigate to Integration - ILMT/BigFix InventoryImport Set DataIBM License Metric Peak Usage to modify the value of the corresponding Usage Type field in the IBM Peak Consumption \[samp_ilmt_sw_install\] table. By default, the Usage Type field for devices on the IBM Peak Consumption \[samp_ilmt_sw_install\] table is automatically set to Sub-capacity. However, the Usage Type field for devices with allocations in your full capacity PVU entitlements is automatically set to Full capacity instead. For more details on ILMT and BigFix Inventory, see [IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) and BigFix Inventory integrations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WnDG61oTqqnOmLZQOOxlAg "You can use an IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory integration to create a connection between your IBM servers and the ServiceNow AI Platform. Use this connection to import data into your ServiceNow instance so that you can track and optimize licensing for your IBM software products."). * If you are integrating the IBM publisher pack with an Authorized SAM Provider (ASP), navigate to WorkspacesSoftware Asset Workspace. When the Software Asset Workspace launches, open the License operations view. From the left navigation menu of the License operations view, navigate to IBM ASP IntegrationDevice Settings to modify the value of the corresponding Usage Type field. By default, the Usage Type field is automatically set to Sub-capacity. However, the Usage Type field for devices with allocations in your full capacity PVU entitlements is automatically set to Full capacity instead. For more details on the available device settings, see [Verify the meta data for your IBM hosts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zPZYgdzwNuO3KvKldzIJTg "To improve the accuracy of your IBM license calculations, verify the meta data for the physical hosts that your IBM software is installed on. Update any meta data that is incorrect or out of date."). For more details on ASPs, see [Client Value Acceleration (CVA) integrations for IBM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/z5qFXM10aNJb1ieQUbS58Q "You can track and manage IBM licenses in both VMware vSphere environments and IBM LPAR infrastructures by integrating 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. With these integrations, you can track and manage IBM licensing directly without having to integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory."). {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__ul_hft_y3y_wwb} Refer to [Processor Value Units (PVU)](https://www.ibm.com/software/passportadvantage/pvu_licensing_for_customers.html) for more information on IBM PVU licensing, including the complete list of supported processor technologies and corresponding PVUs per Core values. ## Resource value unit (RVU) licensing {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__section_p1m_yb1_dqb} A resource value unit (RVU) is a unit of measure that enables you to determine the licensing requirements for an IBM software product based on the number of activated processor cores that are available to or managed by that product. The number of activated processor cores corresponds directly with an RVU tier number and factor value.{#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__table_owy_slv_4pb__entry__3} | Number of Activated Processor Cores | Tier | Factor | |-|-|-| | 0 to 2,500 | 1 | 1.00 | | 2,501 to 10,000 | 2 | 0.80 | | 10,001 to 50,000 | 3 | 0.60 | | 50,001 to 150,000 | 4 | 0.40 | | 150,001 and above | 5 | 0.20 | [Table 1. RVU tiers and factors] {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__table_owy_slv_4pb} You can determine the number of rights that are required for an RVU license by using a step function based on these RVU tiers. First, you must divide the total number of activated processor cores into tiers based on the [RVU tiers and factors table](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3suRkdrK~2SNSqMYxHSlSA#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__table_owy_slv_4pb). Since RVU licensing is calculated at the product level and not the individual device level, you must account for all devices that the product is installed on when determining the total number of activated processor cores that must be licensed. Then, you must multiply the number of activated processor cores within each tier by the corresponding factor values. Finally, you must add the resulting numbers together to determine the total number of rights that are required for the RVU license. Important: If you do not have enough rights to license all activated processor cores across all devices, none of the devices are licensed and the product is marked as Not Compliant. For example, a product has access to a total of 150,000 activated processor cores across 100 devices. The total number of rights that are required for the RVU license is 72,500, based on the following calculations:{#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__table_zbt_s4z_2qb__entry__4} | Tier | Number of Activated Processor Cores within the Tier | Factor | Number of Rights Required | |-|-|-|-| | 1 (0 to 2,500 activated processor cores) | 2,500 | 1.00 | 2,500 x 1.00 = 2,500 | | 2 (2,501 to 10,000 activated processor cores) | 7,500 | 0.80 | 7,500 x 0.80 = 6,000 | | 3 (10,001 to 50,000 activated processor cores) | 40,000 | 0.60 | 40,000 x 0.60 = 24,000 | | 4 (50,001 to 150,000 activated processor cores) | 100,000 | 0.40 | 100,000 x 0.40 = 40,000 | | n/a | 150,000 total | n/a | 2,500 + 6,000 + 24,000 + 40,000 = 72,500 total | [ ] {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__table_zbt_s4z_2qb} Note: The number of rights that are consumed for RVU licenses is reported differently from the number of rights that are consumed for PVU licenses. For PVU licenses, this number is reported at the individual device level. For RVU licenses, this number is reported at the product level. Refer to [Resource value unit (RVU MAPC)](https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/license-metric-tool?topic=metrics-resource-value-unit-rvu-mapc) for more information on IBM RVU tiers. The IBM publisher pack supports both full capacity and sub-capacity RVU licensing. If you are using a full capacity RVU license, you must account for all activated processor cores in the physical hardware environment that is available to or managed by the IBM software product. If you are using a sub-capacity RVU license, which is available only in virtualized environments, you must account for only the activated processor cores that are used by the virtual machines (VMs) on which the IBM software product is installed. You can gain visibility into how your RVU licenses are applied to your devices by using the Usage Type field in the [license workbench](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/HrWX9T3XSBA67sMboMe3Bw "Review reconciliation results in a simplified workbench view."). Use this information to determine whether your RVU licenses are applied to the full capacity or sub-capacity of each device. Depending on the type of IBM integration that you are using, specify how an RVU license is applied to a device using one of the following options: * If you are integrating the IBM publisher pack with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory, navigate to Integration - ILMT/BigFix InventoryImport Set DataIBM License Metric Peak Usage to modify the value of the corresponding Usage Type field in the IBM Peak Consumption \[samp_ilmt_sw_install\] table. By default, the Usage Type field for devices on the IBM Peak Consumption \[samp_ilmt_sw_install\] table is automatically set to Sub-capacity. For more details on ILMT and BigFix Inventory, see [IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) and BigFix Inventory integrations](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WnDG61oTqqnOmLZQOOxlAg "You can use an IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory integration to create a connection between your IBM servers and the ServiceNow AI Platform. Use this connection to import data into your ServiceNow instance so that you can track and optimize licensing for your IBM software products."). * If you are integrating the IBM publisher pack with an Authorized SAM Provider (ASP), such as Anglepoint, navigate to WorkspacesSoftware Asset Workspace. When the Software Asset Workspace launches, open the License operations view. From the left navigation menu of the License operations view, navigate to IBM ASP IntegrationDevice settings to modify the value of the corresponding Usage Type field. By default, the Usage Type field is automatically set to Sub-capacity. For more details on the available device settings, see [Verify the meta data for your IBM hosts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/zPZYgdzwNuO3KvKldzIJTg "To improve the accuracy of your IBM license calculations, verify the meta data for the physical hosts that your IBM software is installed on. Update any meta data that is incorrect or out of date."). For more details on ASPs, see [Client Value Acceleration (CVA) integrations for IBM](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/z5qFXM10aNJb1ieQUbS58Q "You can track and manage IBM licenses in both VMware vSphere environments and IBM LPAR infrastructures by integrating 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. With these integrations, you can track and manage IBM licensing directly without having to integrate with the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or BigFix Inventory."). {#ibm-pvu-rvu-licensing__ul_kg3_mhy_wwb} *[\>]: and then