IBM licensing in IBM LPAR infrastructures

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of IBM licensing in IBM LPAR infrastructures

    This content explains how the ServiceNow Software Asset Management (SAM) application supports IBM licensing rules specifically for IBM logical partitions (LPARs) when integrated with authorized IBM SAM providers under the IBM Authorized SAM Provider (IASP) Program. An LPAR is a logical subset of processor hardware running as an independent system within IBM mainframe infrastructure.

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    ServiceNow Discovery patterns for the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) are required to discover LPARs and their resources. Discovered data is stored in specialized Configuration Management Database (CMDB) tables, which are enabled by installing the CMDB CI Class Models application from the ServiceNow Store. This setup allows customers to track and manage IBM LPAR assets accurately within ServiceNow.

    IBM Licensing Models Supported

    The Software Asset Management application supports both full capacity and sub-capacity licensing models for IBM software products running on LPARs. These licensing models apply to processor value unit (PVU), resource value unit (RVU), and virtual processor core (VPC) licenses.

    Full Capacity Licensing

    • Requires licensing of all processor cores on the underlying hardware system running the LPARs where IBM software is installed or executed.
    • The total number of processor cores determines the required license rights depending on license type (PVU, RVU, or VPC).

    Sub-Capacity Licensing

    • Licenses only the processor cores assigned to the specific LPARs where the IBM software is installed or run.
    • IBM LPARs support two processor pool types:
      • Dedicated processor pool: Processor cores are assigned exclusively to one LPAR; all assigned cores must be licensed.
      • Shared processor pool: Processor cores are shared across micro-partitions; licensing depends on LPAR type (capped or uncapped).
    • Capped LPAR: Assigned a maximum entitled CPU capacity and cannot exceed it.
    • Uncapped LPAR: Can exceed entitled CPU capacity up to assigned virtual processor cores or shared pool max capacity.
    • The sum of processor cores licensed across pools is used to determine license rights based on license type (PVU, RVU, or VPC).

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    • To manage IBM LPAR licensing effectively, customers must deploy ServiceNow Discovery patterns for IBM HMC and the CMDB CI Class Models application for accurate asset discovery and data population.
    • Understanding full vs. sub-capacity licensing enables precise license compliance and optimization by licensing only the appropriate processor cores.
    • Accurate licensing calculations depend on knowing the processor pool type and LPAR configurations (capped or uncapped), which ServiceNow SAM can track once discovery is configured.
    • Customers can align their licensing strategy with IBM rules and optimize software license usage within their IBM LPAR infrastructures leveraging ServiceNow SAM capabilities.

    When you integrate the Software Asset Management publisher pack for IBM with Software Asset Management providers that are authorized to participate in the IBM Authorized SAM Provider (IASP) Program, the Software Asset Management application supports IBM licensing rules for IBM logical partitions.

    A logical partition (LPAR) is a defined subset of processor hardware that supports the operating system. An LPAR contains resources, such as processors, memory, and input or output devices, that operate as an independent system. You can have multiple LPARs within each mainframe hardware system.

    Discovering the LPARs and LPAR resources within your IBM LPAR infrastructure requires ServiceNow Discovery patterns for the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC), which is the hardware appliance that enables you to manage and configure your LPARs. To access these discovery patterns, you must request and install the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store. For more information on how to configure a discovery on your LPARs, see IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery.

    Note:
    The lparstat command pulls a report of LPAR-related information and usage. For more information, see the IBM Knowledge Center.
    When you run a discovery, your discovered LPAR data is populated and stored in the following Configuration Management Database (CMDB) tables on your ServiceNow instance:
    • cmdb_ci_ibm_frame
    • cmdb_ci_aix_server
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_instance
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_resource
    • cmdb_rel_ci
    • cmdb_sam_sw_install
    To populate and store this data, you must request and install the CMDB CI Class Models application from the ServiceNow Store. This application adds or updates CMDB classes for the IBM HMC. For more information on IBM HMC CMDB classes, see IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) extension classes.

    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 IBM LPAR infrastructures.

    IBM licensing rules in IBM LPAR infrastructures

    Full capacity licensing

    When you use full capacity licensing, you must license each processor core on the underlying hardware system that is running the LPARs on which you have installed and run an IBM software product.

    Using the total number of processor cores on the underlying hardware system, you can 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 licensing

    When you use sub-capacity licensing, you must license only the processor cores that are assigned to the LPARs on which you install and run an IBM software product.

    You can determine the number of rights that are required for a sub-capacity license based on the type of processor pool and license that you are using for your IBM software product.

    IBM LPARs support both dedicated and shared processor pools. If you are using a dedicated processor pool, in which processor cores are assigned to only one dedicated LPAR, you must license each dedicated processor core that is assigned to the LPAR on which you install or run an IBM software product. If you are using a shared processor pool, in which processor cores are shared across micro-partitions, you must license the processor cores that are shared across the micro-partitions on which you install or run an IBM software product. You can determine the number of processor cores that must be licensed across your micro-partitions based on the LPAR type:
    • Capped LPAR: A capped LPAR is a logical partition that is assigned a maximum entitled capacity, which is the number of CPU resources that the LPAR is entitled to receive. Capped LPARs cannot use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity.
    • Uncapped LPAR: An uncapped LPAR is a logical partition that can use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity. Processor power usage is limited by the number of virtual processor cores that are assigned to the LPAR or by the maximum number of processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool.
    For more details, see Sub-capacity (Virtualization) License Counting Rules.

    Using the sum of processor cores that must be licensed across your processor pools, you can 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.