Turn on High-Frequency Mode

FlexNet Manager Suite 2023 R1 (On-Premises)

Armed with your amended license from IBM, and with data flows established and populating at least one IBM sub-capacity PVU or VPC license (so that you can be sure that hidden targets are initialized), you are ready to switch into high-frequency mode for calculation of sub-capacity consumption using FlexNet Manager Suite as the source of calculations.

Because of the times required for all processes to reach production conditions (as described below this procedure), it is good practice to make this change at the start of a weekend when you expect the environment to be stable. This allows 48 hours or more for the switchover to stabilize.

Setting Enable frequent hardware scanning for IBM sub-capacity license calculations, as described below, has the following effects:

• Adds the default All devices consuming IBM PVU points target (remembering that this target also includes devices consuming from VPC sub-capacity licenses) to the list of targets available for IBM sub-capacity-related hardware scans
• Adds the default Known vCenter or OVM Manager servers target to the list of targets available for remote scans by appropriate inventory beacons of all known VMware vCenter and Oracle VM Manager servers
• Enables frequent hardware scanning of all target inventory devices where the FlexNet inventory agent is locally installed, as required by IBM (this setting is distributed to the installed FlexNet inventory agents through the inventory beacons, which in turn receive it through the IBMPVUEnableScanning=true setting in the BeaconSettings.xml file)
• Enables the reassessment of peak consumption values for the three IBM regions, taking into account the latest data inputs, that now occurs as part of the nightly full compliance calculations
• Prevents IBM PVU licenses incorporating any points imported from ILMT, where this remains available as an auxiliary inventory source
  Tip: When imports are still available from ILMT, and high-frequency scanning is enabled, there is a report provided that compares the current sub-capacity results imported from ILMT with those calculated by FlexNet Manager Suite.
• Reveals additional settings in the web interface, as described below.

To configure higher frequency processing for IBM sub-capacity licenses:

1. Navigate to Discovery & Inventory > Settings. Scroll down to the IBM reporting and archiving settings section.
2. Select the Enable frequent hardware scanning for IBM sub-capacity license calculations check box.
   A number of additional controls appear when this check box is selected (provided that the prerequisites described in Requirements for FlexNet Manager Suite Sub-Cap have been satisfied).
3. In the Perform extra inventory scanning every time-interval drop-down list, choose 30 minutes.
   This is the setting required by IBM. Other values are available for testing and development. This control sets the frequency for hardware inventory checks by the installed FlexNet inventory agent on target inventory devices, and uploads of hardware inventory where there have been any changes.
4. Select the Collect inventory from VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers check box.
   This is the control that turns on use of the default inbuilt rule for direct inventory gathering from these servers, as well as automatic maintenance of the hidden target, derived from the list of discovered devices, that is used for that rule.

   Note: Although Oracle VM Manager servers are scanned for changes, all calculations for VMs on these servers are full capacity calculations. This is because currently IBM accepts Oracle VM servers only on SPARC and UltraSPARC architectures for sub-capacity consumption, and FlexNet Manager Suite supports Oracle VM servers only on x86 platforms.
5. In the drop-down list to Collect inventory from VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers choose a target.
   This may be the built-in target for Known vCenter or OVM Manager servers. This target, automatically updated after each discovery import, lists all vCenter and OVM virtual management servers. Independently of this setting, you may choose to create a separate custom target to target sub-set of VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers that you want to scan.
6. If you want to include another target that you have defined, click the + button to the right of the list.
   A new line appears below your previous choice, and you can repeat the selection process for other targets you have defined.

   Tip: When the selected target is present in the closed list, it is included in data saved when you click Save.
7. In the drop-down list to Enable frequent hardware scans by installed inventory agents within the following targets, choose the built-in target for All devices consuming IBM PVU points.
   This target, automatically updated daily, lists all computers with installed software linked to either IBM PVU or IBM VPC sub-capacity licenses. If you have some special reason to do so, you may add additional targets using the same controls.

   • One possible reason for adding targets might be for 'remedial adoption'. If you include a separate target that includes the target setting Allow these targets to be adopted, this has the effect of discovering new devices running software linked to an IBM PVU or IBM VPC license. If the FlexNet inventory agent is found on these devices, inventory gathering is left to the installed FlexNet inventory agent; and if not, the appropriate inventory beacon remotely installs the FlexNet inventory agent (that is, it 'adopts' the target device) and then leaves it to complete inventory gathering.
   • However, keeping in mind that IBM high-frequency mode requires maximum performance, it would be better to attach such a target to a separate rule, run on (say) a daily schedule (especially in enterprises with large subnets). This has the benefit of returning inventory from newly-discovered devices in time for the daily automated update of the hidden target All devices consuming IBM PVU points.
8. When you are satisfied with your settings, click Save (in the bottom right of the page).
9. Configure FlexNet Manager Suite for your IBM reporting cycle and switch-over date.
   1. Navigate to System Settings. Select the Licensing tab, and scroll down to the IBM reporting and archiving settings section.
      Tip: This section is visible only after high-frequency mode is enabled.
   2. Select Automatically adjust the calculation period start date.
      This is best practice, and saves having to remember future manual work as each reporting period rolls around. See the online help about these settings for more details. Selecting this option reveals another line of controls.
   3. Insert the length of your reporting cycle to IBM (typically either one month or three months) in the Reset the calculation period every field.
   4. In the following date field, after month(s) from, insert the start date of the current reporting period.
      As you have just turned on high frequency processing, this is normally your current reporting period.
   5. In the Ignore any value prior to date field, insert the date when you are switching over to fully operational use of FlexNet Manager Suite for sub-capacity calculations.
      This is the day after you archived your last report from ILMT. As already observed, there is a ramp-up time as the processes in FlexNet Manager Suite come up to full production readiness (further details are below). Therefore, this reporting switch-over date might be three-four days after you "flick the switch" (earlier in this process). For example, if today (when you flick the switch) is Friday, with a quiet weekend to follow, you might allow Monday for checking, archive your last ILMT report on Tuesday, and set this Ignore any value prior to date for Wednesday. There is no requirement to align this date with the boundary of a reporting period, as you can submit reports from both products to jointly cover this switch-over period.

      Tip: If there are unexpected delays in your business processes, you can adjust this date after the event, but before archiving any reports from FlexNet Manager Suite for possible submission to IBM.
   6. In the Keep historical data for field, enter the number of days for which to keep historical data ready for reporting to IBM.
      Best practice is to make this at least double the length of your reporting period, as this ensures that you can update reports for the previous period at any time in the current period. It also caps the database space needed for storing historical data. Historical information for reassessing peak points consumption is automatically deleted as soon as it is older than the value you set here. Notice that this is a rolling time window, always the specified number of days back from today's date.
   7. Click Save (in the bottom right of the page).
10. Wait.

    (It is assumed here that there has already been at least one daily full inventory import and full license reconciliation completed, as described in Set Up and Collect Inventory, and Reconcile.) All the following additional processes must now have time to complete:

    • The creation of the new policy for inventory beacons. This is created within minutes, and lists all affected inventory devices.
    • The collection of the new policy by all inventory beacons. By default, each inventory beacon checks for changed policy every 15 minutes, although this may have been modified in the Beacon settings section of the Inventory Settings page (Discovery & Inventory > Settings). To check whether inventory beacons have the latest policy, navigate to Discovery & Inventory > Beacons, and check the Policy status column, where Up to date means that an inventory beacon has reported having the same version of policy currently available on the central application server.
    • All installed FlexNet inventory agents on the target list of inventory devices must individually request an update of their device policy. The policy update request happens at a randomized time once per day. Whichever inventory beacon a device contacts to request any policy updates immediately generates and downloads the updated device policy. Where applicable (that is, where the inventory device is listed in the target of devices running software licensed under IBM PVU or IBM VPC licenses), the updated policy includes the high-frequency schedule for hardware inventory checks.
    • Each installed FlexNet inventory agent must commence executing the high-frequency hardware inventory checks. On the first occasion, and on any later occasion where there is a change to relevant hardware properties, hardware inventory is also uploaded through the hierarchy of inventory beacons. Typically the first hardware inventory collection and upload from a given device may take around ten minutes. (Keep in mind that, due to the random timing of device policy updates, some devices may not start high-frequency hardware checks until the following day.) For IBM PVU licenses only, to track devices that are not [yet] reporting as expected, navigate to Reports > Discovery & Inventory > Inventory, and run the IBM PVU Out-Of-Date Inventory report for the appropriate period. The report includes all devices linked to IBM PVU licenses, filtered by the period you choose. Two important values for the Out-of-date reason are:
      • The device is not running frequent inventory scans, and has not reported recently — these devices have been linked to an IBM PVU license through inventory gathering (from any inventory source) and after a previous full license reconciliation, but are not yet included in the internal target for high-frequency hardware scans (and it is therefore natural that they have not yet reported high-frequency hardware inventory). This may occur in the time window between turning on the high-frequency scanning schedule and the next full license reconciliation. These devices should be included in the internal target after the next full license reconciliation.
      • The device has frequent inventory scans enabled, but has not reported recently — these devices are included in the internal target for high-frequency scanning, so that their missing uploads may be a matter of timing: they have been targeted, but have yet to start the high-frequency scans.
    • The appropriate inventory beacons must start checking virtual hosts for changes in VM details, as described in Set Up Virtual Inventory Tracking. To check operations, navigate to the system menu ( in the top right corner), select System Health > Activity Log, and filter the page for Description contains Discovery completed on Beacon for rule: Virtual cluster server scan for IBM PVU. (This also includes scanning for IBM VPC-licensed software.) After a full reconciliation, these devices are visible in the All Discovered Devices page, as well as in inventory listings as appropriate.
    • Each full license reconciliation process includes the recalculation of peak values, based on:
      • Historical data through the entire data retention period — although any details for dates before the switch-over date recorded in the Ignore any value prior to setting (System Settings > Licensing tab) are correctly ignored
      • The current settings for things like inventory corrections, license allocations, device exemptions, and the like
      • The latest imported inventory
      • The current best fit of inventory devices to IBM PVU or IBM VPC licenses.
      This process starts from the next full reconciliation (which you should leave scheduled for overnight execution) after you save the Enable frequent hardware scanning for IBM sub-capacity license calculations check box and associated settings on this Inventory Settings page. However, results should not be considered valid until all installed FlexNet inventory agents are reporting hardware inventory.

    Note: Even though you have now commenced high-frequency operations, data from ILMT about consumption of IBM PVU licenses (only) is still imported into staging tables to allow comparison of current PVU sub-capacity results from both ILMT and FlexNet Manager Suite. However, results calculated by ILMT are not displayed in the web interface, and you may wish to reduce system maintenance overheads by removing the ILMT agent, as described next.