IBM MVS (license type)

Note: IBM MVS licenses are exclusively used in conjunction with the IBM License Service. These licenses are only applicable when an integration with the IBM License Service is in place.

The primary purpose of this license type is to represent both peak and current consumption as reported by the IBM License Service operating within a Kubernetes cluster.

In IT Asset Management, IBM MVS licenses can be created for the following Cloud Paks:

• IBM Cloud Pak for Network Automation
• IBM Cloud Pak for Watson AIOps
• IBM Cloud Pak for Security

For each day that IBM products or Cloud Paks are running in a Kubernetes cluster, either the Flexera Kubernetes inventory agent or the lightweight Kubernetes agent collects consumption data from the IBM License Service. IT Asset Management then normalises this data, identifying the Cloud Paks and their bundled products, as well as any stand-alone IBM products.

As with other license types, you can link these products to the appropriate licenses. Once linked, IT Asset Management uses the uploaded evidence to report both current and peak license consumption. Note that IBM is primarily interested in peak consumption over the reporting period for licensing purposes.

IBM mandates the use of the IBM License Service to identify products running in Kubernetes clusters. This requirement applies to both Cloud Paks and stand-alone products, and can be fulfilled in IT Asset Management using IBM MVS license types.

Tip: Managed Virtual Server (MVS) is a unit of measure by which the software can be licensed. A server is a physical computer that is comprised of processing units, memory and input/output capabilities, and that executes requested procedures, commands or applications for one or more users or client devices. Where racks, blade enclosures, or other similar equipment is being employed, each separable physical device (for example, a blade or a rack-mounted device) that has the required components is considered itself a separate server. A virtual server is either a virtual computer created by partitioning the resources available to a physical server or an unpartitioned physical server. Licenses must obtain Managed Virtual Server entitlements for each virtual server managed by the software.

Product use rights	The only applicable product use right is the Bundle consumption rule, which allows you to choose between consuming a license for each product on a device or consuming once per device. This mirrors the behaviour of a VPC license and indicates whether the license applies to a Cloud Pak.
Group assignment	Group assignment is supported.
Consumption	Peak and current consumption metrics as reported by the IBM License Service operating within a Kubernetes cluster.
Included	Computers within the scope of the license. IT Asset Management does not do any compliance calculations itself for this license type.
Compliance	Compliant when Peak consumed is less than or equal to Total entitlements for the reporting period. For details about relationships between consumption fields, see Relationships Between Consumption Fields.
Changing from	Allocations/Exemptions are not supported.
Changing to	Allocations/Exemptions are not supported.