IBM High-Frequency Scanning

IT Asset Management (Cloud)

The controls in the IBM reporting and archiving settings section allow you to use FlexNet inventory for sub-capacity licensing calculations, potentially in place of ILMT.

Note: This IBM reporting and archiving settings section of the Inventory Settings page is available only when you have licensed the FlexNet Manager for Datacenters product.

Before adjusting settings in this section, it is important that you understand the implications included in Sub-Capacity Licensing Using IBM PVU, IBM VPC, or IBM Cloud Pak:

• IBM requirements for sub-capacity licensing
• Performance implications of high-frequency scanning
• Product prerequisites for higher frequency processing of IBM sub-capacity licenses
• Related reports.

To configure higher frequency processing for IBM PVU or VPC licenses:

1. 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 Sub-Capacity Licensing Using IBM PVU, IBM VPC, or IBM Cloud Pak have been satisfied).

   Tip: In contrast, if you clear this check box, you must either use full capacity calculations for your IBM PVU licenses, or rely on the points calculations collected from ILMT, TAD4D, SUA, or IBM Big Fix. Selecting the check box is a requirement for IBM acceptance of sub-capacity calculations based on FlexNet inventory.

   Saving this page with this check box enabled also has the following effects:

   • Modifies the appearance of the Compliance tab on all IBM PVU and IBM VPC licenses so that they can display the peak consumption of sub-capacity points (and the date when this occurred) for each IBM region, together with the full consumption for any devices not eligible for sub-capacity calculations (see Compliance Tab)
   • Enables the mapping of enterprise group locations to the three mandatory IBM regions, allowing you to assign ownership of devices to appropriate locations so that their consumption points are directed to the appropriate IBM region (see Locations)
   • Causes display of an IBM region column in appropriate searches and listings, such as the Ownership tab on device properties, the Locations page, and the Consumption tab on license properties
   • Adds the Known vCenter or OVM Manager servers target to the list of targets available to collect inventory from VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers, visible in the Discovery and Inventory Rules page
   • Adds the All devices consuming IBM PVU points target to the list of targets available for IBM sub-capacity-related hardware scans, visible in the Discovery and Inventory Rules page
   • Enables remote scans by appropriate inventory beacons of all known VMware vCenter and Oracle VM Manager (OVM) 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 within policy to the installed FlexNet Inventory Agents through the inventory beacons, which in turn receive it through the BIBMPVUEnableScanning=true setting in the BeaconSettings.xml file)
   • Enables the recalculation (retrospectively covering the data retention period, including the current reporting period for reports to IBM) of the peak points consumption for each mandatory IBM region (this happens as part of each full license reconciliation process, by default scheduled overnight)
   • 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 IT Asset Management.
2. In the Perform extra inventory scanning every time-interval drop-down list, choose one of the available intervals (between 30 minutes and 4 hours).
   The default value (30 minutes) is mandatory if you wish to use FlexNet inventory for sub-capacity license calculations in place of an IBM tool such as ILMT (which also captures snapshots for its licensing history every 30 minutes). If you choose an option other than the 30 minutes default, a warning appears, allowing you to confirm that your choice is well-informed and intentional.

   Be aware that this time interval applies not only to the inventory gathering from the host server, but also to the upload of any inventory changes, and import to the inventory database. Recalculation of peak consumption per region, which takes into account any hardware or VM changes that have been imported since the last calculation, occurs as part of the full compliance calculations, by default scheduled overnight.

3. Typically, you will select the Collect inventory from VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers check box except for exceptional circumstances.
   These servers, identified automatically from the list of discovered devices, are automatically inventoried by the appropriate inventory beacon remotely accessing their management APIs to track the movement of virtual machines.

   Note: This functionality requires that the virtual host and the inventory beacon can connect across an IPv4 network. (IT Asset Management does not currently support any form of remote execution using IPv6 address families, and therefore a virtual host in an IPv6 zone remains invisible to this functionality.)

   The effects of the check box are as follows:

   • When this check box is selected, a drop-down list is exposed that includes the pre-existing target Known vCenter or OVM Manager servers, along with any custom targets that you have created (details about making selections are in the next step). The default automated target is updated daily to contain all servers (in IPv4 networks) where either VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager has been discovered. While the target is active (that is, while this check box is set and the selection saved in the drop-down), those servers are scanned for high-level hardware information, including which virtual machines are running on which host server, using direct inventory gathering by the appropriate inventory beacon.
     Note: While VMs on VMware vCenter are candidates for sub-capacity license consumption, VMs on Oracle VM Manager are always calculated at full consumption. This is because currently IBM accepts Oracle VM servers only on SPARC and UltraSPARC architectures for sub-capacity consumption (and not on x86 platforms), and IT Asset Management supports Oracle VM servers only on x86 platforms.
   • When this check box is cleared, high-frequency scans of servers running VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager do not occur. In general, you should not clear this check box in production, and the option is available only for exceptional circumstances (for example, while you are waiting for approval from your Oracle team to run the inventory scans). In production, you might clear the check box if your enterprise uses neither of these virtualization products; or if you know that there are no IBM PVU licenses applying on any of the virtual machines managed by these servers (and if you do clear this check box, skip ahead to step 6). Otherwise, clearing the check box risks puts you at risk of breaching IBM's conditions, which normally require tracking the movement of virtual machines where the relevant software may be operating.
4. In the drop-down list to Collect inventory from VMware vCenter or Oracle VM Manager servers, choose your first target for increased scanning.
   Normally you will choose 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.

   Tip: When the selected target is present in the closed list, it is included in data saved when you click Save on the entire page.
5. 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 (as discussed above).
6. In the drop-down list to Enable frequent hardware scans by installed inventory agents within the following targets, choose the first of your existing targets for increased scanning.
   Normally you will choose the built-in target for All devices consuming IBM PVU points (available only after you have selected the Enable frequent hardware scanning for IBM sub-capacity license calculations check box).

   Tip: Despite the name of this built-in target, it in fact includes all devices consuming for both IBM PVU and IBM VPC license types, and is automatically updated after each full inventory import (by default, daily). These computers must have the FlexNet Inventory Agent installed.

   Independently of this setting, you may either:

   • Manage the installation and configuration of the FlexNet Inventory Agent using your preferred deployment technology (this third-party deployment is mandatory in networks using the IPv6 address family); or
   • Create a separate rule for discovery and adoption, for which you define the target to match the machines where you want the FlexNet Inventory Agent installed (this applies only in networks using the IPv4 address family). In this case, the inventory beacon checks for a prior installation on each target machine, and if it is not present, automatically installs FlexNet Inventory Agent in line with your targeting.

   Tip: When the selected target is present in the closed list, it is included in data saved when you click Save on the entire page.
7. 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 (as discussed above).
8. Click Save (in the bottom right of the page).

Your system is now configured for the more frequent inventory checks required for sub-capacity licensing calculations using the FlexNet Inventory Agent.

If you have multiple inventory sources, ensure that data from other sources cannot overwrite data from the high-frequency inventory you have just enabled. To do this:

1. Go to the Data Imports page.
2. Select the Inventory Data tab.
3. Check that the IT Asset Management — Flexera source currently displays Primary (on the right end), and if not, click Make primary.

You may also wish to check the configuration on your IBM PVU and VPC licenses around rights on virtual machines and hosts, set in the Use rights & rules tab of each license's properties (see Rights on Virtual Machines and Hosts). These are already correctly configured if you have set up these licenses using the Product Use Rights Library enabled by the FlexNet Manager for Datacenters license term.