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Virtualization Capacity License Counting Rules

Using Specific Eligible Virtualization Environments

The definitions and terms governing a transaction using sub-capacity software licensing are documented in the International Passport Advantage Agreement (IPAA) Attachment for Sub-Capacity Licensing Terms.

The materials below contain the Virtualization Capacity License Counting Rules and counting scenarios, which are intended to assist you in determining the correct number of processor cores required to be licensed:


IBM Power Systems (AIX, iOS, Linux) PDF download
IBM Linux for System z PDF download
HP Integrity (HPUX) PDF download
Sun and Fujitsu (Solaris) PDF download
x86 (Intel / AMD) based servers using: VMware PDF download
link outside IBM Get Adobe® Reader®

To determine the correct number of Sub-capacity Processor Value Unit (PVU) licenses required:

  1. Read the IPAA Attachment for Sub-Capacity Licensing Terms.
  2. Refer to the file above for the appropriate Virtualization Capacity License Counting Rules for the Eligible Virtualization Environment.
  3. Follow the Virtualization Capacity license counting rules to determine, by program, the number of processor cores required to license.
  4. Multiply the number of processor cores required to license by the number of PVUs per core required for that processor family. You can determine the correct number of PVUs per core by referring to the PVU table.

If you have questions, please contact your IBM Sales Representative or your IBM Business Partner.

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