Automatic data transmission to IBM Software Central

In online mode, IBM Usage Metering Service automatically sends usage data to IBM Software Central on a scheduled basis. This is the recommended configuration for environments with internet connectivity.

1. Create an Entitlement Key secret.
   Store your Entitlement Key as a Kubernetes secret:

   export NAMESPACE=<namespace>
   export ENTITLEMENT_SECRET_NAME=entitlement-secret
   export ENTITLEMENT_KEY_VALUE=<your_entitlement_key>
   
   kubectl create secret generic ${ENTITLEMENT_SECRET_NAME} \
       --from-literal=token=${ENTITLEMENT_KEY_VALUE} \
       -n ${NAMESPACE}

   Tip: Obtain your Entitlement Key from the IBM Container Software Library .
2. Configure automatic data transmission.
   Patch the IBMUsageMetering instance to enable automatic data transmission:

   kubectl patch IBMUsageMetering ibm-usage-metering-instance \
       -n ${NAMESPACE} \
       --type=merge \
       -p "{
           \"spec\": {
               \"sender\": {
                   \"softwareCentral\": {
                       \"enable\": true,
                       \"entitlementKeySecret\": \"${ENTITLEMENT_SECRET_NAME}\",
                       \"anonymize\": false
                   }
               }
           }
       }"

   Configuration Parameters:

   • enable: Set to true to activate automatic transmission
   • entitlementKeySecret: Name of the secret containing your Entitlement Key
3. Verify configuration.
   Check that the configuration was applied successfully:

   kubectl get IBMUsageMetering ibm-usage-metering-instance -n ${NAMESPACE} -o yaml

   Look for the sender.softwareCentral section in the output to confirm your settings.
4. Monitor data transmission.
   Monitor the Usage Metering Service logs to verify successful data transmission:

   kubectl logs -n ${NAMESPACE} -l app.kubernetes.io/component=ibm-usage-metering-instance --tail=100

   Look for log entries indicating successful uploads to Software Central.