Processor Value Units (PVUs)

A processor value unit (PVU) is a unit of measurement that is used to determine the licensing cost of IBM middleware products [1]. It is based on the type of processor that is deployed on the server where the software is installed [1]. For each product, you must acquire the appropriate number of PVUs that is defined for the specific processor on which the software is installed [1].

The number of required PVUs is based on the processor technology and the number of processors that are available to the software product [2]. For PVU-based licensing, IBM defines a processor as a processor core on a chip, meaning PVUs are assigned per core, not per processor [2]. The number of PVUs assigned to a processor core is defined in the PVU table [2].

PVU licensing can be full capacity or subcapacity [2]. Full capacity licensing is based on the overall number of processor cores on the physical server on which the product is installed [2]. Subcapacity licensing is available only in virtualized environments and is counted as the highest number of PVUs that are available for the VM on which the product is installed, not the total PVU count on the physical server [2]. You acquire licenses for the lower value: subcapacity or full capacity [2].