Help

Select a help topic by 'clicking' on it. The page will then jump to the description of the selected topic. You can go back to the top of the page by clicking on Back to top link.

If you can not find the necessary information in this page, you can contact our WW customer support center, phone number and email addresses can be found under Contacts

User guidelines and other work instructions in PDF format

This is a list of help content available in pdf format for printing of offline wieving.

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Help for:
 
Sign in
  1. Register for a IBM id
    Make sure that you have registered for a user id an IBM registration.
  2. User id/password combination not known:
    A valid combination of user id and password is required to complete the sign in transaction. Passwords are case sensitive.
    1. Make sure that caps lock is not on accidentally.
    2. Make sure that you have registered for a user id an IBM registration.
  3. First time registration
    To work with the application, an access profile needs to be created. A combination of customer number and order number, (visible on the packing list), is necessary to validate the users access to the hardware inventory.

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Administrator functions and View my authorizations

Administrator functions

Administrator functions provide a way to manage the authority of users to work with the software to which your company is entitled.

There are two administrator functions: register an IBM customer number, and manage customer numbers.

Register an IBM customer number

This is the first step, and is required one time only. The reason that the customer number must be registered is so IBM can (1) validate whether a person is entitled to work with the software, and (2) establish the primary contact for the customer number.

Notes:

  • Registration of the customer number should be done by an employee of the company that is entitled to the software.
  • The person who registers the customer number will be assigned as the primary contact. Ensure that the person who registers the customer number is the appropriate person for this role.

To register a customer number, enter the customer number and either of the following: order number or system number.

You can find the customer number, order number, and system number in the documentation that was shipped with your software order.

After the customer number is registered, other user IDs can be authorized to the applications by the administrator.

Manage customer numbers

The applications within Entitled Systems Support require that users obtain authorization from a person who is an employee of the company that is entitled to the software.

There are two types of authorities: application authorities and special authorities.

Application authorities are specific to each application, and provide a way to grant access to some portions of the application, but limit access to the most critical portions of the application. For example, the administrator may set up the authorites for three users as follows.

  1. Two users can view electronic Proof of Entitlement, but not transfer electronic Proof of Entitlement.
  2. One user can view electronic Proof of Entitlement, and can transfer electronic Proof of Entitlement.

The administrator may grant a different level of authority to each person, and may grant access to some applications and not to other applications.

Special authorities include primary contact and administrator authority.

  • Primary contact is the person who is the main point of contact with IBM for communications about the Web applications within Entitled Systems Support. Only one person (user ID) may be designated as the primary contact. This user has administrator authority by default.
  • Administrator authority allows the person to manage the authorizations for the customer number. There may be multiple administrators per customer number.

Each administrator has the same ability as another administrator to manage the authorizations, including the ability to manage who the primary contact is. Ensure that the appropriate person has this role.

To administer user IDs, do the following.

  1. Click on Manage customer numbers on the left side of the page.
  2. Select either Show all customer numbers or Show only this customer number, and click the Continue button.
  3. Select the customer number, and click the Manage authorizations button.
  4. Enter the user ID, and click the Continue button.
  5. Select the authorities for the user ID, and click either the button to Update or Remove user ID.

The administrator functions also provide the ability to specify a nickname for each system. To work with the nicknames, do the following.

  1. Click on Manage customer numbers on the left side of the page.
  2. Select either Show all customer numbers or Show only this customer number, and click the Continue button.
  3. Select the customer number, and click the Edit nicknames button.
  4. Enter the nickname next to the machine type and serial number, and click the Update nicknames button.

View my authorizations

Any authorized user may view his or her authorities by doing the following.

  1. Click on View my authorizations on the left side of the page.
  2. Select either Show all customer numbers or Show only this customer number, and click the Continue button.
  3. Select the customer number, and click the View authorization details button.

(Last updated: June 19, 2020)

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Software updates

Description and access

  • Software updates enables you to order entitled (i.e. no charge) software updates for IBM i and AIX systems.
  • As a prerequisite, you need to:
    • Be registered for one or more customer numbers. To do so, please use the Register customer number option.
    • Have the authorization "Order software updates, buy Elastic days, manage and buy credits for Enterprise Pools 2.0" associated to your customer numbers. You can view and remove customer numbers and see authorizations available for your profile in the View my authorizations option.
    • Have an active Software Maintenance Agreement (SWMA) associated with the customer numbers registered under your profile. You can verify the SWMA records in Inventory explorer > Software maintenance - Active/Shipped or Expired/Inactive. If you feel the IBM records are incorrect, please contact your IBM sales representative.
  • The option uses the brand selection. Make sure that you have selected the correct brand (Power (IBM i) or Power (AIX)). Only customer numbers with records associated to the selected brand will be available. You can change the brand in the Brand selection menu on the right-hand side when working in the option Software updates or under Notifications.
  • Products ordered through Passport Advantage are NOT supported by this application.

Select a Customer number and a Hardware serial number

Select a customer number
  • This step identifies the Customer number that this transaction will be processed for. By clicking on the dropdown menu "Customer Number", you are presented with two alternatives.
  • If you select the default, "All Available", you will be presented with the list of IBM i and AIX systems for ALL the customer numbers for which you have been authorized (by the registration process) to perform this transaction for. (This list can be extensive.)
  • If you select a specific customer number from the list presented, this will more rapidly narrow your search down. You will, in turn, be presented with a list of IBM i and AIX systems for the customer number selected for which you have been authorized to perform this transaction.

Select a machine type and a hardware serial number.
  • This step selects the specific IBM i or AIX system for which the entitled software update is being ordered.
  • Clicking on the dropdown menu "Machine Type/Serial Number", will present you a list of machine type and serial numbers for which you have been authorized, based on your selection in the step above. You must select a machine type and a serial number to continue entering your order.
  • If you do not see the desired machine type and serial number combination in the displayed list, contact your administrator or customer focal point to have it added to your list of authorizations.
  • Upon selecting a machine type/serial number, you will be presented with a list of software products entitled to be updated for that specific system.

Select the products to upgrade

  • In this step, you are presented with a list of software products entitled to be updated for the selected customer number and machine type serial.
  • If there is a discrepancy between IBM's inventory records and what you feel is installed (and entitled) on said system, please contact your IBM sales Representative to resolve the difference. The inventory records must match to continue with the transaction.
  • Select the appropriate versions and feature codes and click on Continue.

Select a language

  • This step is available for products which are language-enabled.
  • You must select a main language for your order.
  • The language selected as main language will be by default the individual language for each product, unless the product is not available in that choice. In that case, select an alternative language.
Note: IBM i V7 products use language groups. The list of languages for each group is available in the help section topic IBM i V7 language groups.

Terms and Conditions

  • Before you are able to submit a software update for any product, you need to accept the Terms and Conditions.
  • Once you have reviewed them, you will need to click on the "I agree" button.

Order summary - select the delivery method

Before submitting the order, you will need to select the delivery method. You have 2 options for delivery:
  • Download now: place the upgrade order and instantly download the newly ordered software products.
  • Download later: place the upgrade order and download the software products later. The software entitlements will be updated, an email confirmation will be sent, and software keys (for IBM i) will be ready for download at customer's request.

Submit the order

  • Verify that everything is now correct, and click on the Submit button to submit your order to IBM for the entitled software update.
  • An order confirmation message with the order numbers will be sent to your e-mail address and any other e-mail addresses you might have included.

NOTE: If you still have questions or are having problems with this application, contact the Customer support. All contact information is available under Contacts.


(Last updated: July 8, 2020)

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Software downloads

Description and access

  • Software downloads enables you to download all your entitled Power (IBM i, AIX, Linux on Power) and Storage software based on authorized customer numbers.
  • As a pre-requisite to download products, you need to be registered for one or more customer numbers. To do so, please use the Register customer number option.
  • In addition, the authorization "Perform downloads" is what enables access to Software downloads. You can view and remove customer numbers and see authorizations available for your profile in the View my authorizations option.

Start

  • In order to perform a download, you will need to go through 6 steps. The progress bar on top shows you what step you are currently on.
  • There are 3 different ways to find your products, each having its own tab listed below.
    • By category - Here you can search by category and group and either select a specific customer number or use all available option to use all your customer numbers.



    • By machine - Here you can search by machine. Select a machine type first, click on 'Find serials' button to load your Machine serial list and then choose one machine. The machine type and machine serial numbers are based on your registered customer numbers. If you don't see your machine type model, please contact customer support.



    • By product - Here you search by product name or product ID directly. Select a product and click on "Add product" button to add it to your download list. You can create your list by adding each product one by one. All products will be listed but only products you have entitlement for will be added to your list.





Step 1 - Select product

  • Here you get presented a list of products. It defaults to your entitled products but you can toggle the viewer to show "All" or "Licensed" (depending on the tab) to know what else is there but you miss entitlement for.
  • There is a search option available which allows you to filter your list. When accessing this list by category or by machine, you need to select one or more products to continue.



Step 2 - Language selection

  • This step is available for products which are language-enabled. You can either select a main language which will be valid for all products or choose separately for each product.
  • IBM i V7 products use language groups. The list of languages for each group is available in the help section topic IBM i V7 language groups.




Step 3 - Product download package selection

  • This step will list all feature codes and their packages based on the products you have selected and their entitlements.
  • Certain older media might be flagged as withdrawn at IBM and it will be listed under a separate tab (Withdrawn products). You can choose media from packages for current and withdrawn products at the same time.
  • A search option is available to filter your list for matching package titles.
  • The result contains a list of products highlighted by blue background and bold font. A product has a list of feature codes and each feature code has a list of packages, that are the actual media containers. Select just what you need to limit your download size. Please note though that for some products, specific packages are mandatory and pre-selected.
  • Some packages might be temporarily unavailable and won't be selectable, this will be highlighted on top of the table and at package level.





Step 4 - Terms and Conditions

  • Before you are able to download any product, you need to accept the Terms and Conditions.
  • For each product, you will presented with links to the corresponding Software License Agreements. As in previous steps, these will be organized under several tabs based on the packages selected in step 3.
  • Once you have reviewed them, you will need to click on the "I agree" button. Once you have done so, you cannot go back. If you wish to change your download selection, you have to start over.



Step 5 - Select method of download

  • This step allows you to select a download method and provides some download instructions.
  • 2 download methods are currently available:
    • Download Director requiring Java
    • Standard HTTP through direct links.



Step 6 - Download

  • If you have chosen Download Director method, you are presented with a recap of the packages you have selected, click on "Download now" to launch Download Director.


  • If you have chosen HTTP method, you are presented with links to all your packages.




    • You can click on "Download all links", this will give you a text file "ESS_selected_HTTP_download_links.txt" that contains all the http links in the download.
    • This can be used with various tools to download the linklist directly on the target hardware.
    • Information about wget and curl can be found: GNU and open source tools for AIX
    • Similar support is available on IBMi: Open Source Support for IBM i
    • Samples using wget and curl are shown below:



Q&As

Q: Why can't I see my customer numbers ?
A: The customer numbers listed under the tab "By category" are the ones you are registered for. If you are missing anything, you can register additional ones in the Register customer number option.

Q: Why can't I find my machine?
A: The machine type and machine serial numbers are based on your registered customer numbers.
  • You can check your profile in the View my authorizations option or register customer numbers in the Register customer number option.
  • Also only certain machine types will be showing meaning only the hardware which has any software available on ESS. If you believe a machine is missing, contact customer support.

Q: Why can't I find my product ?
A: Different products have different methods of entitlements:
  • for IBM i, it requires an active license
  • for AIX and Storage: it requires an active SWMA

    • Check if you have registered the customer number and if you have the right entitlement for the product. Both software licenses and software maintenance can be checked in Inventory explorer under My inventory.

    For more information about supported products, 2 reports are available in Data reports:
    • ESS product list - downloadable products list: you can either select "All available" to get a list all known system software products, which may or may not be supported via download on ESS or you can choose to filter the report content based on a customer number and the list will only show the products available for download.
    • ESS product list - downloadable media features: you can get a list of media feature codes available for download on ESS, together with their descriptions and method of entitlement for the products you are entitled for.
      • -
Q: How are AIX downloads structured on ESS?
A: AIX today has several versions and editions. For each version and edition which is still being sold, the current latest media is always stored under the product itself (for example - 5765-CD3 contains AIX Enterprise Edition V7.2 media) and some previous, older builds are posted under an additional product called a PRPQ. This PRPQ product will be clearly labelled and will be listed near its parent main license (for example - AIX 7.2 older builds are found under PRPQ 5799-HKZ).

Q: Which AIX versions are available on ESS and what is their entitlement method?
A: Any AIX version starting from 5.3 is available for download on ESS, but it heavily depends on the software maintenance (SWMA) which you have.
  • AIX 7.2 is available based on the regular SWMAs or standard service contract renewals.
  • AIX 7.1 is available based on the regular SWMAs or standard service contract renewals.
  • AIX 6.1 is available only based on its specific service extension.
  • AIX 5.3 is available only based on its specific service extension
See the other questions in this Q&A for details.

Q: What is available for AIX 7.2 and where can I find it?
A: AIX 7.2 has several editions today:
  • AIX Enterprise Edition - product 5765-CD3
  • AIX Standard Edition - product 5765-G98
  • AIX Enterprise Cloud Edition - product 5765-ECB
  • AIX Cloud Edition - product 5765-CBA
  • Older base media builds - product 5799-HKZ

Q: What is available for AIX 7.1 and where can I find it?
A: AIX 7.1 has three editions available:
  • AIX Enterprise Edition - product 5765-CD1
  • AIX Standard Edition - product 5765-G98
  • AIX Express Edition - product 5765-G97
  • Older base media builds - product 5799-HKU

Q: What is available for AIX 6.1 and 5.3?
A: Those end-of-service products are only available if you have signed a service extension to your AIX service contract.
  • AIX 6.1 is found under 5799-HKS product.
  • AIX 5.3 is found under 5799-HKR product.

Q: Is AIX media on ESS refreshed everytime a new Technology Level and/or Service Pack is released?
A: No, typically a single refresh is done once per quarter, capturing all available TL & SP releases. Once a new build is released, it replaces the media content under the license product. Additionally, each older Technology Level with its latest Service Pack is also available under the respective PRPQ. To get the latest Technology Level or Service Pack as soon as it's released, use Fix Central instead.

Q: Why can't I see a specific media?
A: For IBM i, you have to be licensed for the specific functionality. For AIX, you need to have the right edition and entitlement. Media gets constantly refreshed, usually once per quarter, integrating latest fixes. Also certain products have been withdrawn from marketing, you will find them under "Withdrawn products" tab.

Q: Why is some media temporary unavailable?
A: You should contact Customer Support

Q: Is sFTP available ?
A: Unfortunately, this method is currently not supported on ESS. We are still evaluating the possibility to provide it. Download Director and HTTP links are the available methods right now.

Q: What is the difference between ESS and Fix Central ?
A: ESS and Fix Central complement each other in terms of what IBM provides to customers:
  • ESS contains the base media for every IBM Systems sofwtare product, which can be used to do a new installation, an upgrade or a migration.
  • Fix Central contains software media for upgrades only.
Due to the process and content for each application, the base ESS media is refreshed only periodically. Fix Central is always carrying every sinle new update as soon as it's available. Bottom line is, get your base media from ESS with current recommended and included fix packs. Get your latest updates from Fix Central as soon as they are released.

Q: Where can I get more help about Software download ?
A: The following instructions are available:Q: Is the checksums available for each file ?
A: You can find the links to verify the checksums on the Prepare to install instructions page.

Q: Where can I find more information about products ?
A: You can check the IBM Knowledge Center

(Last updated: November 20, 2020)

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IBM i Evaluation and NLV download

IBM i Evaluation and NLV download will allow IBM i and AIX users to download IBM i evaluation software products and any secondary National Language Version without the need of an entitlement or an active SWMA.

When a customer wants to evaluate the functions of a new product, IBM allows the installation and use of the product for a trial period up to 70 days with no key required, to give the customer time to determine whether the product meets their needs. No productive use of the product is allowed. The 70-day trial period cannot be used in a migration situation to avoid purchasing temporary licensing, as migration is considered productive use of the product.

  • Evaluation software of IBM i V5R4, V6R1, V7R1, V7R2, V7R3 and V7R4 (Product ID number : 5722-SS1, 5761-SS1 or 5770-SS1). Software keyed products and other bonus programs will be available under the i/OS product number.
    A detailed list of the media content and labels is available under the licence machine code feature or you can go to the website Customer Notices and information to find Media content and labels information for each version and release (click on the version or release tab you wish information for).
  • Secondary National languages Version for your IBM i software at V5R4, V6R1, V7R1, V7R2, V7R3 and V7R4 (Product ID number: 5722-NLV, 5761-NLV, 5770-NLV).

Step 1: Select a product and a language

Select the product number for the required version and release and the desired language (for i/OS evaluation software only), then click on Continue. Only one product can be selected at a time.

Step 2: Download

For further information on how to download:

Note: For IBM i/OS evaluation software, the trial use period will be of 70 days. An additional 70-day trial use period for the same VRM level will not install on a customer's machine.

If you still have questions or are having problems with this application, contact the Customer support. All contact information is available under Contacts


(Last updated: June 9, 2020)

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IBM i V7 language groups

IBM i V7 products will use language groups instead of specific languages like in previous versions. There are 3 groups available and the mapping to the previous language features can be found below.

Language groups for IBM i V7
Lang Grp 1 Americas/EuropeLang Grp 2 CEEMEALang Grp 3 Asia Pacific
5770-SS1
  • V7R1 feature 5817
  • V7R2 feature 5827
  • V7R3 feature 5837
  • V7R4 feature 5841
5770-SS1
  • V7R1 feature 5818
  • V7R2 feature 5828
  • V7R3 feature 5838
  • V7R4 feature 5842
5770-SS1
  • V7R1 feature 5819
  • V7R2 feature 5829
  • V7R3 feature 5839
  • V7R4 feature 5843
- 2924 English - 2924 English - 2924 English
- 2963 Belgian Dutch IVINCS - 2995 Albanian - 2938 English DBCS
- 2909 Belgium English - 2954 Arabic - 2984 English DBCS
- 2966 Belgian French IVINCS - 2974 Bulgarian - 2930 Japanese Universal
- 2980 Brazilian Portuguese - 2912 Croatian - 2962 Japanese Katakana
- 2981 Canadian French IVINCS - 2975 Czech - 2986 Korean
- 2926 Danish - 2902 Estonian - 2906 Laotian
- 2923 Dutch Netherlands - 2998 Farsi - 2989 Simplified Chinese
- 2925 Finnish - 2957 Greek - 2987 Traditional Chinese
- 2928 French - 2961 Hebrew - 2972 Thai
- 2940 French IVINCS - 2976 Hungarian - 2905 Vietnamese
- 2929 German - 2904 Latvian
- 2939 German IVINCS - 2903 Lithuanian
- 2958 Icelandic - 2913 Macedonian
- 2932 Italian - 2978 Polish
- 2942 Italian IVINCS - 2992 Romanian
- 2933 Norwegian - 2979 Russian
- 2922 Portuguese - 2914 Serbian
- 2996 Portuguese IVINCS - 2994 Slovakian
- 2931 Spanish - 2911 Slovenian
- 2937 Swedish - 2956 Turkish


(Last updated: June 21, 2019)

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IBM i software keys - Overview

This application provides IBM i software keys for machine hardware serial numbers registered under your profile and the generation of Interim keys without registration of the machine hardware serial number is required.

Entitled keys

To work with your keys, after sign on click on IBM i software keys on the left hand menu and you will be directed to your software keys.

  1. Step 1: Machine selection
    Select a customer number and a machine serial number from the list and click to continue, or use the quick search to look for a machine registered under your profile.
  2. Step 2: Keys version and release selection
    select the IBM i OS version and release for which you want to work with keys. Note that only V5R3 and higher are supported on the website. For any lower version or release, please contact customer support.
  3. Step 3 : software keys selection
    Select at least one product key before you click on one of the options below. You can use the "select all" button at the end of the page if you want to work with all the software keys.

Note: The software license keys generated for a machine hardware serial number are based on the entitlements for this machine. Check under Inventory explorer > Software license - Entitlements for a list of ePoe's.

Interim keys

Interim keys are keys with a duration of 40 days and available for emergencies stemming from ordering or licensing issues in a variety of situations, e.g. orders are pending or transfer of entitlements are pending in IBM records. For these situations, interim keys can be generated and downloaded to allow time for the situation to be resolved. The emergency situation could stem from a problem with an IBM i entitlement transfer transaction, but interim keys are not in lieu of a customer purchasing temporary licensing if required. Interim keys may not be used for testing, demonstration purposes, trial use or system migration.

  • Interim keys will automatically be generated for all IBM i operating system VRMs which the selected machine will support.
  • No interim keys can be generated for IBM i OS Per Processor, User and Application Server.
  • Start date immediately when keys are being acquired on ESS.
  • Processor group is defaulted to P60 but can be manually changed.
  • Quantity based products will have a default quantity assigned. If a key is required with a quantity higher than the default, please contact the keycenter.

To generate Interim keys, after sign on click on IBM i software keys on the left-hand menu and you will be directed to the machine selection where to select or state the machine serial you want to work with.

Full access mode must be used to work with entitled software keys or IBM i temporary license keys (ITL) and can also be used to generate Interim keys, if you are registered for the machine hardware serial

Quick search allows the generation of Interim keys or access to existing active Interim keys for any machine hardware serial number without the machine must be registered.

The availability of self-served Interim keys for a hardware machine serial number is depending on several conditions:

  1. The machine type, hardware machine serial number must be valid and recognised by ESS
  2. If the machine is licensed to IBM i OS, the machine must have at least one IBM i Per Processor license installed
  3. The machine may not have an ITL order pending for activation or active ITL keys. If hardware machine serial has active ITL keys, no Interim keys can be generated for products and product functions which are not orderable with ITL (Db2 Web Query)
  4. The machine has not had two or more than two temporary keys within the last 12 months for the required product function

If a temporary key for a specific product function existed within the last 12 months, IBM will allow a subsequent key with a duration with 21 days.

Under the tooltip next to the product function you can find additional information concerning the key which will be generated. The tooltip will reflect a warning symbol if an active temporary key already exists for the corresponding product function. Under the tooltip details you will find further information about the existing key such as activation and expiration date. If the limit of allowed Interim keys has been exceeded, the product function will be greyed out and cannot be selected for Interim key generation.

For other non entitled keys, request should be send to Customer Support. Phone number and e-mail address can be found under "contacts".

Below is a list of actions you can do with your keys

  1. View key sheet
    To view the key sheet(s) select the product(s) and press the view key sheet button at the bottom of the page.From this page you will be able to install the keys, to download or to send the key sheet(s).
  2. Download key sheet
    To download the key sheet(s) follow the below instructions:
    1. Create a new directory in a well identified location on your disk
    2. To download the key sheet(s), select the product(s) and press the Download key(s) button at the bottom of the page
    3. Save the key sheet in this new directory
    4. The key sheet(s) has been downloaded in a .doc file
  3. Install key
    To install a key select product(s) and press the install\button.
    1. Before installing the key(s) you must give your permission to let an applet connect to your IBM i machine.
    2. A java security / security warning page will be displayed and you must grant the requested privilege to the certificate by clicking Yes.
    3. Once the certificate has been accepted, click Continue to proceed.
    4. Once the applet has run, you will be prompted to sign on to the IBM i system. Enter a valid host name or TCP/IP address, user id and password. Click OK
    5. The applet will connect you to your IBM i system.
    6. NB: Note that hardware serial number and key(s) must match with the hardware serial number on the IBM i box. If not, access can not be obtained

  4. Send key sheet
    To send the key sheet(s) to your e-mail address, select product(s) and press the send button.
    If the key sheets have been sent successfully you will be directed to the send confirmation page.
    Note that it is not possible to forward a key to any e-mail address other than the one for which you are signed on.

(Last updated: June 19, 2020)

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IBM i software keys - 5733 ITL IBM i Temporary Licensing

Any configured 5733ITL order that ships from IBM will have its start date controlled through the ESS website. You as the owner will select when the keys should become available. Any past order that has not yet reached its configured start date will also be automatically subject to the new rules.

When you select "IBM i software keys", you will see two tabs:

  • Download - this is the standard area to download any existing keys
  • 5733-ITL - this is the new tab which you will use to select a start date for your IBM i Temporary Licensing order
Any new order will be in status "New". You can then select a start date for when your purchased temporary keys should be generated. If you select a future start date, your order will be in status "Waiting for start date" and as soon as it is reached, the keys will be created and available under the "Download" tab.

NOTE: You can change your start date at any time between your login and the future start date you have selected. Only once keys have been created, it is no longer possible to modify the order in any way.

Each order will show you several values:
  • Customer number - the IBM country code and customer number under which your order shipped
  • Order - the IBM plant order number of your order
  • Status - "New" (no start date selected), "Waiting for start date" (future start date already selected), "Generated" (keys already created)
  • Duration - the duration of the keys you have ordered (in months)
  • Processor group - if you have ordered LPPs on your configuration, the PG value will be showing. You will be getting all keyed LPPs (excluding IBM i cores, users and application servers - those are separate). Db2 Web Query is currectly not enrolled in this offering. For a complete list of all LPPs, refer to the Help section
  • Core(s) - if your order included IBM i cores, the number of additional cores that will be temporarily added to your existing permanent entitlement will be displayed here
  • Users - if your order included IBM i users, the number of additional users that will be temporarily added to your existing permanent entitlement will be displayed here. If you have ordered "Unlimited" users, this will show as "Unlimited" instead of a number
  • Application server(s) - if your order included IBM i application servers, the number of additional ones that will be temporarily added to your existing permanent entitlement will be displayed here
  • Last updated by - name of the person or process that was the last to touch the order
NOTE: Product versions for keys will be automatically selected based on the hardware model of your server. You will be getting IBM i OS and LPP keys at all versions your hardware supports (and you no longer need to select that - you are getting all the keys).

The following IBM i operating systems are supported automatically through the new process:
  • V7R4
  • V7R3
  • V7R2
  • V7R1
  • V6R1
  • V5R4
  • V5R3
NOTE: The website will create keys for IBM i OS V5R3 or newer only. If you have purchased a 5733-ITL order and require temporary keys for IBM i OS at V5R2 or lower, please contact customer support.

IBM i Temporary Licensing supports the following products:
  • 57xx-AF1 - AFP Utilities
  • 57xx-AP1 - Advanced DBCS Printer Support
  • 57xx-AP1 - IPDS
  • 57xx-BR1 - BRMS Advanced Functions
  • 57xx-BR1 - BRMS Network Feature
  • 57xx-BR1 - BRMS
  • 57xx-CM1 - Communication Utilities
  • 57xx-DBM - Db2 Mirror for i (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-DE1 - Db2 Extenders V9.1 for iSeries
  • 57xx-DP4 - Db2 DataPropagator for iSeries V8.1
  • 57xx-HAS - PowerHA SystemMirror i - Enterprise (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-HAS - PowerHA SystemMirror i - Express (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-HAS - PowerHA SystemMirror i - Standard (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-HAS - System i High Avail Solutions Manager (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-ID1 - InfoPrint Designer for iSeries
  • 57xx-IP1 - InfoPrint Server for iSeries
  • 57xx-IP1 - PS to AFP Transform
  • 57xx-JS1 - Advanced Job Scheduler
  • 57xx-OAR - IBM Rational Open Access RPG Edition
  • 57xx-PT1 - Performance Tools Agent
  • 57xx-PT1 - Performance Tools Job Watcher
  • 57xx-PT1 - Performance Tools Manager
  • 57xx-PT1 - Performance Tools
  • 57xx-QU1 - Query
  • 57xx-SS1 - HA Journal Performance
  • 57xx-SS1 - HA Switchable Resources
  • 57xx-SS1 - IBM i - Per Processor
  • 57xx-SS1 - IBM i Appl Server Processor
  • 57xx-SS1 - IBM i Users
  • 57xx-SS1 - IBM i
  • 57xx-SS1 - Media & Storage Extensions
  • 57xx-SS1 - Option 48 Db2 Data Mirroring (*NOMAX cores)
  • 57xx-SS1 - Print Anyspeed Impressions/Minute
  • 57xx-SS1 - Print 1-100 Impressions/Minute
  • 57xx-SS1 - Print 1-55 Impressions/Minute
  • 57xx-ST1 - Db2 and SQL Dev Kit
  • 57xx-WDS - Application Development ToolSet (250 users)
  • 57xx-WDS - Heritage Compiler (250 users)
  • 57xx-WDS - ILE Compiler (250 users)
  • 57xx-WDS - WebSphere Development Studio
  • 57xx-XW1 - iSeries Access Family Per User
  • 57xx-XW1 - iSeries Access Family Proc Based
The new 5733-ITL tab is split into 3 views. Each view has a value next to it stating the number of orders listed:
  • Active - any recent orders that are waiting for you to select a start date, waiting for reaching a previously selected future start date or recently generated orders
  • Archived - any generated orders after 7 days will be set into archived status automatically (to not clutter the active view). Additionally, if you do not select a start date for more than 6 months, your order will also be archived (contact customer support if you need to re-activate such orders again)
  • All - a complete list of both active and archived orders
Once you have made your start date selection, click on "Update". A confirmation message will be displayed confirming saving your changes.

NOTE: If you are selecting today as start date, the keys will be generated immediately. It is usually hundreds of keys that are getting created, so kindly wait a short moment after clicking "Update" so that we get the necessary time to generate your keys. This process takes just a few seconds, so please be patient.

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IBM i software keys - Setup your Power system for direct key installation
  1. System set-up
    For IBM i :
    1. Ensure that TCP/IP is installed and configured on the system.
    2. The operating system must be OS/400 V4R2 or higher.
    3. The BOSS option 12 must be installed on the system (host servers) and the host servers must be active. The "STRHOSTSVR * ALL" command can be used to start the servers.
    4. Ensure that the QUSER profile is enabled. This is required by the host servers.
  2. Client configuration
    For the workstation or PC:
    1. Ensure that TCP/IP is installed and configured on the workstation.
    2. Ensure that the workstation is connected to the IBM i server over TCP/IP.
    3. The web browser used can be either Netscape 4.7 (or higher) or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (or higher). Also newer versions of Opera & Mozilla can be used.
    4. Java support must be enabled in the browser. To enable this support, use the preferences (Netscape) or tools (Internet Explorer) options on your browser.
    5. Your company must accept applets to run within your browser.
    6. When prompted, you must accept the security certificate in order to allow the signed, trusted applet to connect to the system within your network.

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IBM i software - Development/Demo licensing
  • Software orders for products used for Development/Demo will contain feature code 6485 and be processed as follows:
    • An ePoE will be created and the list of Development/Demo licensed products will be available in My inventory > Inventory explorer > Software license > Entitlements.
    • There is no transfer support on ESS for Development/Demo licensed products.
    • A 2 year temporary key will be created and keys will be available under My entitled software > IBM i software keys.
  • Development/Demo licensed products are supported under Software updates. It will be possible to place an upgrade order based on active SWMA.
  • For the renewal of keys only, Customer Support will need to be contacted. All contact information is available under Contacts.
  • There will be Software Downloads support as ePoes will be created and Software Download for IBM i is based on entitlements.

(Last updated: June 16, 2020)

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Inventory explorer (My inventory)

Description and access

Inventory explorer gathers all relevant software license, software maintenance and hardware inventory records which are active under customer numbers you have authorization for. The data includes information for IBM Power, Storage and most other Configured Inventory available for purchase directly from IBM or through our Business Partners when using the IBM Configurator for e-business (e-config).

Inventory explorer is available for all our users - End Customers, Business Partners, Distributors and IBMers. For End Customers preferring to limit the accessibility to their inventory, a "Block business partner access" is available under the left menu function called "Manage customer numbers".

The following two authorizations are used here:
  • View Inventory and existing Elastic orders - enables access to the customer number in Inventory,
  • Transfer ePoE - allows you to transfer Entitlements under Software license -> Entitlements


Several modes to enter the option

Default mode:
  • You are presented with a dropdown of authorized customer numbers, the company name behind each of them and a list of any hardware type is generated for your selection.
  • Each designated machine is presented including its type, serial number and, if found, its model and the nickname you have assigned will be showing too.
  • The cache will remain available during your session until you logout or add/remove customer numbers to your profile or complete a license transfer.



Big profile mode:
  • This profile is mainly to improve the performance for users having a profile containing a high number of machines.
  • It is activated as soon as your profile reaches 2500 machines or more.
  • To start with only the drop-down of authorized customer numbers is available. You need to first select a customer, then click on "Add CPUs". Only then the drop-down menu for "Designated machine" can be populated and a machine can be selected.

  • You can repeat this process each time you wish to check another customer number. Within a session, the customer numbers which have already been chosen will remain cached and will be listed under "All currently cached" and an asterisk will appear in front of the the ones which have not been selected yet.

  • As for the default mode, the cache will remain available during your session until you logout or add/remove customer numbers to your profile or complete a license transfer.

Filter my inventory mode:

On the right-hand side of the screen, 3 filters are available in order to customize your inventory view. Your selection across all filters will be combined to create a current inventory view.


  • Filter by data type: limit the customer numbers which will be displayed in your drop-down based on different types of data - hardware, software license and software maintenance.


  • Filter by customer number: directly limit the customer numbers which will be displayed in the customer drop-down. The amount of hardware assets is also shown for each customer number so that you can know which customer numbers might slow down the performance in inventory. Having more than 2500 hardware assets across all selected customer numbers will force your profile into big profile mode.



  • Filter by hardware type: limit the hardware machine type models which will be displayed in your designated machine drop-down. Only machine type models which your profile has access to will be listed.


    Once one or several filters are applied, the list of customers and designated machines will be populated accordingly. It also means that some users will then not be forced any longer into big profile mode.
    The filters will be remembered during a session but also for the next log in and this will be indicated under each filter as "filtered". At any time, you can reset one or all of them.

Records ownership validation check

A major change has been introduced in the way ESS looks up installed inventory: all found records will be returned and for each record ESS is performing an ownership check:
  • first ESS checks if the customer number of the record and the selected customer number are the same,
  • if the customer numbers are different, then ESS checks if any of the company details match:
    • US affiliate - end user's enterprise number, only available in US,
    • DUNS number and domestic within the same customer country (only if ESS has your DUNS information) - based on customer number's Dun & Bradstreet record,
    • DUNS global number (only if ESS has your DUNS information).

If all of those checks fail, the record will still be showing, but you will not be able to see any relevant details except its serial number. If changes are required for the inaccessible record, please contact customer support.



NOTE: If your DUNS data is incorrect or missing, contact your IBM Representative or Business Partner with the impacted customer number(s). They will need to open a ticket with the country's IBM Customer Master Record to have your information updated.


Inventory explorer - 4 primary tabs

  • Software license - shows all active licenses tied to the selected hardware record,
  • Software maintenance - shows all contracts for licensed products tied to the selected hardware record,
  • Hardware - provides additional information about the selected hardware record.
  • Summary - provides a consolidated view of the configuration (features, quantity and description) presented on the other tabs.

Software license - 4 views

  • Overview - shows a summary of your entitlements including editions, licensed users, licensed cores, etc. Currently IBM i and AIX operating systems, PowerHA for IBM i and AIX, Db2 Web Query for i and PowerVM are included in this view.
  • Configuration - provides a configuration list (feature code, quantity and description) for each licensed product. Your products are grouped per brand they are relevant for. The source for each record is also provided for your convenience,
  • Entitlements - entitlements for your licensed products are found here:
    • ePoEs: your licensed products which are enabled for ePoE support will be listed here (it is a subset of everything that was configured). This is also where you can start your entitlement transfer if your profile is authorized for transfering ePoEs under the selected customer number. The SWMA status on installed entitlements will only be showing if they are ordered together. All entitlements are sourced from ESS directly.


    • Subscription activation codes and other entitlement types: available for certain Red Hat & SUSE products.For more details, please refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenShift - activation process help topic.


  • Maintenance relations - shows a list of your software licenses together with the software maintenance contracts they shipped with. If the related record is tied to a different hardware than the one you selected, you will see what the other hardware is.

Software maintenance - 4 views

  • Overview - shows a summary of active Software Maintenance renewal contracts (Service Contracts) including editions, covered cores. Currently IBM i and AIX operating systems, PowerHA for IBM i and AIX, Db2 Web Query for i and PowerVM are included in this view.



  • Active/Shipped - you can see all your active and shipping software maintenance contracts for the products you are licensed to use. Shipping contracts are records which are about to be activated (set to Active). Only Active contracts provide support and services at IBM, so if a contract is shipped for too long, contact your IBM Representative or Business Partner and request it to be activated (installed). Brand groups matching the licensed products are also used here,


  • Expired/Inactive - all your past contracts are showing here. They are not loaded automatically on the page, you need to select "Fetch" to request them for viewing.
  • License relations - shows a list of your software maintenance contracts together with the software licenses they shipped with. If the related record is tied to a different hardware than the one you selected, you will see what the other hardware is.


NOTE: For changes to software maintenance records, contact your IBM Representative or Business Partner. Right now ESS is not capable of directly modifying contract information.

Hardware - 3 views

  • CPU Overview - this is a general overview for the selected hardware record, showing some basic information about it, including its marketing name. In addition, some functionalities already available under other options have been gathered here: update nickname, update Access Keys, purchase new elastic days


  • CPU Configuration - the configuration of your selected hardware record can be found here. All installed hardware features, their quantity and description will be listed,

  • Non-CPU devices - if there are more hardware records installed on the same system number, they will be showing here (attached storage devices, hardware management consoles, etc.).




Summary - consolidated configuration view

Summary provides a consolidated view of the configuration (features, quantity and description) and several additional relevant values (e.g. system number, expiration dates for active software maintenance, service contracts and hardware warranty) presented on the other tabs for records which do not fail the ownership validation check:
  • Installed hardware (CPU)
  • Installed hardware (non-CPU)
  • Installed licensed software
  • Active software maintenance and service contracts
You can save this result as a comma-separated values file (CSV), a formatted text file (TXT) or a configuration report file (CFR).



Records additional information

Additional information is provided for each found record, including (but not limited to):
  • Source application - whether the data comes from ESS directly (like ePoEs and their configuration - that comes from LMS which is the primary data source for all of ESS) or is sourced from another database relevant for your country and product (for example WTAAS, iERP or MPI).
    NOTE: If changes are required for records not sourced from LMS, it is best to contact your IBM Representative or Business Partner with the record details and source system listed for quickest solution. Records sourced from LMS are directly accessible by the Customer Support team.
  • IBM country - IBM database identifier which the product was fulfilled through,
  • Customer country - the country the product is registered for use,
  • Customer number and company name - the IBM customer number and its company name, with US records also showing the linked affiliate number,
  • DUNS hierarchy - if available, a DUNS number, domestic number and global number will show identifying the owner based on its Dun & Bradstreet record,
  • Serial number & contract number - the unique serial number of the record as it was produced or generated at IBM. License, maintenance and hardware are all serialized records,
  • Several relevant dates (install, start, expiration, warranty) if available.

NOTE: If a specific detail is not available, it will not be showing at all.

(Last updated: October 21, 2020)

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Data reports (My inventory)

Description and access

  • Data reports enables you to generate several types of reports based on customer numbers you are authorized for.
  • This option is available for all our users - End Customers, Business Partners, Distributors and IBMers. While most reports are available to all users, very few are for internal use only.
  • As a pre-requisite to generate most reports, you need to be registered for one or more customer numbers to use. To do so, please use the Register customer number option.
  • In addition, for reports using the customer number as one of the parameters, specific authorizations associated to each customer number are required. The related authorization is stated in each report tooltip. You can view and remove customer numbers and see authorizations available for your profile in the View my authorizations option.

Submission of a report

  • Select a report type from the list. For a description of the reports, please refer to the tooltips available for each report.
  • Depending on the report type, additional selection via dropdown menu and/or input field may apply, please refer to the tooltips available for each parameter. The tooltips will also indicate whether all customer numbers selection is possible and if the input field is optional or mandatory.




  • When all required information has been entered, click Submit. The report will be generated and sent to the e-mail address registered in your profile and as a CSV file. In case no data has been found for the selected input, you will receive an email without any attached report.

Conversion of a CSV file into a spreadsheet

  • When converting the report received as a CSV file to a spreadsheet:
    • Pick comma as a value separator as this is what is used by ESS reports.
    • If you use an option converting content into columns (valid for any application), it is recommended to treat all columns during conversion as "text", as certain tools read phrases with the letter E as exponential representation of numbers - IBM serial numbers include the letter E.
  • If you use Microsoft Excel:
    • Save the attachment from the email to your device.
    • Create a new file and go to "Data" and choose "Get data from text/CSV". Select the saved file and click on import. A preview of how the data will be imported and shown is displayed, make sure that the delimiter is "comma" and click on load at the bottom.
    • The data will be presented organized by columns with headers.
NOTE: If your operating system already uses comma as default separator, most spreadsheet tools will load the CSV file as a spreadsheet without having to go through a conversion wizard.

(Last updated: October 30, 2020)

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Enterprise Linux and Red Hat OpenShift - activation process

Red Hat & SUSE Enterprise Linux - Subscription activation codes

Description and access

  • When a Linux Operating system is ordered from IBM, a product entitlement card with an activation code printed on it will be shipped with every order. This shipment will be separate from the hardware shipment and will come from IBM Software Manufacturing. Clients will be required to register the Linux offering purchased at the Distro's website with the activation code provided on the card. Once registered, clients will be able to download the required code electronically as well as obtain the latest upgrades and upgrades available for the product purchased.
  • Activation codes are now available for below products directly on ESS for orders which shipped since January 1st, 2020:
    • 5639-RLE - Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power 7, little endian
    • 5639-RH8 - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for Power
    • 5639-RHS - Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions for Power LE
    • 5639-12S - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 for POWER
    • 5639-15S - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 for IBM Power Systems
    • 5639-SAP - SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications for Power

  • The following physical cards are still shipping but that process will be stopped eventually:

  • As a pre-requisite to access the activation codes, you need to be registered in ESS for the customer numbers associated to these products. To do so, please use the Register customer number option.
  • In addition, the authorization "View inventory" is what enables access to Inventory explorer. You can view and remove customer numbers and see authorizations available for your profile in the View my authorizations option.


  • Due to access restriction, the activation codes will be masked for internal users (displayed as xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx).

Activation codes in Inventory explorer

  • In Inventory explorer, start by selecting a customer number and a designated machine (hardware serial number or "none" if not tied to any system) and then choose the Software license tab and Entitlements view.
  • The products together with the subscription activation codes will be listed.
  • You can download them in PDF format by selecting the product and clicking on "Generate PDF file" or simply copy/paste it from the list.




  • For more details about Inventory explorer, please refer to the help section topic Inventory explorer (My inventory).

Activation codes in Data reports

  • In Data reports, select the report "Software license - Red Hat & SUSE Enterprise Linux subscription activation codes" and required parameters and then submit the report request.




  • The report will be generated as a CSV file and send to the e-mail from your profile.
  • For more details about Data reports, please refer to the help section topic Data reports (My inventory).

Download and install - Red Hat products

Follow below steps in order to download and install your products:

  1. Download the ISO image for your platform from: Red Hat Customer Portal - Product Downloads
  2. Create the necessary installation media.
  3. Complete the installation process and restart.
  4. Register your system with Red Hat.
  5. Install additional packages.
  6. Log in to the Red Hat Customer Portal

Download and install - SUSE products

Please see the instructions at SUSE Customer Center

Additional documentation and information

  • Getting started with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 is available: here.
  • Important information for avoiding problems during the installation can be found here: Read before installing Linux on IBM systems
  • Linux Pre-Installed: IBM® Power Systems™ or IBM PowerLinux™ servers with preinstalled Red Hat Enterprise Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server are configured by default to use the Hardware Management Console (HMC). However, you can configure a different type of console, such as a VGA or serial console. See Configuring the Linux console on PowerLinux servers in the Linux Information Center: Linux information for IBM systems

Red Hat OpenShift - entitlement activation

Description and access

  • When Red Hat OpenShift products are ordered from IBM, a "Product Information Card" with an email address printed on it will be shipped with every order. This shipment will be separate from the hardware shipment and will come from IBM Software Manufacturing.
  • To activate your entitlement, contact the OpenShift RedHat team via email openshift-orders@redhat.com. You should provide Red Hat with the IBM Software order number which will be used as verification to get the entitlement loaded.
  • The entitlement start date will be the date when Red Hat loads the entitlement. The end date will be either 1 year, 3 years or 5 years based on which subscription has been ordered.
  • Entitlements are now available for below products directly on ESS for all shipped orders:
    • 5639-OCP - Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform for Power
    • 5639-OSP - Red Hat OpenStack Platform for Power

Red Hat OpenShift products in Inventory explorer

  • In Inventory explorer, start by selecting a customer number and a designated machine (hardware serial number or "none" if not tied to any system) and then choose the Software license tab and Entitlements view.
  • The products together with the relevant feature codes and quantity will be listed with a specific charge type (EML). The tooltip provides the Software order number to be used to activate the entitlement.
  • Select the entitlements you want to send to Red Hat for OpenShift activation and choose "Generate PDF file" - include the pdf file in your email to Red Hat.




Red Hat OpenShift products in Data reports

  • In Data reports, select the report "Software license - Red Hat OpenShift orders" and required parameters and then submit the report request.




  • The report will be generated as a CSV file and send to the e-mail from your profile.
  • For more details about Data reports, please refer to the help section topic Data reports (My inventory).

(Last updated: October 9, 2020)

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ESS mobile

The app currently supports IBM Power Systems, with IBM Storage planned in the near future.

Links to the app:



Here are a few questions and answers to get you started:

Question: How do I login on the app?
Answer: Use your existing IBM ID. If you don't have one yet, go to www.ibm.com/eserver/ess to create one. IBM employees should just provide their intranet credentials.

Question: What does the app do?
Answer: The app shows and allows you to interact with your purchased IBM products. Inventory can be accessed by selecting a hardware machine type serial (called an asset). Every new mobile user starts with their asset list empty. The app allows you to do several things, including:

  • View your software licenses
  • View software maintenance for your products
  • View (limited) hardware information
  • View & download IBM i software keys and Elastic Capacity on Demand hardware activation codes
  • Buy and use Elastic Capacity on Demand
  • View and renew Update Access Keys
Each of the elements is in a separate tab which you can switch to while browsing a particular asset.

Question: What's an asset?
Answer: It's a generic term we use for hardware machine type serial.

Question: How do I add assets to my list?
Answer: There are several ways to add assets:
  • by quick searching for a hardware machine type serial and adding it from its detail
  • by adding the asset directly to your list by hardware machine type serial
  • by selecting a customer number from your profile and then selecting the asset from its list
  • by entering a new customer number, registering for it and then selecting the asset from its list
Your personal asset lists are stored online, so once they're added to your profile you can see your list on any mobile device with the ESS mobile app installed.

Question: Can anyone see everything?
Answer: No, access is governed by the same principle as the regular ESS website. As an external user, you need to be authorized for the customer number of the record before you can see its details. IBM employees get unlimited access to all records - just like on the regular ESS website.

Question: I'm already authorized for several customer numbers on the website. Do I need to re-register?
Answer: No, your existing authorized customer numbers are re-used - your IBM ID is shared across the website and the mobile app. When trying to add an asset to your profile, by using the option called "customer number", all your existing authorized customer numbers will be listed already and can be used immediately.

Question: Can I see anything even if I'm not authorized?
Answer: Yes, you can see basic overview of any asset - what operating system it runs, which version and edition it is. To view any details, you will first need to register for its customer number.

Question: Can I register for a customer number using the app?
Answer: Yes, you can register for a customer number in two places:
  • at the time of adding the customer number to your IBM ID
  • when trying to view an asset detail you're not authorized for
Both of them will require you to provide an order number, a system number or a CHIS contract number, just like the regular ESS website does. Since the IBM ID is shared, registering for a customer number in the mobile app will be automatically updated on the ESS website and vice versa.

Question: Can I stop using the ESS website?
Answer: We're not there yet. The mobile app, while already offering unique capability (like viewing any asset's basic details), still has limits. Future enhancements will include more capability to the mobile app, to match ESS website's function, but to also add more mobile-unique elements.

Question: I have more questions! Something doesn't work! Something is wrong!
Answer: Please use the "Send feedback" option within the mobile app to provide feedback. You can also email your questions to the ESS Customer Support team.

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View, Download and request update access keys

Existing hardware keys for one or multiple machines can be viewed, downloaded, send by email and renewed.

A list of machines and related keys you want to work with can be created by entering one or more machines manually by stating machine type (4 characters) and machine serial (7 characters). Alternatively a .txt file can be uploaded. The file should contain machine type and machine serial separated by comma.

A machine in the list can be removed from the listing at any time by selecting the machine and using the \'delete\' function button.

  • View Key:

    Viewing the key will present the selected machines\' current key(s) on the screen. ESS will show the most current key which might be active or expired.

  • Send Key:

    Sending the key will provide the selected key(s) as email to the email address associated with the IBM ID used.

  • Download Key:

    Downloading key(s) will make selected hardware keys available for download in a file format.

  • Request new standard key:

    Using the \'request new standard key function\' renew an existing active or inactive key for the selected machine. A renewal attempt will only be possible if the machine has an active or inactive initial key installed and the country stated matches with the country listed in the IBM database. A key renewal will require an active and valid hardware maintenance subscription. Without a valid subscription the renewal request will be denied and the request will result in an error. Furthermore a renewal will only be processed if the expiration date of a potential renewal key will exceed the expiration date of the current installed key. In this case ESS will keep reflecting the current valid key.

If you expect a selected machine to have an initial key assigned but no key is available or a renewal is denied even though you believe the machine is entitled please use the Request Help button to create a PMR which will be routed to our Exception Handling Team. Please only select 1 machine per PMR request.

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Elastic Capacity on Demand - Terms & Conditions

Elastic Capacity on Demand Terms & Conditions documents. If your country is not listed separately then the default document applies.

For countries not listed separately: English

Americas region:

Asia Pacific region:Europe region:Middle East & Africa region:In you have any questions, contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com.

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Elastic Capacity on Demand - Overview

Elastic Capacity on Demand (eCOD) is a new and easy way for IBM customers to activate their POWER8 or POWER9 hardware processor and memory resources.

It takes only 3 steps from need to activation:

  • Buy a pool of Elastic processor and/or memory on demand resources
  • Use part of it (or all at once - up to you!) to "charge" one or more eligible Power systems with needed resource "days of usage"
  • Apply your activation code(s) through the Hardware Management Console (HMC) to make the resources immediately available for your Power system(s) to use

That's it. It takes less than a minute from start to finish to order and get your activation code(s). And you do everything through the Entitled Systems Support website.

Everything is done within the My entitled hardware section of ESS:
  • Elastic CoD - Purchase more capacity - you can purchase more Elastic resources here. You have to be registered for your customer number(s) and be authorized to submit orders for them. Once you choose one of your customer numbers, we will check which Power systems are installed in your enterprise and show a list of supported Elastic resources to purchase.
  • Elastic CoD - Generate new codes - you can find all orders and their remaining Elastic capacity here. This includes both orders you have submitted and orders submitted by anyone else under customer number(s) you are registered and authorized for. Go here to start provisioning your purchased Elastic resources.
  • Elastic CoD - Download existing codes - any activation codes you have previously created for your supported POWER8 or POWER9 systems together with their details can be found here.
Both purchase and provisioning of Elastic Capacity on Demand resources is also available through our ESS mobile app - download it from Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

For additional questions, contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com. More information is also available in our User's Guide.

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Elastic Capacity on Demand - How to buy?

The following purchase possibilities are available:

  • Product 4586-COD - through your business partners or IBM Digital Sales representatives using e-Configurator for e-business (e-config) - available in the following geographies:
    • Americas - all countries
    • Asia Pacific - all countries except China
    • Europe, Middle East & Africa - all countries
    Detailed announcement information can be found on IBM Offering Information.
    NOTE: Once your order is processed at IBM, it will be available for resource provisioning here on ESS, under the usual Elastic CoD - Generate new codes option within My entitled hardware.

  • Direct sale through Entitled Systems Support - under Elastic CoD - Purchase more capacity, located within My entitled hardware - currently offered in multiple countries and geographies:
    • Americas - Canada, United States, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay
    • Asia Pacific - Australia, New Zealand
    • Europe, Middle East and Africa - Åland Islands, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Faroe Islands, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican
    Detailed announcement information can be found in IBM Offering Information
    NOTE: Elastic Capacity on Demand purchased on ESS is available immediately for provisioning on your POWER8 and POWER9 systems to start using dormant resources right away. See the Q&A for more details.

  • ESS mobile app - find it on Apple App Store and Google Play Store - just like the ESS website, the ESS mobile app allows you to purchase Elastic resources in the enabled direct markets. Any Elastic orders placed through the mobile app, website or e-config will always be accessible for provisioning here as well. Everything is accessible from the app's side menu. You can also start the process from any system you have listed in your mobile app that supports the new Elastic technology. The two applications (website and mobile) share the same IBM infrastructure so anything you purchase or provision on the mobile app will show up on the website and anything you do on the website is immediately visible on the mobile app.

(Last updated: May 26, 2020)

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Elastic Capacity on Demand - Q&A

Q: Can I try this out before purchasing or using in general?
A: Yes - you can switch to demo mode on ESS and try things out without submitting any actual orders or creating real activation codes. Just click on demo mode in My entitled hardware and see how it works! A yellow banner will always be visible on your screen when in demo mode.

Q: I do not see my customer number available for purchasing Elastic resources. How do I register for access to place Elastic orders on ESS?
A: You need to register for one of your customer numbers (preferably the one which is tied to your Power systems) under Register customer number. To complete your registration, an existing IBM order number, TSS service contract number or system number of one of your Power systems is necessary.

Q: My country is not listed but I would like to use Elastic Capacity on Demand.
A: We are constantly adding more ESS direct sale countries. Sale of Elastic resources under 4586-COD in the few remaining geographies is also coming soon - stay tuned!

Q: Can I use this together with regular Capacity on Demand static or mobile memory and processor activations?
A: Yes, you can. You can use this in addition to the usual static or mobile activations (for example to handle load spikes or periodic higher workload) or you can completely shift to an Elastic usage model. It is really up to you.

Q: I am already using Elastic Capacity on Demand - I report my usage to IBM and then get billed. Will this change?
A: Yes, the old Elastic post-usage reporting and billing solution is being withdrawn in the markets that offer the new Elastic pre-paid solution. The only way to continue an Elastic resource usage approach is to switch to this new pre-paid offering.

Q: What do I need to use the new offering?
A: You need to own a supported POWER8 or POWER9 processor-based system that has physical processor or memory resources without a static or mobile activation and be an existing ESS user that can already submit Power software orders for your company. If you purchase Elastic resources under 4586-COD, all you need is the plant order number of your purchase. If you are registered for your customer number(s) on ESS, we will list all your orders under Elastic CoD - Generate new codes > My orders. That's it!

Q: Which POWER8 processor-based systems are supported?
A: This is the current list of supported POWER8 hardware type models. Minimum firmware level is either FW840.50 or FW860.20, so make sure you have the latest installed for the level you are using - otherwise the codes will not work! The links next to each supported POWER8 system will redirect you to Fix Central and the appropriate list of available versions for the selected level - we recommend you are always running latest firmware for your platform:

  • 8408-E8E - IBM Power System E850 - SV840 - SV860
  • 8408-44E - IBM Power System E850C - SV860
  • 9119-MME - IBM Power System E870 - SC840 - SC860
  • 9080-MME - IBM Power System E870C - SC840 - SC860
  • 9119-MHE - IBM Power System E880 - SC840 - SC860
  • 9080-MHE - IBM Power System E880C - SC840 - SC860

Q: Which POWER9 processor-based systems are supported?
A: The following two POWER9 hardware type models are supported. They support Elastic Capacity on Demand "out of the box" - but we still recommend keeping your firmware up-to-date!
  • 9040-MR9 - IBM Power System E950
  • 9080-M9S - IBM Power System E980

Q: I have both POWER8 and POWER9 systems in my infrastructure - do I need to buy Elastic resources separately for each generation?
A: Elastic resources are cross-generation compatible - you can apply resources from the same order to either POWER8 or POWER9 systems, no matter how you have purchased them.

Q: I have only POWER8 systems, but I am planning to upgrade them to POWER9 - if I buy Elastic resources now, will they become unusable once I upgrade my hardware to a newer generation?
A: Elastic resources are not tied to any specific hardware generation at the time of purchase. If you upgrade to POWER9 in the future and have remaining capacity left on your current orders, you can assign it to your future systems later.

Q: I am an IBM business partner and want to buy this for my customer. What should I do?
A: Support for purchase of Elastic resources for your customers through e-Configurator for e-business (e-config) is now available using the new 4586-COD product, under the new Power Virtual Capacity category - see IBM Offering Information for more details.

Q: What are my payment options when buying directly on ESS?
A: We currently support payments through invoice sent at the end of each month. You need to have a Purchase Order available within your company as it will be put on each generated invoice. If you do not have a Purchase Order currently available, your procurement department must first create one.

Q: When will I get my invoice when I'm buying directly on ESS?
A: You will get one invoice per Purchase Order at the end of each month, with all your orders for that month grouped based on the Purchase Order number you have entered for each of them. Complete terms & conditions are available at the summary step of each order.

Q: Once I have submitted my order on ESS, that's it? I can get my activation code right away?
A: Yes, that's it, you can create your activation code just after submitting the order and immediately start using the extra capacity you have purchased. We will send you an invoice at the end of the current month.

Q: How is the metric done?
A: We meter you per day of usage - either processor or GBs of memory. Capacity is used when processors or memory are powered up using available Elastic days assigned to the system. Make sure you assign the capacity to available resources when needed only.

Q: How is this tracked?
A: Once you apply an activation code on your POWER8 or POWER9 processor-based system, a total available elastic charge becomes available to use for powering up dark processors and memory within HMC. Assigning elastic capacity depletes remaining elastic charge every 24 hours, based on powered up dark processors and memory.

Q: I can keep charging all my Power systems at any time with new activation codes?
A: Yes, once you have purchased a pool of resources, you can keep generating new activation codes for the available resource until your order is used up. You will also get warning messages on your system once you are close to using up what you currently have still available, so you can create new activation codes before the system runs out of the existing resource pool.

Q: Can I use Elastic capacity from one order on several systems?
A: Yes! It is up to you how, when and where you want to distribute your purchased capacity. Every time you start the provisioning part, we ask you which server selected resources should be associated with.

Q: What if I run out of resources on the order?
A: You can buy more at any time.

For additional questions, contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com. More information is also available in our User's Guide.

(Last updated: January 23, 2020)

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - Terms & Conditions

Enterprise Pools 2.0 Terms & Conditions documents are currently only available in English. Those terms apply to all countries where credits are sold, either via Entitled Systems Support directly or the Power Virtual Capacity product 5819-CRD in e-Config.

You can read the current T&Cs here: English


(Last updated: October 23, 2020)

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - Overview

IBM Power Enterprise Pools 2.0 is an offering supported on certain modern Power systems, designed to deliver enhanced multisystem resource sharing and by-the-minute consumption of on-premises Power compute resources to clients deploying and managing a private cloud infrastructure.

  • All installed processors and memory on servers in a Power Enterprise Pool (2.0) are activated and made available for immediate use when a pool is started. There is no need to reallocate mobile resources from server to server.
  • System capacity may be seamlessly made available when it is needed without requiring human awareness or intervention.
  • Permanent, Capacity Upgrade on Demand processor and memory activations (Base Capacity) and corresponding license entitlements are purchased on each supported system. These Base Processor and Memory Activation resources are then aggregated across a pool.
  • Unpurchased (inactive upon shipment) processor and memory capacity in the pool is activated when a pool is started and can subsequently be used on a pay-as-you-go basis (Metered Capacity) from Capacity Credits purchased from IBM or an authorized IBM business partner.
  • Processor resource within a pool is tracked by the minute, based on actual consumption by shared processor partitions.
  • Memory resource within a pool is tracked by the minute, based on the assignment of resources to partitions, not based on operating system usage of the memory.
  • Metered Capacity consumption on one system may be offset by idle Base Capacity elsewhere in the pool during the same period.
  • A single Power Enterprise Pool (2.0) may support up to 500 shared processor partitions across up to 16 supported systems within a single enterprise, within a single country.
  • Each Power Enterprise Pool (2.0) is monitored and managed from a Cloud Management Console in the IBM Cloud.
  • Capacity Credits may be purchased from IBM, an authorized IBM business partner, or online through the IBM Entitled Systems Support website, where available.
  • Clients may more easily identify capacity usage and trends across their Power E980 systems in a pool by viewing web-accessible aggregated data without spreadsheets or custom analysis tools.

Two new sections have been created on the Entitled Systems Support website, dedicated only to Enterprise Pools 2.0:

  • Enterprise Pools 2.0 - Start a new pool - this is where you create your new pools. You need at least one supported system with *base resources available which is not in any pools yet and either a 5819-CRD credit order you have purchased before or you can buy your first credits on the ESS website directly in supported markets.
  • Enterprise Pools 2.0 - Add credits to pool - when you have a pool already running and managed through your Cloud Management Console, any time you run out of credits for it, you can go here and either buy more credits directly on ESS for your pool or, if you have available 5819-CRD credits orders you have purchased before, assign existing unused credits to your existing pools.
*Base resources is a new name for permanent hardware core and memory activations and software licenses installed on an IBM Power supported system which is enabled for Enterprise Pools 2.0. You can see whether your supported system is EP2.0-ready by going to Inventory explorer and looking at your system's Hardware > CPU overview section. You will see the number of base resources listed there. You will also find a new feature listed on your system's configuration - feature code EP20. You can always see all your installed features under Hardware > CPU configuration.

For additional questions, contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com.


(Last updated: July 8, 2020)

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - What is a credit and current consumption rates

A credit represents a generic resource available for your pool's consumption. Tracking is done every minute and reported back to IBM once a day. Software and hardware usage is tracked separately so that you can control your metered usage in great detail!

Here's the current credit consumption - the amount of metered resource-minutes required to use up a credit from your pool:

  • Hardware:
    • Any OS core usage: 20,000 core-minutes / credit
    • Linux OS core usage: 40,000 core-minutes / credit
    • Memory usage: 1,500,000 GB-minutes / credit
  • Software
    • AIX or Linux OS usage: 30,000 core-minutes / credit
    • IBM i OS usage: 1,500 core-minutes / credit

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - How to buy?

The following purchase possibilities are available:

  • Product 5819-CRD - through your business partners or IBM Digital Sales representative using e-Configurator for e-business (e-config) - available in the following geographies:
    • Americas - all countries
    • Asia Pacific - all countries except China
    • Europe, Middle East & Africa - all countries
    Detailed announcement information can be found on IBM Offering Information.
    NOTE: Once your order is processed at IBM, its credits will be available on ESS for starting a pool or adding it to your existing pools under My entitled hardware.

  • Direct sale through Entitled Systems Support - available when you are starting your new pool or when you have a pool already and would like to purchase more credits directly for it - currently offered in multiple countries and regions:
    • Americas - Canada, United States, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay
    • Europe, Middle East & Africa - Åland Islands, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Faroe Islands, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican
    Detailed announcement information can be found in IBM Offering Information
    NOTE: Enterprise Pools 2.0 credits purchased on ESS are available immediately for your pools.
See the Q&A for more details.

(Last updated: May 26, 2020)

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - Q&A

Q: Which systems support Enterprise Pools 2.0?
A: The following systems are currently enabled for Enterprise Pools 2.0:

  • 9040-MR9 - IBM Power System E950
  • 9080-M9S - IBM Power System E980
Q: Is any supported Power system enabled?
A: No, there are certain pre-requisites that need to be met before a supported system is capable of running in an Enterprise Pool 2.0. You need to either MES upgrade your existing system to be enabled or purchase a new supported system which comes pre-configured as EP2.0-ready.

Q: How can I check if my supported system is EP2.0-ready?
A: You can easily check this under Inventory explorer . Select your system serial number and go to the Hardware > CPU overview section. If you can see base cores and base memory listed under Hardware cores and Memory sections, respectively, then your system is EP2.0-ready. Alternatively, you can also look at your system's configuration under Hardware > CPU configuration and see if feature EP20 is listed. If it is, the system is also considered EP2.0-ready (both the base resources and feature EP20 will found when a E980 system is EP2.0-ready).

Q: Is there a minimum firmware level required to support Enterprise Pools 2.0?
A: Yes, you need to have a minimum FW930.00 installed on your IBM Power System E980 - you can find it in Fix Central. Make sure you are always up-to-date on firmware level, as future updates to Enterprise Pools 2.0 might require an even newer, still to-be-released firmware level.

Q: Cloud Management Console? CMC? Base resources? Pools? Credits? This all sounds new to me. Is there some place I can read more about all these things?
A: Yes, there's a very helpful community which has a lot of great articles and more details - you can find it here.

Q: Help! I can't see my credits I have purchased through my business partner or IBM Sales Representative.
A: Make sure you are authorized for the customer number that the order is installed under. You can see your customer numbers and the authorizations for them under View my authorizations. Access to credit orders and pool activities is shared with Elastic Capacity on Demand ordering and Software updates ordering.

Q: How can I get authorized for my customer number?
A: You can do that under Register customer number. Select your country, enter your 7-digit (US) or 6-character (rest of the world) customer number and continue. To validate your registration, you need to authenticate the registration using one of the below three values:
  • 6 character plant order number - the value is generated for every product you have previously purchased at IBM and is listed on packing lists and email confirmations of all your purchases from IBM Systems group
  • 7 character system number - this value is available on packing lists and email confirmations of all your purchases from IBM Systems group. NOTE: This is not the serial number of your equipment or software you own!
  • Service contract number - if you have an active service contract with IBM, provide its contract number. As long as you have some components active on the customer number you're registering for, the authentication will work

Q: I need more help. Is there someone I can contact?
A: You can always contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com.


(Last updated: July 8, 2020)

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Buying on ESS - credit check

An automated real-time credit check is available for a set of countries when buying on:

How does it work
When starting your purchase, the step 1 of the process will show you an order limit section. This section contains 2 values:

  • Company limit:
    • It corresponds to the total limit available as set by IBM for your company.
    • The value will depend on the country and if you are buying for the first time. As soon as you have bought once and paid the first invoice, the value will get higher.
    • In case you need a higher starter limit, please contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com
  • Remaining limit:
    • It represents the company limit decreased by the total order value submitted, where we have yet to receive invoice payment status confirmation.
    • As soon as the invoice for an order is paid, the amount from the invoice is released towards your remaining limit again. This value is automatically adjusted in real-time for supported countries.
    • In case an invoice is unpaid for more than 60 days from due date, you will not be able to buy more credits or eCoD days and won't be able to use previously placed orders. When the overdue invoice is paid, please contact the Project Office at ECODPROJ@us.ibm.com to get your access restored.



Where to find the invoice details
Invoices details (invoice number, due date and status) are available in Elastic CoD - Generate new codes in the "Step 1: Select your hardware and resource" in the Order details section.


Which countries are supported

  • Currently payment status and credit rating are tracked only for France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, more countries coming later. Only for these countries will the remaining limit adjust and the invoice status show (in addition to invoice number and due date).



  • Invoice number and due date are available in all Europe, Middle East and Africa countries and North America.



(Last updated: September 11, 2020)

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Enterprise Pools 2.0 - How to request a Cloud Management Console instance


(Last updated: October 7, 2020)

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