The information contained here is for informational purposes only and pertains specifically to software licensing within the IBM Passport Advantage Programme.
For exact terms and conditions which govern the usage of a specific software program, refer to the software's Licence Agreement including the International Program Licence Agreement (IPLA) (US), Licence Information Documents (US) and any additional agreement under which the software was obtained such as the IBM International Passport Advantage Agreement.
Use the links below to learn more
- Licensing IBM Software
- User based licensing
- Capacity based licensing
- Other licensing
- Glossary of terms and other information
Licensing IBM software
Licence Grant: Under the IPLA and Passport Advantage, IBM grants Licensee a non-exclusive licence to use the software when Licensee lawfully obtains it up to the level of authorised use specified in the Proof of Entitlement (PoE). IBM licenses software for use either for a fixed term or indefinitely (depending on the type of licence obtained), and as long as the Licensee complies with the terms of the licence agreement.
Indefinite use of software - "Licence + SW Subscription and Support 12 Months"
The "Licence + Software Subscription and Support 12 Months" licence grants the right to:
- indefinitely use the specific version/release of the software obtained
- receive Software Subscription and Support (previously referred to as Software Maintenance) for a period of 12 months.
- While in effect, Software Subscription and Support authorises Licensee to use the most current commercially available version, release, or update, should any be made available, as well as receive support for the Program.
At the end of each period of coverage, Software Subscription and Support is renewable for another 12 months (at the prevailing price), referred to as "Annual Software Subscription and Support Renewal 12 Months". In some countries, this is automatically renewed unless Licensee notifies IBM or Licensee's IBM Business Partner of Licensee's intent to not renew it. If Software Subscription and Support is not renewed, Licensee will no longer receive the benefits of Software Subscription and Support, but Licensee may still use the software according to the licence agreement.
Fixed Term licence of software - "Initial Fixed Term Licence + SW Subscription and Support"
The "Initial Fixed Term Licence + Software Subscription and Support" term licence grants the right to:
- use the software on premise for a limited period only (most commonly of 12 months)
- receive Software Subscription and Support (previously referred to as Software Maintenance) for the period of the term.
- While in effect, Software Subscription and Support authorises Licensee to use the most current commercially available version, release, or update, should any be made available, as well as receive support for the Program.
At the end of each fixed term (most commonly 12 months), the licence may be renewed for an additional 12 month fixed term (at the prevailing price). When Licensee renews the Fixed Term Licence in the second term year, and in each term year thereafter, this is referred to as a "Subsequent Fixed Term Licence + Software Subscription and Support 12 Months". If the licence is not renewed, Licensee will no longer have the rights to use the software, will no longer be entitled to the benefits of Software Subscription and Support, and Licensee must destroy all copies of the software.
User based licensing
Authorised user
Authorised User is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. An Authorised User is a unique person who is given access to the Program. The Program may be installed on any number of computers or servers and each Authorised User may have simultaneous access to any number of instances of the Program at one time. Licensee must obtain separate, dedicated entitlements for each Authorised User given access to the Program in any manner directly or indirectly (for example: via a multiplexing program, device, or application server) through any means. An entitlement for an Authorised User is unique to that Authorised User and may not be shared, nor may it be reassigned other than for the permanent transfer of the Authorised User entitlement to another person.
Note: Some programs may be licensed where devices are considered users. In that case the following applies: Any computing device that requests the execution of or receives for execution a set of commands, procedures, or applications from the Program or that is otherwise managed by the Program is considered a separate User of the Program and requires an entitlement as if that device were a person.
Concurrent user
Concurrent User is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. A Concurrent User is a person who is accessing the Program at any particular point in time. Regardless of whether the person is simultaneously accessing the Program multiple times, the person counts only as a single Concurrent User. The Program may be installed on any number of computers or servers, but Licensee must obtain entitlements (Proof of Entitlement(PoE)) for the maximum number of Concurrent Users simultaneously accessing the Program. Licensee must obtain an entitlement for each simultaneous Concurrent User accessing the Program in any manner directly or indirectly (for example: via a multiplexing program, device, or application server) through any means.
Note: Some programs may be licensed where devices are considered users. In that case the following applies: Any computing device that requests the execution of or receives for execution a set of commands, procedures, or applications from the Program or that is otherwise managed by the Program is considered a separate User of the Program and requires an entitlement as if that device were a person.
Floating user
Floating User is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. A Floating User is a person who is accessing the Program at any particular point in time. An Install is an installed copy of the Program on a physical or virtual disk made available to be executed on a computer. The Program may be installed on any number of computers or servers, but if the Floating User simultaneously accesses more than one Install of the Program, the Floating User requires a separate entitlement for each such Install. Licensee must obtain separate entitlements for each Floating User simultaneously accessing the Program on each Install in any manner directly or indirectly (for example: via a multiplexing program, device, or application server) through any means.
Note: Some programs may be licensed where devices are considered users. In that case the following applies: Any computing device that requests the execution of or receives for execution a set of commands, procedures, or applications from the Program or that is otherwise managed by the Program is considered a separate User of the Program and requires an entitlement as if that device were a person.
User Value Unit (UVU):
User Value Unit (UVU) is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. UVU Proof of Entitlement (PoE) are based on the number and type of Users for the given Program. Licensee must obtain sufficient entitlements for the number of UVUs required for Licensee's environment as defined by the specific software terms. The UVU entitlements are specific to the Program and type of user and may not be exchanged, interchanged, or aggregated with UVU entitlements of another program or type of user.
To understand these benefits of User Value Unit licensing and to determine how many User Value Units to obtain, please refer to the program specific User Value Unit table. You may also contact IBM or your IBM Sales representative.
Capacity based licensing
Install
Install is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. An Install is an installed copy of the Program on a physical or virtual disk made available to be executed on a computer. Licensee must obtain an entitlement for each Install of the Program.
Processor Value Unit (PVU)
Processor Value Unit (PVU) is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. The number of PVU entitlements required is based on the processor technology (defined within the PVU Table by Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and Model Number) and the number of processors made available to the Program. IBM continues to define a processor, for the purpose of PVU-based licensing, to be each processor core on a chip. A dual-core processor chip, for example, has two processor cores.
Licensee can deploy the Program using either Full Capacity licensing or Virtualisation Capacity (Sub-Capacity) licensing according to the Passport Advantage Agreement Terms. If using Full Capacity licensing, Licensee must obtain PVU entitlements sufficient to cover all activated processor cores* in the physical hardware environment made available to or managed by the Program, except for those servers from which the Program has been permanently removed. If using Virtualisation Capacity licensing, Licensee must obtain entitlements sufficient to cover all activated processor cores made available to or managed by the Program, as defined according to the Virtualisation Capacity Licence Counting Rules.
* An Activated processor core is a processor core that is available for use in a physical or virtual server, regardless of whether the capacity of the processor core can be or is limited through virtualisation technologies, operating system commands, BIOS settings, or similar restrictions.
Note: Some programs may require licences for the Program AND what is being managed. In that case, the following applies: In addition to the entitlements required for the Program directly, Licensee must obtain PVU entitlements for this Program sufficient to cover the processor cores for the systems on which the resources managed or processed by the Program reside.
Note: Some programs may be licensed on a managed basis ONLY. In that case, the following applies: Instead of the entitlements required for the Program directly, Licensee must obtain PVU entitlements for this Program sufficient to cover the processor cores for the systems on which the resources managed or processed by the Program reside.
Note: A few programs on an exception basis may be licensed on a referenced basis. In that case, the following applies: Rather than obtaining entitlements for the activated processor cores available to the Program, Licensee must obtain PVU entitlements for this Program sufficient to cover the environment made available to the Referenced Program as if the Program itself were executing everywhere the Referenced Program was executing, independent of the basis on which the Referenced Program is licensed.
Server
Server is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. A server is a physical computer that is comprised of processing units, memory, and input/output capabilities and that executes requested procedures, commands, or applications for one or more users or client devices. Where racks, blade enclosures, or other similar equipment is being employed, each separable physical device (for example, a blade or a rack-mounted device) that has the required components is considered itself a separate server. Licensee must obtain Server entitlements for each server made available to the Program, regardless of the number of processor cores and/or partitions in the server or the number of copies of the Program on the server.
Virtual Server
Virtual Server is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. A server is a physical computer that is comprised of processing units, memory, and input/output capabilities and that executes requested procedures, commands, or applications for one or more users or client devices. Where racks, blade enclosures, or other similar equipment is being employed, each separable physical device (for example, a blade or a rack-mounted device) that has the required components is considered itself a separate server. A virtual server is either a virtual computer created by partitioning the resources available to a physical server or an unpartitioned physical server. Licensee must obtain Virtual Server entitlements for each virtual server made available to the Program, regardless of the number of processor cores in the virtual server or the number of copies of the Program on the virtual server.
Other licensing
Client device
Client Device is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. A Client Device is a single user computing device or special purpose sensor or telemetry device that requests the execution of or receives for execution a set of commands, procedures, or applications from or provides data to another computer system that is typically referred to as a server or is otherwise managed by the server. Multiple Client Devices may share access to a common server. A Client Device may have some processing capability or be programmable to allow a user to do work. Examples include, but are not limited to actuators, appliances, automated teller machines, automatic meter readers, cash registers, disk drives, desktop computers, kiosks, notebook computers, personal digital assistant, point-of-sale terminals, sensors, smart meters, tape drives, and technical workstations. Licensee must obtain entitlements for every Client Device which runs, provides data to, uses services provided by, or otherwise accesses the Program and for every other computer or server on which the Program is installed.
Resource Value Unit (RVU)
Resource Value Unit (RVU) is a unit of measure by which the Program can be licensed. RVU Proofs of Entitlement are based on the number of units of a specific resource used or managed by the Program. Licensee must obtain sufficient entitlements for the number of RVUs required for Licensee's environment as defined by the specific software terms. RVU entitlements are specific to the Program and the type of resource and may not be exchanged, interchanged, or aggregated with RVU entitlements of another program or resource.
Note: Some programs may require licences for the Resources available to AND the resources being managed by the Program. In that case, the following applies: In addition to the entitlements required for the Resources used by the Program directly, Licensee must obtain entitlements for this Program sufficient to cover the Resources managed by the Program.
Note: Some programs may be licensed on a managed basis ONLY. In that case, the following applies: Instead of the entitlements required for the Resources used by the Program directly, Licensee must obtain entitlements for this Program sufficient to cover the Resources managed by the Program.
To understand these benefits of Resource Value Unit licensing and to determine how many Resource Value Units to obtain, please refer to the program specific Resource Value Unit table. You may also contact IBM or your IBM Sales representative.
Glossary of terms and other information
Proof of Entitlement (PoE)
A Proof of Entitlement (PoE) is evidence that confirms the eligible software and level of use for which you are authorised. All eligible software is provided to you subject to the terms of the IBM International Passport Advantage Agreement.
Software Subscription and Support
IBM provides Software Subscription and Support with each IBM software program licensed under the IBM International Passport Advantage Agreement. Software Subscription and Support begins on the date the software is obtained and ends 12 months later (on the last day of the corresponding month in the following year), unless the:
- date of acquisition is the first day of the month, in which case coverage ends on the last day of the month.
- the customer elects to prorate the renewal date to align with a specific day and month when enrolling in Passport Advantage.
While IBM Software Subscription and Support is in effect for the software licence:
- IBM will make available to you and authorise you to use the most current commercially available version, release, or update, should any be made available.
- IBM provides you assistance for your:
- routine, short duration installation and usage (how-to) questions; and
- code-related questions (“Support”). Such Support for a particular version or release of the software is available only until IBM or the third party, as applicable, withdraws Support for that software’s version or release. When Support is withdrawn, you must upgrade to a supported version or release of the software in order to continue to receive Support. See the IBM Software Support Life Cycle (US) policy.
- IBM provides assistance via telephone and, if available, electronic access, to your information systems (IS) technical support personnel during the normal business hours of your IBM support centre. Consult the IBM Software Support Handbook (US) for details.
- IBM may request that you allow it to remotely access your system to assist you in isolating the software problem cause. You remain responsible for adequately protecting your system and all data contained in it whenever IBM remotely accesses it with your permission.
IBM Software Subscription and Support does not include assistance for:
- the design and development of applications,
- your use of the software in other than their specified operating environment, or
- failures caused by software by which IBM is not responsible under this Agreement.
Related information
Licence Information Documents (US)
IBM International Passport Advantage Agreement
Base IBM International Program Licence Agreement (US)
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