HCLSoftware PVU and sub-capacity licensing

HCLSoftware PVU and sub-capacity licensing is the processor-based licensing model HCLSoftware uses for several distributed programs, including the server components of Domino Enterprise, Connections, Commerce, Digital Experience and Leap. HCLSoftware’s policy defines the unit: “A Processor Value Unit (PVU) is a unit of measure used to differentiate licensing of software Programs on distributed processor technologies (defined by Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and Model Number).” For PVU purposes, a processor is “each processor core on a chip (socket)”, and “Each Program has a unique price per PVU”.^[1] Program LIs refer to the policy page for the counting rules. The Domino Enterprise 14.0 LI, for example, says the number of PVUs depends on processor technology “as set out in PVU Licensing for Distributed Software”.^[2][3]

The model descends from IBM’s PVU model for the same products, described in IBM sub-capacity licensing and ILMT. HCLSoftware publishes its own table and rules, so the IBM documents do not govern HCLSoftware licences.

Metrics

The Processor Value Unit is the only metric covered here. BigFix uses a different core-based metric, the Resource Value Unit, with its own tiered table. RVUs cannot be exchanged with PVUs.^[5]

Counting / floors

PVU table

The per-core rating depends on the processor and on the maximum number of sockets per server. Selected rows of HCLSoftware’s table:^[1]

The table also rates IBM Power 9 and Power 10 servers and Oracle or Fujitsu SPARC servers at 70, 100 or 120 PVUs per core, depending on the model.^[1]

Full capacity

Under Full Capacity Licensing, the customer “must obtain PVU entitlements sufficient to cover all activated processor cores* in the physical hardware environment made available to or managed by the Program”. Servers from which the program has been permanently removed are excluded. An activated core counts “regardless of whether the capacity of the processor core can be or is limited through virtualization technologies, operating system commands, BIOS settings, or similar restrictions”.^[1] The policy’s examples:^[1]

• a 2-socket server with 6 cores per socket needs 840 PVUs (70 × 12);
• a 4-socket server needs 2,400 PVUs (100 × 24);
• an 8-socket server needs 5,760 PVUs (120 × 48).

When sockets on two servers are connected into one symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) server, the socket count used for the rating rises. Two connected 2-socket servers become a 4-socket server needing 2,400 PVUs.^[1] Catalog proof: PVU full capacity covers all activated cores.

Minimum rating with acceleration

“For any configuration able to take advantage of SW or HW acceleration methods (e.g. VM/Ware ESXi, LDOM, SMP, etc.) the rating per core will always be a minimum of 100 PVU for HCL Digital Experience and 70 PVU for HCL Commerce, HCL Connections, HCL Leap and HCL Domino.”^[1] As commentary, this floor removes the 50-PVU rating for older processors in virtualized environments.

Virtualization & partitioning

PVU Sub-Capacity Licensing. In an eligible virtualized environment, the customer “must obtain entitlements sufficient to cover all activated virtual processor cores made available to or managed by the Program”. In general it may license “to the lower of” two figures: PVUs for the maximum number of physical cores available to the program, or PVUs for the maximum number of virtual cores in the VMs available to it.^[1] If the HCL program is “the sole proprietor in a virtualized environment, then all of the active and potential vCPUs are counted”. “Sub-capacity counting is only valid for eligible Virtualization Environments using VMs on physical servers.”^[1] Catalog proof: Sub-capacity: license the lower of physical or virtual cores.

The policy lists the eligible environments: VMware ESXi or Microsoft Hyper-V clusters, AWS EC2 and dedicated instances, VMware on cloud, Azure Virtual Machines, Azure VMware Solution, Google Compute Engine, and Oracle VM Server for SPARC (LDOM).^[1]

Worked example from the policy. A server has two processors with 8 cores each, so 16 physical cores, and two VMs with 10 vCPUs each. A program installed only on the first VM licenses 10 vCPUs. A program installed on both VMs has access to 20 vCPUs, but is capped at the 16 physical cores. That is 1,120 PVUs at 70 per core.^[1]

Containers. Digital Experience on supported Kubernetes or OpenShift platforms must be licensed under the Digital Experience Cloud Native 9.5 model. Domino on those platforms must use the Domino Complete Collaboration model.^[1] Catalog proof: Domino on Kubernetes or OpenShift must use the CCB model.

Reporting

“Licensee must maintain a record of total PVUs allocated to the product to be presented to HCL on request.” HCLSoftware accepts three report sources. The first is the HCL PVU Calculator, available to registered customers. The second is HCL BigFix Inventory, which “includes PVU reporting for Virtual Deployments”. The third is the IBM License Metric Tool, for which an “‘Audit Snapshot’ report must be presented for full or Sub-Capacity reporting data for a minimum of 90-days”.^[1] The tool table is product-specific. For Domino from version 11, only the HCL calculator is listed. For Domino through version 10, Portal, Web Content Manager, Commerce and Digital Experience, all three are listed.^[1] Hyperthreading is a caveat: the PVU-per-vCPU values assume hyperthreading is not in use, unless the report reflects it correctly.^[1] Catalog proof: ILMT Audit Snapshot for at least 90 days accepted as sub-capacity evidence.

As commentary, the policy page sets no deadline or frequency for producing reports. The MLA audit clause, however, lets HCLSoftware review software logs once a year.^[4] Keeping continuous reports is the practical way to support a sub-capacity position.

Cloud / BYOL

“When calculating PVU requirements for public cloud deployments (Amazon AWS, Google GCP, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure), a flat rate of PVUs per virtual CPU (“vCPU”) or VPC is used.” The flat rate is 100 PVUs for Digital Experience and 70 for Commerce, Connections, Leap and Domino. A Commerce VM with 2 vCPUs therefore needs 140 PVUs.^[1] For x86 public cloud VMs without Kubernetes or OpenShift, vCPU capacity is “the maximum number of activated virtual processor cores (vCPUs) of the cloud services for shared and dedicated instances available to the Program”.^[1] Catalog proof: Public cloud: flat PVU rate per vCPU.

Programs

Cold and Warm Standby. “Cold Standby, and Warm Standby server environments do not require additional PVU entitlements”, provided they are not used for Production Use. A cold standby is installed and configured but not running. A warm standby is running but not doing production work, and “must not have access to live Production Use data”. Production Use includes development, maintenance and testing, mirroring of transactions, synchronisation, and any configuration that allows “an active hot-switch”. If a backup copy has been used for production, HCLSoftware may require it to be licensed.^[1] Catalog proof: Cold and warm standby need no extra PVUs.

PVU Temporary Additional Use Policy. “Temporary additional use of licensed PVU entitlements of up to 90 days is permitted in a non-production environment” in four scenarios only: datacenter migrations, system-to-system replacement migrations, program-to-replacement-program migrations, and version-to-replacement-version migrations.^[1] Catalog proof: Temporary additional PVU use for up to 90 days during migrations.

Audits and compliance

Under-licensing found in an MLA audit is payable “at HCLSoftware’s then list price for the Program”.^[4] As commentary, typical causes for PVU programs are counting physical hosts without eligible sub-capacity evidence, applying ratings below the 70-PVU floor, and using standby servers for production. See software license audit.

Out of scope

• BigFix RVU and Managed Virtual Server metrics, covered in HCL BigFix licensing.
• Informix’s Core metric, which its LI defines by reference to a support policy that was not retrieved.
• IBM’s PVU table and ILMT rules for IBM-owned programs.