IBM Cloud Paks are bundles of IBM software, built to run on Red Hat OpenShift, that are licensed as a single pool of Virtual Processor Cores (VPCs). Each program included in a Cloud Pak consumes that pool at its own conversion ratio, so a customer can change which programs are deployed, and in what quantity, as long as the total converted usage never exceeds the entitlement at any time.[1] IBM applies the same model to WebSphere Hybrid Edition, which bundles WebSphere Application Server editions under one VPC entitlement.[4]
The contractual terms are in each Cloud Pak’s License Information (LI) document. IBM’s licensing pages for the individual Cloud Paks describe themselves as supplementary guidance and state that the license agreement, including the LI for the specific release, “is the sole and complete agreement” between IBM and the customer.[1] Ratios therefore differ by Cloud Pak and can change between releases; the figures below are those printed for the release named.
Editions and license forms
Cloud Paks are sold as perpetual licenses with 12 months of Subscription and Support, as monthly licenses, or as subscription licenses. For Cloud Pak for Integration, IBM publishes the part numbers for each release in its announcement letter.[1] Cloud Pak for Applications lists them in its documentation: for example, the Advanced edition’s VPC license with 12 months of support is D0LSCZX, its monthly license D0LSDZX and its subscription license D0LSFZX, with separate parts for IBM Z and trade-up parts from eligible WebSphere programs (rule).[6]
Several Cloud Paks are offered as full or reserved licenses (rule):
- A full Cloud Pak for Integration license includes three cores of restricted Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform for each Cloud Pak VPC. Cloud Pak for Data full offerings carry the same three-to-one allowance.[1][2]
- A reserved license includes no OpenShift entitlement. It is intended for organizations that already hold OpenShift entitlement or that commit to managed OpenShift on public cloud, and it requires prior IBM approval.[1]
For Cloud Pak for Integration 16.2.0 the full license is L-VEMB-RABZSN and the reserved license is L-UHEB-WGGTYF.[1] Cloud Pak for Business Automation 26.0.0 has a full license that includes Red Hat Software Subscription entitlement valid only in support of the Cloud Pak, and a reserved license without it.[3]
Conversion ratios
A conversion ratio states how many VPCs of a bundled program one or more Cloud Pak VPCs cover. IBM writes ratios as product : Cloud Pak. In Cloud Pak for Integration 16.2.0, “3 VPCs of Cloud Pak for Integration are required for 1 VPC of App Connect Enterprise deployment”, written 1 : 3, while one Cloud Pak VPC covers two VPCs of MQ Advanced, written 2 : 1.[1] Where a Cloud Pak LI does not specify a ratio for a program deployed in containers, IBM’s container licensing page states that it is assumed to be 1:1.[7]
Cloud Pak for Integration 16.2.0
| Program | Production ratio | Non-production ratio |
|---|---|---|
| API Connect | 1 : 1 | 2 : 1 |
| App Connect Enterprise | 1 : 3 | 2 : 3 |
| Aspera Enterprise 1Gbps | 1 : 4 | 1 : 2 |
| DataPower | 1 : 1 | 2 : 1 |
| Event Endpoint Management | 1 : 1 | 2 : 1 |
| Event Streams | 1 : 1 | 2 : 1 |
| MQ Advanced | 2 : 1 | 4 : 1 |
| MQ Advanced High Availability Replica | 10 : 1 | 20 : 1 |
| MQ base | 4 : 1 | 8 : 1 |
| MQ High Availability Replica | 20 : 1 | 40 : 1 |
| MQ Multi-instance Containers | 10 : 3 | 20 : 3 |
The production table also lists Event Streams for disaster recovery only at 2 : 1, MQ Advanced multi-instance containers at 5 : 3, the Platform UI with AI agents at 5 : 1, the RPA platform per install at 1 : 2 and the RPA environment per virtual server at 1 : 1 (production, non-production).[1] Process Mining add-ons convert on other units, for example four processes or six analyst Authorized Users per Cloud Pak VPC, and a customer may convert three Cloud Pak VPCs once for an installation of the Process Mining Platform (rule).[1]
When converted usage is not a whole number, IBM totals all instances of a program at the same ratio across the cluster and rounds up to the next whole VPC, separately for each ratio. In IBM’s example, three cores of MQ base in production (4 : 1) and three in non-production (8 : 1) each round up to one VPC, so the deployment needs two Cloud Pak VPCs (rule).[1]
WebSphere Hybrid Edition
WebSphere Hybrid Edition 5.1 bundles WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment, WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Application Server Liberty Core. Per WebSphere Hybrid Edition VPC, a customer may deploy one VPC of Network Deployment, four of WebSphere Application Server or eight of Liberty Core, and production and non-production use the same ratios (rule). Entitlements can be recombined across the three editions as often as needed within the total, and OpenShift is not required for the bundled WebSphere offerings.[4]
Other metrics inside a Cloud Pak
A bundled program may be measured in a different unit from the Cloud Pak. In an ILMT example, IBM InfoSphere DataStage licensed at 140 PVUs contributes 2 VPCs to a DataStage cartridge for Cloud Pak for Data at a ratio of 70 PVUs to 1 VPC.[5] Cloud Pak for Data Enterprise Edition 5.0 allows part of the VPC entitlement to be converted to general-purpose GPUs at 1:1 for Watson Machine Learning, Watson Machine Learning Accelerator, Watson OpenScale and Watson Studio (rule).[2]
Charged and non-charged components
Only chargeable components consume Cloud Pak entitlement. In Cloud Pak for Integration, the Platform UI, automation assets and Cloud Pak foundational services are not charged, nor are optional tooling such as the App Connect Designer and dashboard or the MQ Explorer; they still use OpenShift capacity when deployed on OpenShift.[1] MQ deployed purely as a supporting program to App Connect Enterprise is also free, up to the number of App Connect Enterprise cores the customer is entitled to (rule).[1] Cloud Pak for Data lists its control plane, foundational services, scheduling service and the Db2 Data Management Console as non-chargeable, but notes that installing an Enterprise Edition service that depends on the common core services makes those services chargeable.[2]
Supporting programs can carry their own caps. In Cloud Pak for Data Enterprise Edition, IBM Storage Fusion is limited to Data Foundation in internal mode and to 12 TB per OpenShift cluster regardless of how many entitlements are bought, and Cognos Analytics cartridges are limited to 5 users and 20 viewers for Cognos Dashboards (rule).[2] Cloud Pak for Business Automation excludes IBM Integration Designer, which needs a separate license (rule).[3]
The Cloud Pak LI supersedes the terms of a bundled program only where they conflict; the bundled program’s other terms continue to apply (rule).[1]
Measurement
Cloud Pak programs can run in containers, on virtual machines or both, and IBM measures the two differently. IBM License Service reports containerized deployments, aggregating each OpenShift cluster to a high-water mark and applying the ratios. ILMT reports the same programs when installed on virtual machines.[1] For non-containerized programs, ILMT measures each product separately, applies the conversion option from the LI and sums the results: in IBM’s example App Connect Enterprise using 200 VPCs at 1 VPC/3 VPCs contributes 600 Cloud Pak VPCs and MQ Advanced using 200 VPCs at 2 VPCs/1 VPC contributes 100, for a total of 700. The overall Cloud Pak figure combines ILMT and License Service data, manually or through the License Service Reporter (rule).[5]
flowchart LR
VM["Programs on VMs"] --> ILMT["ILMT: usage x LI conversion option"]
CT["Programs in containers"] --> LS["License Service: cluster high-water mark x ratio"]
ILMT --> SUM["Cloud Pak VPC total"]
LS --> SUM
SUM --> ENT{"Within VPC entitlement?"}
The VM side follows IBM’s sub-capacity rules, described in IBM sub-capacity licensing and ILMT, and the container side follows the Container Licensing policy described in IBM Passport Advantage licensing.
Out of scope
- Ratios for Cloud Pak releases other than those named; each release has its own LI.
- Red Hat OpenShift subscription terms beyond the restricted allowance included with full licenses.
- IBM Cloud Pak SaaS offerings billed on IBM Cloud.
- List prices, which IBM does not publish in the cited licensing guides.