i5/OS licensing on IBM System i 9407-515 and 9406-525
On IBM® System i™ 9407-515 and 9406-525, i5/OS® licensing consists of two types of entitlements: processor entitlements and user entitlements. Before you use a System i 9407-515 or 9406-525, review this information to understand the concepts, requirements, and procedures that are associated with i5/OS user entitlements.
i5/OS user entitlements
On all System i models, an entitlement is required for each processor that runs the i5/OS operating system. System i 9407-515 and 9406-525 models require that you have both i5/OS processor entitlements and i5/OS user entitlements. This differs from other System i models where no user entitlements are required.
An i5/OS user is a person who accesses the i5/OS operating system through one or more connections. The user exchanges credentials (user identifications) either directly with the operating system or indirectly through application or middleware software that is supported by the operating system. On System i 9407-515 and 9406-525 models, acquire entitlement for the maximum number of i5/OS users who are simultaneously authenticated on the system (concurrent i5/OS users).
- To authorize users to the i5/OS operating system who are either employees or similar personnel of your enterprise or individuals to whom you provide hosted services, you need one i5/OS user entitlement for each concurrent i5/OS user.
- To authorize users, such as customers or business partners who are not employees or similar personnel of your enterprise or individuals to whom you provide hosted services, you have two options for i5/OS. You can obtain one i5/OS user entitlement for each concurrent i5/OS user, or you can obtain one i5/OS external entitlement for the system.
For further information on i5/OS user entitlements, see the Announcement letter for i5/OS licensing by user at the IBM Products Web site. Under the Fast access column, select Announcement letters.
i5/OS processor entitlements
In addition to licensing by the number of i5/OS users, the operating system is also licensed by processor. Each 9407-515 or 9406-525 includes at least one i5/OS processor entitlement. You might need to purchase additional processor entitlements to configure or run the i5/OS operating system on additional processors.
i5/OS software license keys for System i 9407-515 and 9406-525
On these systems that offer i5/OS user entitlements, you receive three software license keys.
- 5722-SS1 feature 5050
- The software license key for the i5/OS operating system. This license key has a 70-day trial period.
- 5722-SS1 feature 5051
- The processor entitlement key that indicates the number of processors that are used by the operating system.
- 5722-SS1 feature 5052
- The user entitlement key that indicates the number of users who are authorized to use the i5/OS operating system.
If your system has the i5/OS operating system preloaded, the software license keys for feature 5050, feature 5052, and a single processor entitlement for feature 5051 are already on the system. If you have ordered more than one processor, refer to the Customer Notice that is included with your order for information on how to access the additional software license key.
Displaying software license keys
To display feature 5051 or 5052, use the Work with License Information command. Enter WRKLICINF on the command line. Select option 5 (Display detail). Figure 1 shows an example of the display for the software entitlement key for feature 5052.
Figure 1. Display License Information example of feature 5052 on a system with multiple partitionsDisplay License Information XXXXXXXX MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS Product ID . . . . . . . . : 5722SS1 License term . . . . . . . : V5 Feature . . . . . . . . . . : 5052 Description . . . . . . . . : i5/OS Compliance type . . . . . . : *KEYED Usage type . . . . . . . . : *REGISTERED Usage limit . . . . . . . . : 10 Last update . . . . . . . . : MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS Threshold . . . . . . . . . : 9 Usage Count Information: All partitions . . . . . : 9.00 Local partition . . . . . : 6.00 Peak Usage Information: Peak usage . . . . . . . : 9.00 Last peak . . . . . . . . : MM/DD/YY HH:MM:SS Product ID . . . . . . . . : 5722SS1 License term . . . . . . . : V5 Feature . . . . . . . . . . : 5052 Description . . . . . . . . : i5/OS Log violations . . . . . . : *NO Message queue/Library . . . : *NONE Keyed compliance information: Expiration date . . . . . : *NONE Grace period . . . . . . : 0 Date grace period expires : *NONE Bottom F3=Exit F5=Refresh F12=Cancel
Adding software license keys
One of the completion tasks after the operating system is installed or upgraded is to install the software license keys for the operating system. If your system does not have the operating system preloaded, go to the topic Installing, upgrading, or deleting i5/OS and related software in the i5/OS Information Center. The software license key information is included with the software licensing documents that you receive with your i5/OS order.
If your system has the operating system preloaded, you might need to install additional software license keys such as an additional processor key or additional user entitlement keys. To add software license key information, follow these steps.
To add a software license key, you need *ALLOBJ special authority in your user profile. For more information on special authorities, see Planning and setting up system security.
- On the command line, type WRKLICINF and press Enter.
- On the Work with License Information display, type a 1 in the Option (Opt) column next to the product identification number to add license key information for a program. Press Enter.
- On the Add License Key Information (ADDLICKEY) display, type the required information and add the license key information. Some fields, such as the product identifier, license term, and system serial number, might contain the required information already. Type the 18-character license key into the three fields as follows:
- In the first field, type characters 1 through 6 identified in your software license key information.
- In the second field, type characters 7 through 12.
- In the last field, type characters 13 through 18.
In the Usage limit field, type the number of authorized users and press Enter. If you enter a usage limit that is different from the usage limit for the software license key, message CPF9E82 (License key not valid) is issued.
After you add the software license key, a list of enabled user profiles is displayed.
To order additional license entitlements for users (in groups of 5 or 10), contact your IBM representative.
Licensing documents and warranties for systems with i5/OS user entitlements
With any i5/OS order, you receive several software licensing documents. These documents contain important information concerning the use, management, and transfer of licensed programs. These can be either printed or online. On System i 9407-515 and 9406-525, you receive an additional printed Amendment to the V5R4 License Information Document for IBM i5/OS. Ensure that you read and understand all software license agreements and documents before you use the programs. Store the printed agreements and documents in a secure location. Both printed and online agreements need to be passed to the new owner when you transfer a program.
System i 9407-515 includes either a 3-month or a 1-year i5/OS Software Maintenance coverage for the base i5/OS processor entitlement with the hardware order at no additional charge. The length of time for coverage depends on the system configuration. This coverage period differs from all previously announced System i models, which include 1 year of i5/OS Software Maintenance coverage for base i5/OS processor entitlements. At the time of order, you have the option, for a price, to extend the i5/OS Software Maintenance coverage to either 1 or 3 years.
On System i 9406-525, i5/OS Software Maintenance coverage for the base i5/OS processor entitlement is included for 1 year at no additional charge. At the time of order, you have the option, for a price, to extend the coverage to 3 years.
For specifics on Machine Warranty and Hardware Maintenance support, contact your IBM representative or your reseller.
Logical partitions and i5/OS user entitlements
Logical partitions can be created on both System i 9407-515 and 9406-525 models. On model 9407-515, however, the Advanced POWER™ Virtualization feature is required to create logical partitions. The Advanced POWER Virtualization feature is not required for basic logical partitioning on 9406-525, which has similar logical partitioning capabilities as the System i 9406-520. Model 9406-525 has greater expansion capabilities that provide more logical partition options than on model 9407-515. For example, model 9407-515 has a maximum of two disk controllers, which means that a maximum of two partitions can directly own or control their own disk drives. Other logical partitions will need to use virtual disk. For further information on the Advanced POWER Virtualization technologies, see Advanced POWER Virtualization in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center.
Further information on i5/OS licensing and logical partitions can be found in the topic Software licensing for IBM licensed programs on logical partitions in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center.
User profiles and i5/OS user entitlements
A user profile is an object on the system with a unique name that contains the user password, the list of special authorities assigned to a user, and the objects the user owns. The WRKLICINF command is a tool that you can use to track the number of user profiles that are on the system and to help you maintain compliance with the i5/OS licensing by user that System i 9407-515 and 9406-525 offer. Select option 5 (Display detail) to display the profiles in the Usage Count Information field. To aid in meeting license compliance, this usage count can be checked against the number of user entitlements that are available on the system. If a user profile is created and enabled when the usage count on the system exceeds the number of user entitlements for the system, a message that states the noncompliance is sent. There might be situations where it is valid to have a number of enabled profiles greater than the number of user entitlements. For example, you might have a large number of users who are not on the system concurrently. IBM intends to eliminate IBM-supplied system profiles from the usage count, which will allow you to see a true usage count of your system.
To create new users on the system, you need to have security officer (QSECOFR) authority. For more information on user profiles, see "Chapter 4. User Profiles" in the Security Reference.
Three common i5/OS user profile commands are the Create User Profile (CRTUSRPF) command, Change User Profile (CHGUSRPF) command, and Restore User Profile (RSTUSRPRF) command. The status parameter on these commands can be either enabled (*ENABLED) or disabled (*DISABLED). On System i 9407-515 and 9406-525, a user profile with enabled status is included in the usage count as a tool to help manage the number of i5/OS user entitlements that are required. A disabled status indicates that the user does not have access to the operating system, and the user profile is not included in the usage count.
Various situations based on the number of user entitlements on the system can affect the status of user profiles. For example, if you have exceeded the number of license entitlements (allowed users) on the operating system and create a user profile with a status of enabled, the enabled profile is created but you receive a diagnostic message. If a user attempts to sign on and the maximum number of attempts is exceeded, the user profile status is changed to disabled and the usage count is reduced.
Hardware upgrades on systems with i5/OS user entitlements
If you are upgrading from a system that has processor-based licensing to System i 9406-525, the number of enabled users must not exceed the limit that you have purchased. Add the new license key that contains the license entitlements to the source system before you upgrade your hardware to the target system. At the first IPL of the target system or logical partition, user profiles are scanned and licenses are checked for the user profiles that have a status of *ENABLED. If the limit for the number of user profiles has been reached, a diagnostic message is issued.
For further information on hardware upgrades, see Capacity Upgrade on Demand in the IBM Systems Hardware Information Center.
Error recovery
Table 1 lists possible error and recovery situations that are unique to systems with i5/OS user entitlements.
Table 1. User entitlement recovery Message Description CPF9E17
Message: Usage limit exceeded - operator action required.
Cause: The usage limit for product 5722SS1, license term V5, feature 5052 has been exceeded.
Recovery: If PTF SI26954 has been applied, the message instructs you to select option 1 (Add license key) for products with *KEYED compliance except for iSeries™ Access Family, 5722-XW1, to increase the usage limit. For iSeries Access Family and all other products, select option 2 (Change). The usage limit should be increased only if it will match the limit authorized by the software provider. If the software provider authorized limit has been exceeded, the software provider must be notified immediately to update the authorized limit and start the appropriate order and billing processes.
If PTF SI26954 has not been applied, this message instructs you to use the Work with License Information (WRKLICINF) command and select option 2 (Change) to increase the usage limit. However, the correct action is to select option 1 to add a software license key for feature 5052. Further information about PTF SI26954 is described in Information APAR SE28285 on the Support for IBM System i Web site.
CPF9E82
Message: License key not valid.
Cause: The license key is not valid for the input specified. Some parameters (including the usage limit) might not be entered correctly.
Recovery: Correct the input. Then try the request again. The license key is received from the software provider.
Related information on System i 9407-515 and 9406-525
- IBM Products
(http://www.ibm.com/products/)Use this Web site to access reference information about IBM products. Under Related links, select Warranty info. Under the Fast access column, select Announcement letters.
- IBM System i5™ Technical Overview: Models 515, 525 and More
(http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/redp5052.html)This IBM Redpaper provides a product overview of the System i 9407-515 and 9406-525.
- IBM Systems Hardware Information Center
Parent topic:
Working with software agreements and licenses