Configuring Red Hat Licenses in FlexNet Manager December 8, 2017

Contents

Red Hat Processor Licenses	3

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server License – Processor Not Limited	3

License Configuration (via Microsoft Server Processor)	3

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server License – Processor Limited	4

License Configuration (via Device (Processor-Limited))	5

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters License	6

License Configuration (via Processor Points)	6

Red Hat Processor Licenses

Red Hat licenses sold via processors can be configured three ways in FlexNet Manager depending on their licensing use rights. Below are some Red Hat Processor licensing scenarios and how they should be configured to get an accurate consumption. For additional information on Processor license types available in FlexNet Manager, please refer to the Online help.

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server License – Processor Not Limited

A Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server license can be consumed on either physical server sockets (two Sockets (CPUs) per license) OR two virtual machines (VMs) per host. If additional processors or VMs need to be licensed these licenses can be stacked.

Please note: Years ago, Red Hat licensed this software on a processor limited capacity. If the license was for two sockets, then the application was not able to be installed on a server with more than two sockets. The customer would have to purchase a different license that matched the number of sockets needed for that particular machine. This older license metric is modeled in FlexNet Manager Suite by using the Device (Processor-Limited) license type.

Currently, the only license type in FlexNet Manager Suite that can consume depending on how the application has been deployed (either by number of processors or number of VMs) is the Microsoft Server Processor license type. Customers without the MS PURL will not be able to configure this license. See notes under Processor Points section below.

Sample SKU: RH00004S Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server - standard subscription (support) (approx. $2300) - 2 sockets - 1 physical server or 2 virtual nodes (aka 2 VMs)

Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (Physical or Virtual Node), which can be counted as virtual instances or socket pairs. These subscriptions can be deployed to physical machines, as virtual machines, and in the cloud, and shifted as business needs change. These subscriptions are stackable, meaning that multiple subscriptions can be purchased to cover various configurations of physical/virtual machines with Standard or Premium Support.

License Configuration (via Microsoft Server Processor)

Setting the ‘processor limits’ to consume one license for every 2 processors with a minimum processor of 1 (see screen shot) will allow one license to be consumed for every two processors.

Checking the option “One license covers multiple VMs per Host“ under ‘Rights on Virtual Machines and hosts” (on the ‘Use Rights & Rules’ tab) (see screen shot) will allow one two socket license to consume two VMs for each license.

The license shown above only allows 2 VMs per license. However, if you are configuring a license that allows an unlimited number of VMs, please select the “Always use full capacity license calculations” button.

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server License – Processor Limited

A Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server license can be consumed on either physical server sockets (two Sockets (CPUs) per license) OR two VMs per host HOWEVER these licenses are limited to the number of sockets purchased with the license. If the license is only for a two socket server, then it can only be installed on a two socket server. If the device has more than two sockets, a different license will be required. For example, if the machine has four sockets, you must purchase a license that is actually for a four socket machine. Licenses cannot be stacked with this type of license. The Device (Processor-Limited) license type should be used and configured for this scenario. (If the license can be stacked, you should use the Processor Points license type.)

Note: Years ago, Red Hat licensed this software on a processor limited basis, as noted above. Therefore, these processor limited licenses may still exist in the market.

License Configuration (via Device (Processor-Limited))

Setting the ‘processor limits’ to 2 on the ‘Identification’ tab will only allow that license to consume on a device with only 2 processors. If the device has any more than 2, the license will not be consumed and the install will show as unlicensed.

Checking the option “One license covers multiple VMs per Host“ under ‘Rights on Virtual Machines and hosts” (on the ‘Use Rights & Rules’ tab) (see first screen shot) will allow one two socket license to consume two VMs for each license.

If the license allows an unlimited number of VMs (such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenter), then check the option “Always use full capacity license calculations”. This will allow the license to consume an unlimited number of VMs.

Configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters License

A Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters license consumption is based on two physical server sockets (or CPUs). If additional processors need to be licensed, these licenses can be stacked. Once the server is licensed, an unlimited number of VMs can exist. However, this license is only to be used on VMs and not in the physical environment. This license metric can be configured in FlexNet Manager by using the Processor Points license type.

Note: Currently, FlexNet Manager is unable to provide an alert if this license is installed on a physical machine rather than a VM.

Sample SKU: RH00002S Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters - standard subscription (support) (approx. $7200) - 2 Sockets - Unlimited VMs, No Physical Nodes Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Virtual Datacenters is meant for a completely virtualized environment on supported hypervisors, and is deployed on systems that are sized by the socket pair. Each socket pair subscription comes with an unlimited number of guests that can be run on Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, VMware, or Microsoft HyperV. These subscriptions are also stackable and can be purchased with Standard or Premium Support.

License Configuration (via Processor Points)

Setting the processor point to 0.5 will allow one license to be consumed for every two processors.

Checking the option “Always use full capacity license calculations“ under ‘Rights on Virtual Machines and hosts” (on the ‘Use Rights & Rules’ tab) (see screen shot) will allow one two socket license to consume an unlimited number of VMs.

Note: If the number of VMs allowed is something other than ‘unlimited’, you should use the Microsoft Server Processor license type (see above). Currently, the Processor Points license will not consume the correct number licenses per VMs.

About Flexera

Flexera is reimagining the way software is bought, sold, managed and secured. We view the software industry as a supply chain, and make the business of buying and selling software more transparent, secure, and effective. Our Monetization and Security solutions help software sellers transform their business models, grow recurring revenues and minimize open source risk. Our Vulnerability and Software Asset Management (SAM) solutions strip waste and unpredictability out of buying applications, helping companies purchase only the software and cloud services they need, manage what they have, and reduce license compliance and security risk. In business for 30+ years, our 1000+ employees are passionate about helping our 80,000+ customers generate millions in ROI every year. Visit us at: www.flexera.com

Flexera 300 Park Blvd., Suite 500 Itasca, IL 60143 USA Itasca (Global Headquarters): +1 800-374-4353 United Kingdom (Europe, Middle East Headquarters) +44 370-871-1111 +44 870-873-6300 Japan (Asia, Pacific Headquarters) +81 3-4360-8291 Australia +61 3 9895 2000 www.flexera.com ©2017 Flexera. All rights reserved.
All other brand and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective owners. ©2017 Flexera All rights reserved. All other brand and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective owners.