Software licencing jargon used by the different software vendors makes up some of the most complex and potentially confusing terminology to have emerged from the technology industry. As one of the biggest vendors of all, IBM creates more than its fair share of confusion amongst enterprises and has developed some of the most complex software licencing metrics and compliance requirements.

It is essential to be on top of IBM’s licencing jargon because its software is so prevalent in the data centre (and everywhere else). So what are the key terms and acronyms that anyone charged with managing IBM software needs to know about?

1. PVU – Processor Value Unit

This metric underpins IBM’s licencing methodology and gives a ‘weight’ to the underlying processor technology where IBM software is installed. PVU values are published in IBM’s PVU table and range from 30 to 120 PVUs per Core, which then need to be multiplied with the number of Processor Cores available to the application being licenced. Essentially the more powerful the processor technology in use, the higher the licencing costs become.

SOURCE: techradar.com