Re: What does just one core activated mean? Was: Cost Justifications

[DrFranken <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To build on Rob's response:

It's something you will get used to over time. The processor chips for 
POWER7 have eight complete CPUs in them, referred to as 'Cores'.  
Depending on testing after manufacturing somewhere from four to all 
eight of them are classified as available. You make a choice when you 
buy the machine by purchasing a '4-core' a '6-core' or an '8-core'. In 
the larger machines (730/740 and up) you may also purchase additional 
processor chips which then adds even more cores, up to 256 cores in the 795.

Those cores then can be activated (made available for use) or simply 
idled. Once you pay for the activation you then select and pay for an 
operating system, or systems to run on the cores you've activated. So 
you could have four cores activated with ONE license of IBM i, one of 
AIX and two Linux (just an example).  In this scenario you would put one 
processor (core in this case) in a pool for IBM i and you could then 
partition that into up to 10 IBM i partitions. You would have just that 
one Core available for IBM i.

    Hope that helps!

    Larry - DrFranken- Bolhuis

On 3/9/2011 8:35 AM, rob@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Nathan,
> You buy the hardware.  It comes with a set amount of processors already
> built into it.  Now, if you want to USE some of the processors you have to
> get a license for them.  It's a way for IBM to lower manufacturing costs
> and CE costs by just putting the hardware into the machine, while allowing
> them to be cost competitive on the lower end and make pure profit on the
> higher end.  It also allows you to get a processor upgrade without
> experiencing any downtime.
>
> See WRKLICINF.  Look for one with a License Term of just V7, not V7R1M0
> (notice the pattern if you are falling behind).  This one spans
> partitions.  I could have 8 processors, and license 7 of them for IBM i
> and reserve one for Linux.
>
> Product ID  . . . . . . . . :   5770SS1
> License term  . . . . . . . :   V7
> Feature . . . . . . . . . . :   5051
> Description . . . . . . . . :   IBM i
>
> Compliance type . . . . . . :   *KEYED
> Usage type  . . . . . . . . :   *PROCESSOR
>
> Usage limit . . . . . . . . :   7
> Last update . . . . . . . . :   04/28/10  16:22:10
>
> Threshold . . . . . . . . . :   6
>
> Usage Count Information:
>    All partitions  . . . . . :   7.00
>    Local partition . . . . . :   3.00
>
> So
>
>
> Rob Berendt