Hi Richard:
For the heck of it I asked Chat for an answer on your question:
on ibm i a friend has this question: Does anyone have knowledge on whether licensing for 5770-WDS can be added to a used Power 8 or Power 9 machine purchased that runs V7R3 or V7R4 ?I just read IBM is on the cusp of no longer selling licenses for V7R4 so V7R3 ay already be out of the question.If that’s the case then there’s no reason to purchase a used machine at all.
Your friend is asking a very real and timely question, and the answer is unfortunately leaning in the direction they’re worried about. Here’s the straight, practical breakdown.
🧠 1. Can you add 5770-WDS licenses to a used Power8/Power9?
✅ Technically: Yes — but only if you can still buy or already own entitlements
- 5770-WDS (Rational Development Studio for i) is a separately licensed LPP tied to users
- Licenses are not tied to the hardware itself, but to:
- your IBM customer number
- entitlement records
- and require valid keys
👉 So on a used machine:
- You can install and use it
- BUT only if you:
- already own licenses, OR
- can still purchase them
🚨 2. The big problem: availability (this is the real issue)
❗ 5770-WDS is being withdrawn from market
- IBM has officially stated:
- Withdrawn from marketing July 25, 2025
👉 Translation:
- After that date, you cannot buy new licenses
⚠️ 3. What about V7R3 / V7R4 specifically?
V7R4 situation:
- Still usable
- But:
- IBM is phasing out perpetual licensing
- moving to subscription model
👉 Meaning:
- Even before OS withdrawal, software licensing availability is shrinking
V7R3 situation:
- Already effectively:
- out of standard lifecycle
- very limited (or no) new licensing options
👉 Your friend is correct:
“V7R3 may already be out of the question”
🔁 4. IBM’s bigger shift (this is what’s driving all this)
IBM is moving away from:
- perpetual licenses (buy once)
Toward:
- subscription-based licensing
Examples:
- RDS (5770-WDS) now available as subscription term
- Newer systems (Power10/11):
- subscription only in many cases
💡 5. What this means for used Power8 / Power9 purchases
Scenario A — You already own licenses
✔️ You can:
- transfer entitlements
- generate new keys
- run on used hardware
👉 This is still viable.
Scenario B — You need to buy licenses
⚠️ This is where it breaks down:
- 5770-WDS:
- no longer orderable (post-2025)
- V7R3/V7R4 ecosystem:
- shrinking availability
- IBM direction:
- pushing toward subscription bundles instead
👉 So:
Buying a used machine and expecting to license it fresh is becoming impractical.
🧾 6. Is your friend’s conclusion correct?
👉 “If that’s the case then there’s no reason to purchase a used machine at all.”
That’s a bit too absolute—but directionally correct.
More precise answer:
- ❌ Not viable if:
- you need new perpetual licenses
- ✔️ Still viable if:
- you already own licenses
- or buy a system that includes transferable entitlements
🧭 7. Practical advice (what I’d tell them)
Option 1 — safest
- Buy used Power8/9 WITH licenses included
- Verify:
- entitlement transfer eligibility
- SWMA status
Option 2 — modern path
- Move to:
- IBM i subscription model
- newer hardware (Power9/10+)
Option 3 — hybrid
- Keep existing licensed system
- Use it as:
- dev/compile box (for WDS)
- migrate runtime elsewhere
👍 Bottom line
- ✔️ You can run 5770-WDS on used Power8/9
- ❌ You likely cannot buy new licenses anymore
- ⚠️ IBM is actively phasing out perpetual licensing
-
💡 The key factor is:
Do you already own transferable entitlements?
Looks like cloud where the provider keeps current might be a stronger consideration. I don't know that I like this direction from IBM and wonder what impact it will have overall.
Regards,Laura
Laura A. UbelhorPresidentConsultech Services, Inc.www.consultechservicesinc.com
phone 248-701-7410
On Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 12:53:06 PM EDT, Richard Schoen <richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hey All,
Does anyone have knowledge on whether licensing for 5770-WDS can be added to a used Power 8 or Power 9 machine purchased that runs V7R3 or V7R4 ?
I just read IBM is on the cusp of no longer selling licenses for V7R4 so V7R3 ay already be out of the question.
If that’s the case then there’s no reason to purchase a used machine at all.
Regards,
Richard Schoen
Web:
http://www.richardschoen.net
Email: richard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
midrange.com
