EP 2.0: Core Usage

You can view and analyze the current and historical core usage for a pool, and for the systems and partitions in the pool.

Core usage is tracked and charged by the minute.  It is based on the average core usage, not the peak core usage, for the minute.  For shared processor partitions and dedicated processor partitions in donating mode, core usage is tracked based on the actual core consumption of the partitions.  For dedicated processor partitions not in donating mode, the core usage is tracked based on 100% utilization of the entitled cores assigned to the active partitions.

Core usage is tracked and charged by operating system (O/S) type. Processor activations and software license entitlements are monitored and metered independently. The following are the types of core-related base resources and core-related charges supported:

• Any O/S hardware core
• Linux / VIOS hardware core
• AIX® software
• IBM i – P10 software
• IBM i – P20 software
• IBM i – P30 software
• Eligible SUSE Linux® Enterprise Server (SLES) software
• Eligible Red Hat Enterprise Linux® Server (RHEL) software
• Eligible Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) software
• PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX Standard Edition
• PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX Enterprise Edition
• PowerHA SystemMirror for IBM i

Hardware core usage and software usage is tracked and charged independently. System firmware core usage is not tracked.

Any O/S hardware cores can be used by partitions that are running on any operating system, but AIX and IBM i partitions get priority. Linux/VIOS hardware cores can be used by partitions running Linux or VIOS only. Any Linux or VIOS usage that exceeds the base Linux/VIOS hardware cores that are purchased for the pool are charged at the Linux/VIOS hardware core rate, assuming there are no available base any O/S hardware cores not in use by AIX or IBM i partitions. IBM i software usage that exceeds the base for the corresponding IBM i software tier can use the base of a higher software tier if that base is not in use by IBM i partitions with that software tier. 

There are no software charges for  VIOS partitions. There are software charges for partitions running SLES, RHEL, and RHEL CoreOS in pools with selected SLES, RHEL, and RHEL CoreOS subscription offerings that are supported as base and metered capacity resources.

There are no software charges for other Linux partitions, and there are no software charges for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform control node partitions tagged with the reserved tag Control Plane Node.

There are software charges for partitions running PowerHA SystemMirror if they are tagged with one of the reserved tags PowerHA Standard, PowerHA Enterprise, or PowerHA IBM i. The unused base PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX Enterprise Edition licenses can be used to offset PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX Standard Edition usage. The unused base PowerHA SystemMirror for IBM i medium tier licenses can be used to offset PowerHA SystemMirror for IBM i small tier usage. Note that PowerHA SystemMirror core usage is not measured independently from the core usage of the tagged partitions and is therefore equal to the core usage of the tagged partitions for pool tracking purposes.

You can set a filter to determine which partitions in the pool are displayed.  The filter also affects the pool usage and system usage that are displayed.  You can filter by the following operating system (OS) types:

• AIX
• IBM i – P10
• IBM i – P20
• IBM i – P30
• RHEL
• RHEL CoreOS
• SLES
• Other Linux
• VIOS

The filter shows only those operating systems that have ever been present in the pool.

The graph on the Core Usage page shows the core usage for the pool. Select the appropriate option from the Graph Data Type list to view the following data:

• The total core usage for the pool in either average core usage or in core minutes.
  This graph type is displayed by default.
  The Total core usage by operating system type is shown. If there are any partitions in the pool that are tagged with one of the PowerHA reserved tags, the Licensed Programs tab is displayed, and it shows total core usage by the PowerHA SystemMirror type. To see the partitions that are contributing to the PowerHA SystemMirror usage, use the Search bar above the partition table to filter the data in the partition table by the PowerHA tags.
• The total metered core usage for the pool by metered resource type in either core minutes or in credits.
  The total metered core usage is broken down into hardware, software, and licensed programs. Click the Hardware tab to see the breakdown by hardware metered resource type. Click the Software tab to see the breakdown by O/S software metered resource type. Click the Licensed Programs tab to see the breakdown by PowerHA SystemMirror metered resource type. The Licensed Programs tab is displayed only if there is at least one partition in the pool tagged with one of the PowerHA reserved tags.
• The peak core usage for the pool in cores. A line graph of the peak usage by OS type and total hardware cores is shown. A legend to the right of the graph lists all the OS types and the total hardware cores that are included in the graph. By default, all OS types are included. To exclude an OS type or the total hardware cores from the graph, clear the checkbox from the legend. Alternatively, you can select an operating system using the O/S TYPE filter. If you use the O/S TYPE filter, the graph  is automatically updated to show data for only the selected operating system along with the total hardware cores. Upon hovering the mouse on a line graph, peak points are visible. For each peak point, you can see the following details: starting time of peak interval for the hour zoom level or time range for the other zoom levels, peak value, and the time when this peak value occurred. Important: The graph time zoom level in minutes is not available for the Peak Usage Graph Data Type.

By default, the graph zoom level is hours, and each bar in the bar graph and each point in the line graph shows the pool core usage or peak core usage for one hour. You can use Graph Time Zoom to change the graph time zoom level to minutes, hours, days, weeks, or months. Note that days, weeks, and months that are shown in the graph are based on GMT, not local time, but their starting and ending times are shown in local time. For example, a day starts at 12:00 am GMT and ends at 12:00 am GMT the next day, but if your time zone is GMT–5, the starting and ending times shown for a day are 7:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The minute-level core usage data is automatically deleted three months after it was collected. The hour-level core usage data is automatically deleted a year after it was collected.

By default, the selected time range in the bar graph is the current day (midnight to the current hour). You can select a different time range by:

• Selecting a time range directly from the calendar. You can select a single day by double-clicking the day in the calendar or select a range of days by clicking the starting day and ending day in the calendar.
• Selecting a time range in the list that is to the right of the calendar.
• Double-clicking a bar or point in the graph to select the time range represented by that single bar or point.
• Clicking the graph and dragging the selection box to include the bars in the desired time range.

The core usage totals displayed just above the graph are for the selected time range.

Below the graph is a table that contains all the partitions in the pool. You can select Systems just below the graph to view a table that contains all the systems in the pool. By default, the data in the tables reflect the data for the current day (midnight to the current hour). When you select a different time range, you must click Update Table Data just above the graph to update the data in the tables for the selected time range.

The current core usage that is shown in the tables is approximately 3 minutes before the time the Core Usage page was loaded.

In the partition table, the Partition Name, ID, O/S Type, Current Core Usage,  System Name, MTMS, and HMCs columns all show the current information for the partition. For IBM i partitions, the O/S Type column includes the IBM i software tier. For IBM i partitions without VSNs, the server IBM i software tier is shown. For IBM i partitions with VSNs in a supported EP 2.0 configuration, the VSN IBM i software tier and the server IBM i software tier matches, and that tier is displayed in the O/S Type column. In an unsupported EP 2.0 configuration when the tiers do not match, the tier that is displayed in the O/S Type column is the tier that is used to track the partition’s core usage in the pool. This tier is the higher of the VSN IBM i software tier and the server IBM i software tier.
Starting with CMC v1.20.0, IBM i software capacity usage is metered by IBM i software tier: P10, P20, or P30. IBM i software capacity usage collected prior to the deployment of CMC v1.20.0 is displayed with the tier that is the highest IBM i software tier of any server currently in the pool.

The Average Core Usage, Total Core Minutes, Core Usage at Peak, and Peak Core Usage (Time) columns show the values for the selected time range. The average core usage includes the time that the partition was not activated, and its core usage was zero.  The Peak Core Usage column shows the peak core usage value and the time the peak occurred. If the peak occurred at multiple times for the selected time range, + more is shown next to the value. To see all the peak times, click + more.  The Core Usage at Peak column shows the core usage at the time the peak selected in the graph occurred.

Important: The Core Usage at Peak column is seen only for the Peak Usage graph data type.

The Entitled Cores and Virtual Processors columns show the minimum and maximum value of each of those resources over the selected time range. If the minimum and maximum values are the same, a single value is shown. The minimum and maximum values do not consider the configured values when a partition was shut down. If the value the average core usage percentage is based on is a range, the average core usage percentage is shown as “--”. The core usage percentages display core usage as a percentage of either entitled cores or virtual processors. This selection can be configured on the Settings page for the pool.

For dedicated processor partitions, “Dedicated” is shown in the Virtual Processors column.  The current core usage and average core usage percentages are always calculated based on entitled cores, regardless of the selection configured on the Settings page for the pool. 

In the system table, the System Name, HMCs, Installed Cores, and Current Core Usage columns all show the current information for the system. The Average Core Usage and Total Core Minutes columns show the values for the selected time range. The core usage percentages display core usage as a percentage of installed cores.

You can click the () icon next to some columns in the tables to change the contents of the columns.

If a current core usage or average core usage value that is shown in the tables is displayed in a red box, the value exceeded a configured threshold. An average core usage value is considered to exceed a threshold if the average core usage percentage exceeds the threshold percentage (consecutive minutes are not considered). To configure system and partition thresholds, visit the Settings page for the pool.

Note: The core usage values that are shown on this page are all rounded for display purposes. Totals shown in the pool graph legends, totals shown in the totals box just above the systems and partitions tables, and totals shown for system core usage values are all calculated by using unrounded values, and then rounded for display purposes. Therefore, there might be a slight discrepancy in the total values you calculate using the rounded core usage values shown in the tables and the total values shown.

Add a Tag: You can also group systems and partitions by assigning them to tag groups.  Select the checkbox for the systems and partitions for which you want to assign to a tag and click Add a Tag.   Note that the Add a Tag control is grayed out until you select at least one checkbox.

• To select an existing tag, select the tag from the list of tags that is displayed, and click Apply.
• To create a new tag, enter the tag name and click Create New Tag.
• To manage tags or view all resources that are assigned to a tag, click Manage Tags.
• When a tag is applied, the tag icon column indicates the number of tags that are associated with the system or partition. Click the tag icon associated with the system or partition to display the tags, and optionally remove them.
• You can tag a Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform control node partition with the reserved tag Control Plane Node, which stops software metering for the partition. The Control Plane Node tag is available only for RHEL CoreOS partitions and can be added or removed only in the Enterprise Pools 2.0 app.
• You can tag an AIX partition running PowerHA SystemMirror with the relevant reserved tag PowerHA Standard or PowerHA Enterprise to enable the partition to use the corresponding base PowerHA SystemMirror for AIX software licenses in the pool and to be metered for usage above base for the pool. The PowerHA Standard and PowerHA Enterprise tags are available only for AIX partitions and can be added or removed only in the Enterprise Pools 2.0 app.
• You can tag an IBM i partition running PowerHA SystemMirror with the reserved tag PowerHA IBM i to enable the partition to use the base PowerHA SystemMirror for IBM i software licenses in the pool and to be metered for usage above base for the pool. The PowerHA IBM i tag is available only for IBM i partitions and can be added or removed only in the Enterprise Pools 2.0 app.

To export the pool, system, and partition core usage for the selected time range to a file in .csv format, click Export CSV.

To export up to 24 hours of minute-level core usage data for the pool, click Export Granular Data. To enable this button, you must select Minutes in the Graph Time Zoom. You can export data by using one of the two options that are available in the Export Granular Data pop-up window:

• Quick Selection – Click the button for the number of hours prior to the current time for which you want to export the minute-level data. For example, to export data for the prior 24 hours, click Last 24 hours.
• Advanced Selection – Select the starting date and time and the number of hours for which you want to export the minute-level data. For example, if you select the date as 1 October, the time as 08:00 a.m., and 12 hours, the data from 01 October 08:00 a.m. to 01 October 08:00 p.m. will be exported. 

After selecting which minute-level data you want to export, click Export CSV. The data is exported and downloaded as a .zip file that contains multiple .csv files. To export minute-level data for other dates or times, click Export More Data, and specify a different date or time.