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Guide to identifying your Processor Technology

This guide is intended to help you identify the major Processor Technologies and their corresponding Processor Value Units (PVUs) per processor core. It helps clarify market inconsistencies across the major server brands when defining a "processor" or "N-Way".

Review the definitions and processor identification steps below and use the links to the right to view a list of Processor Technologies by Server Brand.

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Definitions

IBM™ Software Group defines a processor as a core

  • IBM licenses Processor Value Units per processor core
  • Hardware vendors differ when defining the terms Processor and N-Way.

Definitions Table

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Processor Technology identification steps

Depending on the level of information known, there are two alternate ways to identify the number of PVUs per Core:

  1. Method 1: Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and if applicable, Processor Model Number are known. [For example: IBM® POWER5™ Dual-core: 100 PVUs per core.] Use the Processor Value Units per Core Table.
  2. Method 2: Processor Vendor, Brand, Type and if applicable, Processor Model Number are not known. However, server information is known.

For example

IBM® System x 3500: Intel® Xeon® Quad-Core with Processor Model Number in the range 5000 to 5499 at 50 PVUs per Core

Excerpt from System x (xSeries)
Server Processor Information
Model Number Processor Vendor / Brand Processor Type Processor Model Number * PVUs per Core**
230R AMD Opteron DC/QC All existing 50
3105 AMD Opteron/Athlon SC/DC All Existing 100/50
3200 Intel Xeon DC/QC 3000 to 3499 50
3200 M2 Intel Xeon DC/QC 3000 to 3499 50
3250 Intel Pentium/ Xeon SC/DC All Existing 100/50
3250 M2 Intel Xeon DC/QC 3000 to 3499 50
3350 Intel Xeon DC/QC 3000 to 3499 50
3400 Intel Xeon DC/QC 5000 to 5499 50
3400 M2 Intel Xeon DC/QC 5500 to 5599 70
3450 Intel Xeon DC/QC 5000 to 5499 50
3455 AMD Opteron DC/QC All Existing 50
3500 Intel Xeon DC/QC 5000 to 5499 50
3500 M2 Intel Xeon DC/QC 5500 to 5599 70
SC: Single-Core, DC: Dual-Core, QC: Quad-Core, HC: Hexa-Core, OC: Octi-Core
*Numbers may be preceded by letters: for example: X5570, refers to 5570 and is part of the 5500 to 5599 series.
**The PVU per core requirements for Intel based servers in the above table are based on the processor model numbers, and are provided for your convenience. Errors or omissions in the table are unintentional. Customers remain responsible to be in compliance with the required level of authorized use for each program.

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PVU tables: by Server Brand and Type

Essentials