IBM i License topics

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IBM i Processor and User Transfer Guide (386 KB)

IBM i Transformation FAQ (263 KB) - Updated March 25, 2024

October 10, 2023:  IBM continues to simplify the IBM i portfolio.

IBM i Portfolio Simplification (140 KB) - Updated February 29, 2024

FAQ for IBM i in EP 2.0 (32 KB)

Side-by-side Software Migration Policy for IBM Power Software (240 KB)

October 10, 2023:  IBM withdraws IBM Db2 Web Query for i from marketing.

IBM Db2 Web Query for i Frequently Asked Questions (140 KB) - Updated November 30, 2023

IBM offers a set of containerized applications that will act as a set of guides, or patterns, to help IBM i software developers more easily take on the task of moving into a DevOps, modular, services-oriented world. The IBM i Merlin tools will make it easier for clients to use a combination of on-premises IT infrastructure and one or more clouds.

IBM i Merlin Overview

IBM i Merlin Frequently Asked Questions (178 KB) - August 2, 2022

IBM offers you the ability to acquire a virtual serial number and assign it to a logical partition, also known as a virtual machine (VM). IBM i software can then be ordered on or transferred to the virtual serial number rather than a IBM Power machine serial number.

Virtual Serial Number with IBM i (760 KB) - March 2024

• Service Extension for IBM i 7.3, 7.2 and 7.1 - November 2023
• IBM i 7.1 on selected Power Systems S922 and E980 servers - December 2021
• IBM i Group SWMA Products
• Licensed Program Products (LPPs) for i with separate SWMA
• IBM i Support Roadmap  includes roadmap, service extension dates, and FAQs regarding IBM i SWMA and service extensions.
• IBM i Release Lifecycle
• IBM Software Support Lifecycle Policy
• Java and IBM i
• 5250 Enterprise Enablement (5250 EE) 60-day Activation

• Download the form Request for designation of primary and backup machine pairing . (Request temporary keys for a backup machine)

• Hot, Warm, Cold Backup Solutions and Policy for Disaster Recovery Testing - February 2018

• PowerHA SystemMirror for i 7.5 Upgrade Information - January 2023

• Capacity Backup (CBU) offerings

  • IBM Capacity Backup for Power Systems  has details regarding CBU for i and CBU for Enterprise Systems.

  • Refer to CBU for i with PowerHA  for the latest information on environments with CBU for i and PowerHA for i. 

• For MSP licensing options in HA/DR environments, refer to IBM i MSP Licensing Options . The document refers to the following offerings:

  • IBM Capacity Backup for Power Systems  has details regarding CBU for i.   Refer to the CBU license agreement for the latest terms and conditions for CBU, including Virtual CBU.

  • VM Recovery Manager DR (VMR DR)  is a disaster recovery solution based on virtual machine restart technology. 

•   IBM i products which are available via IBM i Temporary Licensing (5733-ITL)
•   IBM Advanced Function Printing (AFP) Utilities for i (5770-AF1) Adjusted Plan
•   What happened to Application Runtime Expert (5733-ARE), Facsimile Support for i (5798-FAX), and other Program Products for i?
•   Map Systems and IBM i Version/Releases
•   Java and IBM i
•   IBM i Self-Serve Interim Keys
•   IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) and IBM i
• 5250 Enterprise Enablement 60-day Activation

This Web site provides access to and management support for Power software entitlements and software keys. IBM i and AIX customers will also find Web initiated release upgrades, electronic software download, software maintenance inventory information, and more.

Entitled Systems Support (ESS)

Note: Refer to IBM i Self-Serve Interim Keys for details on one method to acquire emergency temporary keys for qualifying situations.

For more information on ESS, go to the Entitled Systems Support (ESS) Documentation. These documents provide a detailed overview of ESS web site functionality.