Context

Tool mentors explain how a tool can perform tasks, which are part of ITUP processes and activities. The tasks are listed as Related Elements in the Relationships section.

You can see the details of how processes and activities are supported by this tool mentor, by clicking the links next to the icons:

•   Compliance Management
  •   Audit and Report Compliance

Details

IBM® Tivoli® License Compliance Manager automates the manual process of software inventory collection, usage data collection, and entitlement management. Refer to the tool mentor How to Implement Compliance Controls Using IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager for specific information on data collection. As soon as this data is collected, IBM Tivoli License Manager provides a variety of ways to monitor and analyze the compliance of software licenses in the environment.

IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager Reports

IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager provides a built-in reporting capability. Users access Tivoli License Compliance Manager reports through a simple Web-based graphical user interface. They can view both near-real-time and historical software-use data. Reports can be organized by person, machine, or corporate division. Additionally, you can chart software use by application, allowing you to understand the true software-use patterns of your enterprise and avoid over- or under-purchasing software packages. Furthermore, you can use the software features to export Tivoli License Compliance Manager reports in XML format. Exporting your reports facilitates external analysis, enables you to synchronize data with other sources, and helps you avoid duplication of data. The following is an example of a Software Usage Trend report.

Figure 1

Tivoli Data Warehouse Reports

In addition to the built-in reports, IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager enables you to take snapshots of the Tivoli License Compliance Manager database and store this information in the Tivoli Data Warehouse. These snapshots capture data, such as operating system and installed software, on systems that have the IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager installed. Historical reports on installed software, usage of software, and IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager agents installed are available. These reports can be sorted by any combination of organization, group, operating system, and product name. The following reports are available:

Inventory

• IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager Agents
• Software Inventory

Usage

• Software Usage
• Software Usage for a Group
• Software Usage for an Organization
• License Usage
• Usage of Software License with Users Capacity Type
• Usage of Software License with Memory Capacity Type
• Usage of Software License with Processors Capacity Type
• Usage of Software License with Disks Capacity Type

Event Management Component

Another useful feature of Tivoli License Compliance Manager to help monitor and analyze software compliance is the event management component. The event management component can identify events that require the attention of the system administrator and forward them to an external e-mail system. Events are generated on the administration server and on each runtime server. These events include those regarding the state of the licenses. For example, an event is generated if the number of licenses in-use has reached the specified threshold or if the full entitlement is used.

The event management component is also able to determine that an agent is either down or has been uninstalled and can generate and forward an e-mail to alert the person responsible. You can specify which administrators are to receive notifications.

For additional information, refer to the IBM Tivoli License Compliance Manager Administration Guide Version 2.1 located on the IBM Web site in the Tivoli Information Center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/tividd/td/tdprodlist.html

For More Information

For more information about this tool, click on the link for this tool at the top of this page.