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BVQ is the base product with all its functionalities and the infrastructure layers Compute & HCI, Network and Storage.

The Base product offers editions that describe the range of functions.

Select the platforms you need to fill in the infrastructure layer.
The smallest possible installation only uses one platform.
Infrastructure end-to-end monitoring functions are available from two platforms in different layers.

BVQ Entry edition

Cost-effective entry for customers who want to professionally monitor their systems with tailored dashboards and historical time frames. BVQ Systems health map offers automated IT health status to identify critical situations. The traffic light visualization alerts and help with analysis steps. Reports can be scheduled. 
This edition is pre-configured and can be easily installed and adjusted to a small extent on basic requirements. An essential strength of the Enterprise Edition: It can be connected to Incident Management Systems, Reporting Tools, CMDBS and Dashboard Solutions of the Customer and serves this as a central data and message source.
The Entry Edition additionally enables the integration of the customer environment to the SVA Operational Services, which ensure seamless and uninterrupted monitoring of the customer environment, as well as a quick troubleshooting on all detected incidents.

Monitoring and Reporting:

HTML Monitoring and Reporting with end-to-end coverage when more than one platform is installed.
Use the dashboards and reports contained in the scope of the edition.

  • Custom dashboards can be created
  • Reports can be scheduled

Alerting and Systems health map

More that 300 system alerts are ready for use. The results of these system alerts can be displayed in great detail in the

BVQ

System Health map. System health map offers automated guided ration to analyze the reason for the alerts.

SVA operational service

BVQ can be directly connected to SVA operation services for several automation purposes.

BVQ components of the Entry Edition

  • BVQ Server 
  • BVQ Monitoring web interface with prepared monitoring and analysis dashboards and the ability to create own dashboards.
  • BVQ Reporting with prepared standard reports, custom report creation and report scheduling & notification
  • BVQ Systems Health Map with exclude / include alert results
  • BVQ Alerting with prepared system alert templates & system checks, alert result display

Achieve more with an upgrade to a higher BVQ Edition.

  • You have the following benefits If you decide for an BVQ Enterprise Edition.
    • solve performance issues quickly and onsite
    • no need to send data offsite for analysis services
    • use unrestricted time frames for monitoring and reporting
    • Customize Dashboards, Reports and Alerts to optimally adapt them to your needs.
    • use System Health map without any restriction for example to plan your daily administrative tasks
    • BVQ Alerting with alert notifications
    • BVQ Connect REST interface to connect systems to your ITSM

BVQ Enterprise edition

The BVQ version for customers of all sizes who want to use the full range of BVQ functions and complete customization options. In addition to monitoring, alerting and reporting; the Enterprise Edition is ready for in-depth analysis of issues in the areas of load, performance and capacity growth, performance and cost optimization. Thanks to the integrated Connect Package, it serves as the central data and message source for externally connected ITSM and Business Intelligence systems.
 

The Enterprise Edition is the complete BVQ Edition, which contains all functions and analysispossibilities. The BVQ Expert GUI for analysis, is part of this distribution and can be used at any time. Data is kept for an unlimited period.
Our support as a service can perform in-depth problem analysis or health checks using current and historical data. The analysis can be created either via a database copy, or directly on the system via remote access. Analysis via remote access enables the fastest response to problems in the infrastructure. Remote access must be provided by the customer.
Many adjustments can be carried out by us as a service measure. Please contact us via BVQ@sva.de

Applications available for Enterprise Edition

  • BVQ Server 
  • BVQ Monitoring web interface with prepared monitoring and analysis dashboards and the ability to create customized dashboards.
  • BVQ Reporting with prepared standard reports, custom report creation and report scheduling & notification
  • BVQ Systems Health Map with SHM analytics and customer categories.
  • BVQ Alerting with prepared system alert templates & system checks, advanced custom alert rules, alert result display, alert notification
  • BVQ Connect REST interface

Tabular list of BVQ editions

Can be found on bvq-software.deBVQ

licensing overview

BVQ is licensed as a combination of BVQ editions and capacities entitlements:

Info
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titleBVQ Editions
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titleLicense information
Editions & Packages

Free edition

Entry edition

Enterprise edition

Capacity entitlements

Compute layer (GiB Memory*)

Network layer (Ports)

Storage layer (TiB)

For very large installations, other licensing methods can be used that are mutually beneficial.

* Memory based Compute layer licensing available since BVQ release 2023.H1 (see below)

BVQ editions & packages

BVQ functionality is tailored to the typical needs of different infrastructure sizes and customer demands:
More information about the features of the different BVQ editions can be found here: BVQ Editions

BVQ Enterprise editionFull BVQ functionality: Monitoring, reporting, alerting & analysis
Includes BVQ Connect package
BVQ Entry editionMajor BVQ functionality: Monitoring, reporting, alerting

BVQ capacity entitlements

The size of a BVQ managed environment is measured with capacity entitlements. Each BVQ edition has a specific price for one of the three following entitlement types related to an IT-infrastrucure layer grouping the platforms and their systems supported by BVQ. Entitlements are marketed in packages, that contain a specific count of entitlements.

Layer

Licence Entitlement

Packet size

Compute layer

Memory (RAM) capacity GiB count

128 GiB

Network layerPort count (licensed Ports only)25 Ports
Storage layer

Managed Storage capacity TiB count

Withdrawn: Installed enclosure count
(see below)

10 TiB

Compute layer Memory entitlements

BVQ license is validated against the total count of GiB of installed Memory (RAM) of all Compute layer systems monitored by BVQ. The count is independent from the online state or usage of this capacity.

All Compute layer systems must be completely licensed by Virtual machine entitlements or be completely licensed by Memory entitlements. Partial entitlement intermix is not supported.

(warning) Compute layer licensing based on memory is available since BVQ release 2023.H1 and replaces the Compute layer Virtual machine entitlements (see below).

Compute layer Virtual machine entitlements

BVQ license is validated against the total count of all Virtual machines or Logical partitions (VMs) configured of all systems monitored by BVQ. The count is independent from the online state or function of the VMs. IBM PowerVM VIOS are excluded from the count.

In case a BVQ OS Agent is used on a System that is already monitored via PowerVM HMC or VMware vSphere BVQ Scanners, no additional VM entitlement count is needed.

All Compute layer systems must be completely licensed by Virtual machine entitlements or be completely licensed by Memory entitlements. Partial entitlement intermix is not supported.

(warning) Compute layer licensing based on Virtual machine entitlements is no longer available since BVQ release 2023.H1. A migration path to the new Compute layer Memory entitlements (see above) is available. Please ask your SVA contact for details.

BVQ Compute layer licensing tries to keep the virtualization layer transparent

In a cascaded compute virtualization layer environment, for example Kuberntes containers runnung inside a VMware vSphere hypervisor, the memory capacity is only counted once. Memory discovered in upper compute container nodes provisioned from underlying compute hypervisor systems which are monitored and completely licensed by BVQ is not validated against the BVQ license. Otherwise, memory discovered in upper compute container nodes provisioned from underlying compute hypervisor systems which are not monitored and completely licensed by BVQ is  completly validated against the BVQ license.

With that, you can add your Kubernetes environment without additional charge, if the underlying compute hypervisor system memory is licensed already. This provides the advbantage of a deeper a end-to-end monitoring expertise.

Network layer Port entitlements

BVQ license is validated against the total count of all ports of all switches and directors monitored by BVQ, which are activated by a license of the device vendor. The count is independent from the online state or function of the ports.

Storage layer Capacity entitlements

For the most storage systems the BVQ license is validated against the total count of managed storage pool capacity TiB of all systems monitored by BVQ. The count is independent from the online state or usage of the capacity.

Managed storage pool capacity is based on the amount of total capacity that is provided by the storage system pools that can be assigned to volumes, filesystems or metadata. This capacity is typical less than the gross raw disk capacity and less than the capacity after volume data reduction (compression, de-duplication, thin provisioning, ...).

BVQ Storage layer licensing tries not to take care where data reduction takes place

  • In case of volume data reduction: This  does not affect the total managed capacity of the pools, so it does not affect the BVQ license.
  • In case of pool data reduction: BVQ license is validated against the smaller physical allocatable capacity not the logical capacity.
  • In case of drive level data reduction: BVQ license is validated against the smaller physical allocatable capacity not the logical capacity. This is currently only applicable for some systems. All other systems need to be licensed for the pool capacity as explained above.
    BVQ respects drive level data reduction for the following systems:
    • IBM Storwize family systems
    • IBM FlashSystems
  • In case of thin provisioned MDisks provisioned from BE Systems to the Storage virtualization layer (eg IBM Spectrum virtualize (SVC)), the sum of the physical capacity and the sum of the logical capacity is calculated and only the smallest of both results is counted (since BVQ release 2021.H2).
    The support of thin provisioned MDisks in the virtualization layer. is required for that. IBM supports that feature for a growing number of backend storage subsystems from IBM and other vendors.

BVQ Storage layer licensing tries to keep the virtualization layer transparent

In the storage virtualization layer, the managed storage pool capacity of storage pools provisioned by backend storage subsystems monitored and completely licensed by BVQ is not validated against the BVQ license. Otherwise, managed storage pool capacity of storage pools provisioned by backend storage subsystems not monitored by BVQ is completely validated against the BVQ license.

You can take the following advantages by including supported backend storage subsystems in your BVQ monitoring:

  • This may decrease the amount of licensed BVQ capacity, in case data reduction takes place inside the backed subsystems .
  • e, without additional charge if the backend subsystem capacity is completely provisioned to the virtualization layer.

BVQ Storage layer licensing example calculation (based on TiB)

Backend subsystemVirtualization layerBVQ
BVQ monitored?Drive physical
capacity		Drive logical
capacity		Pool physical capacityPool logical capacityVolume logical capacitypool logical
capacity		Licensed
capacity		Reason why
(tick)100100100100100100100No data reduction at all
(tick)100100100100200200100

Volume level data reduction in BE subsystem is respected by BVQ

(tick)100100100200200200100

Pool level data reduction in BE subsystem is respected by BVQ

(tick)100200100200200200100Drive level data reduction in BE subsystem is respected by BVQ
(tick)N/A (50)
N/A (100)
50100100100100Drive level data reduction in BE subsystem not listed to be respected by BVQ
(error)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A (100)100100No information from BE subsystem: Virtualization layer pool logical capacity counts.
(tick)10010010010010050100Not all capacity of a BE subsystem managed by BVQ is provisioned to the virtualization layer: Total managed BE System capacity counts.
(error)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A (200)100100Not all capacity of the BE subsystem is provisioned to the virtualization layer: Virtualization layer capacity counts.
(error)N/AN/A100N/A200200100Inline inquiry information from BE subsystem via thin provisioned MDisks:
Pool level data reduction in BE subsystem is respected by BVQ
(error)N/AN/A200N/A10050100Inline inquiry information from BE subsystem via thin provisioned MDisks, but
not all physical capacity of the BE Pool is provisioned to the virtualization layer:
Pool level data reduction in BE subsystem is ignored by BVQ.

Storage layer Enclosure entitlements

This way of licensing is withdrawn from market since . Customers with an active BVQ license may still extend their systems with that type of license.

For eligible storage systems, the BVQ license is validated against the total count of all enclosures containing disk drives (controller an expansion enclosures). The count is independent from the online state of the enclosure.

The following storage systems are eligible for BVQ enclosure based licensing: IBM Storwize V5000, V7000, V7000F

  • All Storwize systems' capacity below SVC is not eligible for enclosure based licensing.
  • Standalone Storwize systems not attached to SVC, must be completely licensed by enclosure or be completely licensed by capacity entitlements. Partial entitlement intermix is not supported.
  • A typical scenario is: A customer has some Backend systems below SVC and some other eligible Storwize systems not  connected to the SVC so they are directly provisioning some hosts with storage capacity. Here the customer can license the direct attached systems by BVQ enclosure based licensing and the SVC Capacity by BVQ capacity based licensing.
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General Terms

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& Conditions

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titleGeneral Terms and Conditions

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urlhttps://www.sva.de/de/agb