IBM License Metric Tool vs Open iT LicenseAnalyzer

IBM License Metric Tool inventories IBM software measured by processor core and measures required licenses in full-capacity and virtualization sub-capacity environments. IBM recommends it for full-capacity licensing and requires it for sub-capacity licensing. It scans infrastructure for installed IBM software and version details that can support version management and security patching. For sub-capacity use, it produces audit reports, tracks license utilization thresholds, and sends email notifications when thresholds approach or exceed their limits. Installation options are License Metric Tool Lite, License Metric Tool with Ansible, and License Metric Tool with BigFix. It integrates with BigFix and provides a REST API for external systems, which must retrieve data through the API rather than directly from the database. The tool is free, with a listed price of free; customers supply hardware and installation services. Linux installations require DB2, included at no charge for use only with the tool. Windows installations require a customer-provided MS SQL Server instance; MS SQL Server Express is supported for environments under 500 endpoints. Sub-capacity audit snapshots must be generated quarterly and kept for at least two years.

Open iT LicenseAnalyzer measures and analyzes software use to help organizations understand license consumption and manage usage. It tracks users, timing, duration, and concurrency, with reports drillable by application, feature, user, host, department, or session. Its three functionality levels are Runtime Usage, True Active Usage, and Managed Usage. Runtime Usage includes real-time and historical reporting, project-level application metering, and web application metering. True Active Usage uses CPU, I/O, keyboard, and mouse activity to assess whether software is actively used. Managed Usage adds automated license harvesting, controls to suspend and resume sessions, user priorities, and scheduling. The product supports over 100 license managers and measures usage across more than 6,000 license manager enabled, standalone, and SaaS applications. It offers on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment options, and can simulate several licensing models without infrastructure changes. Pricing is on request, and a trial link is offered; the Fast-Track Cloud Trial evaluates Level 1 using FlexNet data and is limited to FlexNet license servers.