Virtual Machines Tab

FlexNet Manager Suite 2019 R2 (On-Premises Edition)

The Virtual Machines tab displays on the inventory device properties page for VM host inventory devices. When a VM host inventory record is linked with an asset, the virtual machines hosted on the host are automatically registered with the host asset record. You can configure FlexNet Manager Suite to create separate asset records for each virtual machine (not the default behavior) from the System Settings > Inventory tab. For more information, see System Settings: Inventory Tab. This page provides details of all the virtual machines hosted on this VM host.

For hardware that allows sub-capacity management through partitioning, FlexNet Manager Suite treats the partitions as virtual machines, allowing a single point of management for different virtualization technologies. A physical hardware layer is imported into FlexNet Manager Suite as a VM host and the hardware partitions on the hardware layer are imported as virtual machines. The discovery and inventory process automatically links virtual machines to their host records.

The following inventory device properties (listed alphabetically) are available on this tab.

Table 1. Virtual Machines tab details
Field Description
Asset linked
Displays a link to the properties page for the asset, if any, linked to this virtual machine. The field displays no value when the virtual machine is not linked to an asset record, or when the virtual host is linked to an asset and the asset value for this virtual machine is inherited from the virtual host. Whether or not the asset is inherited from the host is determined by the setting for Link virtual machine to the same asset as VM host in the system menu ( in the top right corner) > System Settings > Inventory tab.
Tip: It is not recommended to link an individual VM to an asset record of its own, as it is not a tangible asset and has no relevance for depreciation or tax recognition in most jurisdictions. If tracking VMs in an asset register is required, common practice is to use the setting where guest VMs inherit the asset link from their host device.

The link between an inventory device and an asset is editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties.

Assigned user

The user assigned to the virtual machine. This assignment overrides the Calculated user.

Editable in the Assigned field in Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Calculated user
The name of the most frequent user of the virtual machine, over the previous 10 inventory collections. This value is calculated as follows:
  • If there is only one primary user linked to the inventory device, this user is recorded
  • If there are multiple primary users linked to the inventory device, the most frequently logged in user is recorded
  • If there is no primary user associated with the inventory device, the last user to logon is recorded.

The value of this field is automatically generated by FlexNet Manager Suite.

Not available when any of the following is true:
  • You are manually creating a new record for an inventory device
  • There is no inventory source (or the inventory source is Manual) reporting this inventory device.
Category

The category of this device. FlexNet Manager Suite enables you to create customized categories to group inventory devices logically. These categories are additional to Inventory device type and Device role categorization. For example, you can create categories to differentiate database servers, network servers, or firewalls. The custom categories have no impact on license consumption.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Clock speed (MHz)

The maximum clock speed (in MHz) of the processor that is assigned to the virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). If the value is gathered from inventory, it cannot be edited; however, it can be overridden.

Compliance status
The compliance status of the virtual machine. It can have any of the following values:
  • ChangedIndicates a change in the compliance status of an inventory device.
  • CompliantThe inventory details reported in the last inventory import match those of previous imports, or any changes to those details have been approved. For details about reviewing or approving changes to assets, see Viewing and Accepting the Changes to a Device Asset
  • NewThe default value for all newly imported devices. This value is not changed until there is a change in the hardware configuration or an asset is linked to this device.
  • Not trackedIndicates that the device is no longer tracked for compliance. This may happen when an inventory import leads to a duplicate device record with some change in its properties..

The value is calculated by FlexNet Manager Suite and can be manually set on the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Connection name

The name of the connection through which FlexNet Manager Suite received the last inventory for this virtual machine.

Not editable.

Core affinity

The processor core or range of processor cores on the host server to which this virtual machine is bound.

Editable in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Cores

The total number of cores assigned to the virtual machine.

Populated and (by default) updated by inventory imports, the number of Cores can be manually overridden in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Corporate unit
The corporate unit responsible for all costs incurred for this virtual machine. This value may be inherited from the virtual host (for example, for a departmental server); or it may be an independent value. This choice is determined by the setting for Update virtual machine cost center and corporate unit to match host properties in the system menu ( in the top right corner) > System Settings > Inventory tab.
Note: In the unlikely case that this virtual machine is linked to an asset, then the value remains independent of the virtual host, regardless of the system setting.

Editable in the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the host server if the value is inherited, or the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine if the value is independent.

Cost center
The cost center responsible for all costs incurred for this inventory device. This value may be inherited from the virtual host (for example, from a departmental server); or it may have an independent value. This choice is determined by the setting for Update virtual machine cost center and corporate unit to match host properties in the system menu ( in the top right corner) > System Settings > Inventory tab.
Note: In the unlikely case that this virtual machine is linked to an asset, then the value remains independent to the virtual host regardless of the system setting.

Editable in the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual host if the value is inherited, or the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine if the value is independent.

CPU affinity

The CPU or a range of CPUs to which this virtual machine is bound.

Editable in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for this virtual machine.

Created
The date when this inventory record was created in FlexNet Manager Suite.
Tip: New inventory device records are created during a full import to the compliance database, as new inventory is identified. Therefore it's quite possible to have a creation date that is later than the inventory date, with the difference being due to scheduling, such as the scheduling of imports from third-party tools, or delays between the upload of FlexNet inventory and the full import and compliance calculations (for example, if your full imports are scheduled weekly, or the like).

FlexNet Manager Suite generates the value of this field.

Creation method
The method used to create the record for this virtual machine. The possible values:
  • Automatic — the inventory device was discovered in incoming inventory
  • Manual — the inventory device was manually created
  • VM Host — the virtual was discovered while taking inventory of a host server.

FlexNet Manager Suite generates the value of this field.

Disk (GB)

The total space of all hard drives assigned to the virtual machine, in Gigabytes.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). The value is overwritten (permanently) by incoming inventory, and thereafter is read-only.

Display adapters

The total number of display adapters or virtual display adapters assigned to the virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). The value is overwritten (permanently) by incoming inventory, and thereafter is read-only.

Domain name

The name of the domain to which the virtual machine belongs. A domain is a collection of computers and user accounts that are grouped to achieve centralized management by the domain controller.

Friendly name

The friendly name of the virtual machine, as displayed in the user interface of the VM management software (such as ESX), and returned in inventory.

Editable in the Friendly name field in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine. The compliance calculation updates this field with the machine name returned in inventory (matched by serial number).

Hard drives

The number of hard drives the computer reported as part of the uploaded inventory for this virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records).

Host

The name of the host server where this VM is a guest.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties of the virtual host.

Host affinity

Indicates whether host affinity is enabled for this virtual machine. Host affinity enables you bind a virtual machine to the current virtual host.

Editable in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Inventory chassis type

Not relevant for a virtual machine.

IP address

The IP address of this virtual machine. For inventory devices with multiple IP addresses (for example, those with multiple network cards), a comma-separated list (up to 256 characters) is shown. IP addresses in the IPv6 address family are not reported in FlexNet inventory for devices running UNIX-like operating systems.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created devices).

Last inventory date

The date when inventory information was last collected for this virtual machine.

The inventory process generates the value of this field.

Last inventory source
If you have multiple overlapping inventory sources that report on the same device, it is possible for some inventory details to come from one source and other details from another source. This column identifies the most recent source of inventory that reported the majority of the hardware properties for this device. If you have declared a primary inventory connection and this device appears in inventory from that primary connection, it is likely that your primary connection is supplying the majority of hardware properties, and so is shown here.
Tip: If your primary source reported the majority of hardware properties some time ago, and since then one or more secondary sources have updated a minority of additional properties, this value still shows the primary source (source of the majority of hardware properties). Tracking the primary source is particularly valuable if you have a variation from IBM allowing you to use FlexNet inventory agent and FlexNet Manager Suite as replacements for IBM tools (such as ILMT) in the calculation and reporting of sub-capacity licensing for IBM PVU licenses. That agreement requires that you can demonstrate that the Last inventory source is FlexNet Manager Suite, and that this source is reporting every 30 minutes.
The values are system-provided, and cannot be modified. Most values are self-explanatory; some less obvious ones include:
  • Data Platform — The inventory was imported from Flexera Normalize (previously BDNA Normalize, part of BDNA Data Platform)
  • ManageSoft — The inventory was collected by legacy versions of the FlexNet inventory agent, and saved in a separate inventory database
  • Manual — You created this inventory device record manually, and no matching inventory has been received yet.
  • SMS — The inventory was imported from Microsoft SCCM (previously known as SMS)
  • Tivoli Endpoint Manager — Inventory was imported from IBM Big Fix, or one of its earlier renamings (IBM Endpoint Manager, Tivoli Endpoint Manager).
Tip: If you have custom inventory adapters, entries for these may also appear in this column as appropriate.

Not editable.

Last known state
The status of the virtual machine most recently reported by your cloud service provider. It may be one of:
  • Started — The virtual machine was running at the last import.
  • Stopped — The virtual machine has been stopped, releasing all its resources to the host. Some cloud service providers allow for a virtual machine to be restarted from this state.
  • Suspended — The virtual machine has been put to sleep mode. All the running processes still consume resources, and the machine can quickly resume.
  • Terminated — (Value available from AWS) The virtual machine has been permanently deleted and cannot be restarted. At the next full import and compliance calculation, which by default happens overnight, any matching inventory device record will be removed (unless you have taken the most unusual step of linking that inventory device record to an asset record). Removing the inventory device record prevents the terminated virtual machine having any future impact on license consumption calculations. See also tip below.
  • Unknown — The state is unknown.
Tip: Some inventory sources take time to clean up inventory records, so that inventory imports may unavoidably include stale inventory in that period between the instance termination and the inventory clean-up. To help resolve any confusion, terminated instances remain available in the Cloud Service Provider Inventory page so that you can check there, confirming that the instance's inventory device record is correctly suppressed because the instance was terminated.
Last logged on user

Typically this field displays None, but it may display the full name of the user, if any, that was discovered to be the last logged on user on the virtual device.

Click the linked full name to edit on the General tab of the user properties pages, and for details see General Tab.
Note: User information that is imported from Active Directory should be managed using Active Directory to prevent it from being overridden during the next import.
Not available when either of the following is true:
  • You are manually creating a new record for an inventory device
  • There is no inventory source (or the inventory source is Manual) reporting this inventory device.
Location
The location within your enterprise that is responsible for this virtual machine. This value may be inherited depending on the setting for Update virtual machine location to match host location in the system menu ( in the top right corner) > System Settings > Inventory tab.
Note: In the unlikely case that this virtual machine is linked to an asset, then the value remains independent of the virtual host, regardless of the system setting.

Editable in the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual host if the value is inherited, or the Ownership tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine if the value is independent.

MAC address

The Media Access Control (MAC) address of the inventory device. If a device has multiple network interface cards, this field displays a comma-separated list of MAC addresses.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records).

Manufacturer

The manufacturer of the inventory device.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records).

Model

The manufacturer’s model name or number for this device.

Editable in the Model field in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). If the value is gathered from inventory, it cannot be edited, but it can be overridden by entering a new value in the Overridden field in General tab of the inventory device properties. The original value continues to display on the General tab, alongside the overridden value, and may be restored at any time.

Network cards

The total number of network cards accessible by the virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records).

Operating system

The operating system running on the virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records).

Overridden

Displays Yes if an operator has manually overridden one or more properties discovered in inventory for the virtual machine, or No if the inventory details are unchanged.

FlexNet Manager Suite generates the value of this field.

Partial number of processors

The equivalent number of full-time processors set by the time-sharing controls on the hardware console. Some virtualization technologies (such as on IBM's AIX operating system) report this setting in inventory. You may override an incorrect inventory value for this field.

Populated and (by default) updated on virtual machines by inventory imports, this field in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties (only for virtual machines) can be overridden with a manually entered value. An overridden value is no longer updated by incoming inventory.

Pool

The name given to the pool of resources to which this virtual machine belongs.

Populated and (by default) updated by inventory imports.

Processor type

The type of processor installed in the inventory device.

Populated and (by default) updated by inventory imports, this value can be manually overwritten in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (see Hardware Tab).

Processors

The number of logical processors assigned to a virtual machine.

Populated and (by default) updated by inventory imports, this field in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine can be overridden with a manually entered value (see Hardware Tab). Overridden values are no longer updated by incoming inventory.

RAM (GB)

The size of Random Access Memory (RAM) installed in the inventory device, in gigabytes.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). The value is overwritten (permanently) by incoming inventory, and thereafter is read-only.

Recommended asset link
The name of an asset that is recommended for this inventory device based on the serial number of the asset. The asset name is not a link.
Tip: It is not recommended to link an individual VM to an asset record of its own, as it is not a tangible asset and has no relevance for depreciation or tax recognition in most jurisdictions. If tracking VMs in an asset register is required, common practice is to use the setting where guest VMs inherit the asset link from their host device.
Role

The role assigned to the inventory device, such as Development, Test, and Production. Device roles (where permitted by the product use rights on a license) can exempt devices from consuming entitlements on a license to which they are (and remain) attached. For example, some license agreements may grant an exemption for devices used exclusively for testing. For more details, see Exemptions.

Editable in Device role field in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Serial number

The serial number of the device, attempting to uniquely identify either the hardware (for a stand-alone device) or the virtualization container (for a virtual machine), as reported in inventory.

Editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). This value is not editable for records created or updated from collected inventory.

Service pack

The service pack number or ID reported by the operating system.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). The value is overwritten (permanently) by incoming inventory, and thereafter is read-only.

Service provider

Shows whether the inventory device is on-premises (the default, meaning the device is within your enterprise), or in a cloud operated by a particular service provider. For some cloud service providers, the Hosted in value is set automatically through inventory (AWS is supported from version 13.1.0 of FlexNet inventory agent, and Azure is supported from version 13.2.0). For other cloud service providers, you must make a selection manually.

Editable in Hosted in field on the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine.

Sockets

The number of virtual sockets assigned to this virtual machine.

Editable in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine. If it is not available from your inventory, or if the value is inaccurate, you can permanently override with a manual value.

Status
Indicates the current state of a device. It can have any of the following values:
  • Active — A device for which the inventory information is received from an inventory source.
  • Archived — This device is in transition pending deletion, but is currently held because of its historical impacts on IBM PVU sub-capacity retrospective calculations.
  • Awaiting Inventory — This device is a place-holder that has not yet appeared in imported inventory from any source.
  • Ignored — The device that is not managed. An ignored device is not considered in license consumption calculations.
    Tip: If an inventory device is linked to an asset record, and that asset is given a status of either Retired or Disposed, this Ignored value is automatically set for the linked inventory device.

Provided that the inventory device has not been linked to an asset record, this value is editable in the General tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (although Awaiting Inventory is no longer available once inventory has been collected for the device, and Archived can never be set manually).

Threads

Displays the number of logical processors (virtual processors in a virtual machine, or threads assigned to a partition) assigned to the virtual machine.

Populated and (by default) updated by inventory imports, this field in the Hardware tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine can be overridden with a manually entered value (see Hardware Tab).

VM name

The name of the virtual machine that is recognized by the host server.

Editable in the Friendly name field in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine. The compliance calculation updates this field with the machine name returned in inventory (matched by serial number).

VM type

The type of the virtual machine.

Editable in the VM properties tab of the inventory device properties for the virtual machine (for manually-created records). The value may be overwritten by incoming inventory.