① Licensing concept · IPLA pricing
GSSP lowers the MSU a new IPLA product reports while usage stays below a threshold, then hands you to full sub-capacity as you grow. Useful entry pricing, but the low charge is temporary by design.
Entry pricing for new IPLA products. A threshold, then full rate.
Getting Started Sub-Capacity Pricing, GSSP, is an IBM entry pricing mechanism for select z/OS International Program License Agreement products, the IPLA family, that carry the applicable Subscription and Support charge. When an eligible product's measured usage within an LPAR stays below an announced threshold, the MSU it reports in the SCRT report is adjusted downward. Eligible processor time is removed from the calculation, so the product's reported usage falls below even ordinary sub-capacity figures, and the software charge tracks light usage rather than full LPAR capacity.
The purpose is adoption. GSSP lets a buyer stand up a new IPLA product and grow into it without the full capacity charge landing on day one, then transition smoothly into traditional sub-capacity pricing as the workload climbs past the threshold. It also lets an LPAR grow without changing the software charge for a constant workload, because the figure tracks usage, not the box. The catch is in the design: the low charge is an on ramp, not a destination, so the budget has to anticipate the step up rather than treat the entry figure as the steady state.
How one IPLA product on one LPAR reports under each pricing basis. The MSU figures are illustrative to show the mechanics; actual thresholds and rates are product specific and published in the IBM announcement for each program.
| Pricing basis | MSU reported | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Full capacity | 600 | Default without sub-capacity eligibility or reporting |
| Traditional sub-capacity | 240 | Eligible product, reports its measured peak MSU |
| GSSP, under threshold | ~120 | Eligible IPLA product below its announced usage threshold |
| GSSP, grown past threshold | 240 | Usage rises above threshold, reverts to sub-capacity |
A new IPLA product adopted under GSSP, growing past its threshold in year two. The rate per MSU is an illustrative placeholder R; actual rates are negotiated and not stated here. The lesson is that the entry charge is not the steady state.
| Measure | Year 1 · under threshold | Year 2 · past threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Measured product usage trend | light | growing |
| GSSP adjustment applies | yes | no |
| Reported MSU | 120 | 240 |
| Charge basis | 120 × R | 240 × R |
| Year over year change | base | +100% |
The entry year looks cheap because GSSP removes eligible processor time from the calculation. When usage crosses the threshold, the product reverts to traditional sub-capacity and the reported MSU doubles, which doubles the charge basis. Nothing went wrong; this is exactly how the on ramp is meant to work. The buyer error is budgeting the steady state at the entry figure, then meeting the step up as a surprise at renewal. Model the climb in advance and the step is planned, not painful.
GSSP is an on ramp into full sub-capacity, not a permanent discount. Treating the entry figure as the run rate sets a budget that breaks the moment usage crosses the threshold, which it is designed to do.
Only specific IPLA programs are GSSP eligible, each with its own announced threshold, and that list changes. A product eligible at adoption may not be on the same terms later, so the current IBM announcement is what governs, not last year's assumption.
GSSP applies only while the applicable Subscription and Support charge is active. Let S&S lapse and the entry pricing basis is at risk along with support, which is one more reason a lapse is rarely the saving it looks like.
The adjustment runs off measured usage in the SCRT report, LPAR by LPAR. Without accurate, validated reporting, a product can sit at full rate that should qualify, or report wrong and surface in an audit. The reporting is the lever.
Adopt on the ramp, budget the step, verify the reporting.
GSSP is genuinely useful for standing up a new IPLA product without the full capacity charge landing on day one, as long as you treat it for what it is. Confirm the product is currently GSSP eligible and read its announced threshold before you lean on the entry pricing. Budget the steady state at the post threshold figure, not the on ramp, so the step up is planned. Keep Subscription and Support active, since the adjustment depends on it. Above all, make sure the SCRT reporting is accurate and independently validated, because the whole mechanism runs off measured usage rather than estimates.
The reported MSU is the capacity metric in action, so read MIPS and MSU explained for how it is built, and group capacity limits for the capping that shapes the LPAR figure. If you are weighing the consumption model as an alternative path, see Tailored Fit Pricing. When the entry pricing is about to step up at renewal, our cost optimization and license negotiation teams plan the climb before IBM prices it for you.
IBM entry pricing for select z/OS IPLA products with active S&S. Below an announced usage threshold, the product's reported MSU in the SCRT report is adjusted down, so the charge tracks light usage rather than full capacity.
Sub-capacity reports actual measured MSU; GSSP goes further for products under threshold, removing eligible processor time so reported MSU falls below even normal sub-capacity figures, then reverts as usage grows.
Only specific IPLA programs IBM has announced as GSSP eligible, each with its own threshold and active S&S required. The list and thresholds change, so check the current announcement at measurement time.
The adjustment stops and the product reports under traditional sub-capacity on its actual MSU. The transition is smooth, but the entry charge ends, so budget the post threshold figure as the steady state.