Description
This article provides an explanation of OS Units, a set of usage elements incurred by a Server as a result of its specific Operating System.
If OS Units are incurred, they will be associated with an OS Units Usage Element, based on the OS. OS Units Usage Elements include:
- OS Units
- REDHAT OS Units
- SUSE OS Units
- SUSE SAP OS Units
- WINDOWS OS Units
Overview
OS Units are usage elements incurred by a Cloud Server for a subset of Operating Systems. They are separate and distinct from the Software Units described in Introduction to Cloud ("Priced") Software but the concept works in a similar manner.
Every Server, OS Image and Customer (Client) Image in CloudControl has an associated Operating System. Each Operating System is a member of a single OS Units Group. You can identify the OS Units Group to which a given OS belongs as described in Navigating the Supported Operating Systems Dashboard.
Each OS Units Group is defined to either incur a specific number of OS Units based on the number of vCPUs or not to generate any OS Units. If an OS Units Group is defined to generate OS Units, every Cloud Server that has an Operating System that is a member of the OS Units Group will incur OS Units usage based on the rates and methodology defined for that OS Units Group. Unlike Priced Software, the OS Units rate applies to the server only when a server is in a running state. Usage is incurred only by Cloud Servers; Client Images do not generate OS Units usage.
What Does OS Unit Usage Mean to Me?
CloudControl calculates OS Units usage for all organizations. However, there is not always a charge for such usage. Review your rate card to identify if OS Units are chargeable under your rate plan.
OS Units Group Methodologies
Each OS Units Group is defined to use one of three methodologies:
| Methodology | Description | Examples* (see note below table) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Usage | Indicates that there are no OS Units incurred by Servers deployed with an Operating System with this OS Units Group methodology. | The "GENERAL" OS Units Group is defined with this methodology. The COREOSX64 operating system is a member of the "GENERAL" OS Units Group. Cloud Servers running COREOSX64 will never generate OS Units. | ||||||||
| Per CPU | When a Server is deployed with an Operating System that belongs to a Per CPU OS Units Group, it incurs OS Units usage calculated according to the exact number of vCPUs on the Server. Usage is generated only when the server is running. | The "WINDOWS_SERVER" OS Units Group is defined with this methodology and a rate of 36 OS Units. The WIN2008S/32 operating system is a member of the "WINDOWS_SERVER" OS Units Group. Any Cloud Server with this operating system will generate 36 OS units per hour per CPU when the server is running. | ||||||||
| CPU Range | When a Server is deployed with an Operating System that belongs to a CPU Range OS Units Group, it incurs OS Units usage calculated according to a rate assigned to a range that the number of vCPUs on the Server is within. The start and endpoints of each range are inclusive. Usage is generated only when the server is running. | The "SUSE" OS Units Group is defined with this methodology as shown in the table:
The SUSE1264 operating system is a member of the "SUSE" OS Units Group. Any Cloud Server with this operating system will generate OS Units based on the number of CPU on the server when the server is running. A 2 CPU server would generate 30 OS Units per hour... but if the CPU is changed to 4 CPU, it will begin generating 61 OS Units per hour. |
* Note that the data shown in the examples may not be representative of the OS Unit Groups and methodologies currently in place. For accurate information please follow the directions in the Identifying the OS Unit Methodology and Rate for a Given Operating System section below.
OS Units Usage Elements and OS Units Group Mappings:
Each OS Units Usage element is mapped to an OS Units Group and depending on the OS Type, may or may not generate Usage when a Virtual Server is deployed with that OS type.
As of , the table below identifies which Operating Systems generate usage and identifies the OS Units Usage Element associated with each OS Units Group. Again, for the most accurate information please follow the directions in the Identifying the OS Unit Methodology and Rate for a Given Operating System section below.
| OS Units Group | Usage Element | Generates Usage? |
|---|---|---|
| CANONICAL | OS Units | Yes |
| CENTOS | OS Units | No |
| GENERAL | OS Units | No |
| ORACLE | OS Units | No |
| REDHAT | REDHAT OS Units | Yes |
| REDHAT_SAP | REDHAT OS Units | Yes |
| SOLARIS | OS Units | No |
| SUSE | SUSE OS Units | Yes |
| SUSE_SAP | SUSE SAP OS Units | Yes |
| WINDOWS_DESKTOP | WINDOWS OS Units | No |
| WINDOWS_SERVER | WINDOWS OS Units | Yes |
Identifying the OS Unit Methodology and Rate for a Given Operating System
To identify the details for a given Operating System, follow the directions described in the Navigating the Supported Operating Systems Dashboard. This view provides the rate details for each Operating System and you can filter by OS Units Group Id to identify all of the Operating Systems in a given group. You can also see the specific OS Units rate that will apply to any Cloud Server with that OS/OS Units Group and the name of the usage element under which the usage will accrue:
Visibility on Servers and Server Deployment
Before deploying a Cloud Server, the UI will identify the OS Units that will be incurred given the Cloud Server's Operating System, associated OS Units Group, and proposed CPU configuration:
Note: Hovering your mouse over the information icon
will display additional information:
The OS Units currently incurred by a given Cloud Server can also be identified on the Server Dashboard described in more detail in Navigating the Server Dashboard
Visibility on Reports
OS Units usage is surfaced in two ways on Reports:
- All OS Units Usage Elements are included on the Summary Usage Report described in How to Create a Summary Usage Report
- A detailed asset-level OS Units Report that identifies how each Cloud Server's OS Units usage was calculated is described in How to Create an OS Units Usage Report.