IBM Cloud Pak ships six product families on Red Hat OpenShift. Each Cloud Pak carries the Virtual Processor Core (VPC) metric, the cartridge model, and the IBM sub capacity rules. This guide walks the catalog, the math, and the seven moves on every renewal.
IBM Cloud Pak is the umbrella product family that bundles IBM software on Red Hat OpenShift. The Cloud Pak metric is the Virtual Processor Core (VPC), the unit of measure for sub capacity licensing on OpenShift workloads.
The bill on a typical Cloud Pak estate is set by three things. The cartridge mix inside the Cloud Pak. The OpenShift node count. The sub capacity posture, including the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) deployment.
Read this alongside the IBM hub, the IBM services page, the IBM Audit Defense Guide, the ILMT deploy guide, the analytics data platform licensing article, and the Vendor Shield subscription.
IBM consolidated the Cloud Pak portfolio to six core families in 2024 and 2025. Each family covers a software category and ships with a defined cartridge set.
| Cloud Pak | Cartridge focus | Typical use case |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Pak for Applications | WebSphere Liberty, JBoss, runtimes | Application modernization |
| Cloud Pak for Data | Db2, watsonx, DataStage, IIS | Data and AI platform |
| Cloud Pak for AIOps | Instana, Turbonomic, Watson AIOps | Operations and observability |
| Cloud Pak for Integration | API Connect, MQ, App Connect, DataPower | Integration platform |
| Cloud Pak for Network Automation | Network orchestration cartridges | Telco network automation |
| Cloud Pak for Security | QRadar, Guardium, Verify | Security operations |
The VPC is the metric for every Cloud Pak. The metric counts the cores assigned to the OpenShift pods running the Cloud Pak cartridges.
The Cloud Pak bundle ships a fixed catalog of cartridges. Each cartridge consumes VPC from the Cloud Pak pool at a defined ratio.
The OpenShift operator catalog often lists cartridges that are not in the Cloud Pak entitlement. A click to enable a cartridge that sits outside the Cloud Pak triggers a separate full price bill at the IBM audit. The default position has to be entitlement only, with a documented governance gate on every cartridge enablement.
The sub capacity rules require the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) on every Cloud Pak deployment. ILMT polls the OpenShift cluster and reports the actual VPC consumption.
The math below uses a 32 core OpenShift cluster running Cloud Pak for Data with five cartridges enabled.
| Component | OpenShift cores | Cartridge ratio | VPC count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Db2 cartridge | 8 | 1 to 1 | 8 VPC |
| DataStage cartridge | 6 | 1 to 1 | 6 VPC |
| watsonx cartridge | 10 | 1 to 1 | 10 VPC |
| Information Server cartridge | 4 | 1 to 1 | 4 VPC |
| Knowledge Catalog cartridge | 4 | 1 to 1 | 4 VPC |
| Total | 32 | 32 VPC |
At 1,200 USD per VPC per month list, the deployment carries 38,400 USD per month at list, or 461,000 USD per year before any discount. At a 30% Cloud Pak for Data discount, the deployment lands at 323,000 USD per year.
The seven moves below carry every Cloud Pak renewal cycle.
The seven step checklist takes an IBM Cloud Pak estate from default audit risk to a documented, defensible position.
Cloud Pak for Applications, Data, AIOps, Integration, Network Automation, and Security. Each family covers a software category and ships a defined cartridge catalog. The unit of measure across every Cloud Pak is the Virtual Processor Core (VPC), with sub capacity licensing on OpenShift workloads.
One VPC equals one OpenShift assigned core. The OpenShift CPU request, not the underlying physical core, drives the count. Sub capacity is the default with ILMT deployed. The burst capacity (CPU limit above the request) does not count, only the CPU request counts.
The OpenShift operator catalog often lists cartridges that are not in the Cloud Pak entitlement. A click to enable a cartridge outside the Cloud Pak triggers a separate full price bill at the IBM audit. The default position has to be entitlement only, with a documented governance gate on every cartridge enablement and a quarterly catalog review.
ILMT deployed within 30 days of the first Cloud Pak deployment, polling every 30 minutes or less, two years of retention, quarterly PVU summary reports, ILMT agents on every OpenShift node running Cloud Pak workloads, quarterly configuration drift review, and audit log retention for two years.
Cloud Pak for Data 20% to 40% off list, Cloud Pak for Integration 25% to 45% off list, Cloud Pak for AIOps 15% to 35% off list, Cloud Pak for Security 20% to 40% off list. The band is wider at scale, with a typical 32 core deployment landing at 25% to 30% off list across most Cloud Pak families.
Redress runs the Cloud Pak review inside Vendor Shield and the Renewal Program. The engagement covers the cartridge entitlement map, the OpenShift CPU request review, the ILMT scan validation, the discount band quote, and the procurement memo. Every engagement is led by a former IBM commercial lead on the buyer side, with no IBM kickback on the table.
Redress runs IBM Cloud Pak advisory inside the Vendor Shield subscription, the Renewal Program, the Benchmark Program, and the Software Spend Assessment.
Read the related IBM hub, the IBM services page, the IBM Audit Defense Guide, the ILMT deploy guide, the benchmarking page, the about us page, the locations page, and the contact page.
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