Understanding HP Instant Capacity (iCAP) version 6.x and 7.x Codewords Whitepaper

Introduction
HP’s Instant Capacity (iCAP) software product provides the ability to instantly increase or decrease
computing capacity on cell-based HP enterprise servers. The goal of this white paper is to assist in
understanding how iCAP uses codewords to increase or decrease usage rights on an Instant Capacity
server. Many examples will be given to illustrate the effect of codewords on the server.
This white paper covers codewords for iCAP versions B.06.00 and later. Previous versions of the
iCAP software (B.05.x and earlier), which did not use codewords, are not discussed in this white
paper.
Instant Capacity components
The Instant Capacity software product manages the activation of the following components:
• Cores (formerly referred to as CPUs)
• Cell boards
• Memory
HP manufacturing can configure iCAP components with a new server purchase, or customers can
order iCAP components to add to their server after receiving the system. The iCAP software, however,
does not identify specific components as iCAP components. Instead, it tracks the number of cores and
cells and the amount of memory that must remain inactive. These quantities are represented as an
“expected-inactive” count for each type of component. iCAP documentation also uses the term “usage
rights”, which is the inverse of expected inactive. In other words, on a server with eight cores, four of
which are expected inactive, we can speak of usage rights for the other four cores. The “usage rights”
terminology is often more convenient because, when you later apply a right-to-use (RTU) codeword to
the server, you are increasing the count of usage rights (and decreasing the number of expected-
inactive components).
The iCAP software makes sure that the expected number of inactive components remain inactive until
a corresponding RTU has been purchased and the codeword has been applied to the system. Cores
can be activated on a temporary basis by using Temporary Instant Capacity (TiCAP). (Note: You
cannot access iCAP cores on iCAP cell boards using TiCAP because the iCAP software will not let you
add an iCAP cell board into a partition.) iCAP software prior to version B.08.00 displays the number
of expected-inactive components (those without usage rights) as “iCOD” components (for example,
iCOD processors, iCOD cells, and iCOD memory). This terminology has proven confusing and has
been changed for iCAP version B.08.00 and later.
See the section “HP Utility Pricing Solutions Portal” for a description of how to obtain codewords to
activate iCAP components.
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