12.8 Resource Pricing Packages

As a Cloud Administrator or Catalog Manager, you can create and edit a variety of resource packages (that is, the resources you configure and assign to a VM) with a different price points, applied discounts, and contract lengths. You can even assign a minimum contract length that must be fulfilled to receive special pricing.

For more information about business contracts, see Section 15.11, Understanding Business Service Contracts.

12.8.1 Creating a Resource Pricing Package

Roles that Can Perform This Task: Cloud Administrator, Catalog Manager

You can create resource pricing packages to apply special pricing and discounts for customers who agree to use customized workload resources for a specific contract period.When created, these packages are listed in the Cloud Manager catalog. From the catalog, you can edit a package that has not yet been accepted by a user as part of a workload, or you can view it to check its associations.

A single resource pricing package can be associated to multiple workload templates. For example, two similar workload templates might offer the same package. You can also associate a resource pricing package with all of the workload templates in a zone.

  1. On the main navigation bar, click Catalog.

  2. Click Resource Pricing Packagess, then click Create to open a Create Resource Pricing Package dialog box.

  3. In the General section of the dialog box, provide the following details for the resource pricing package:

    Description: Specify a description of the pricing package that can provide more information about the nature of the pricing package.

    Name: Specify a name for the resource pricing package. The same package can be associated to one or more workload templates.

    Minimum Contract: Choose a minimum contract length from the drop-down list. The user must agree to this contract length.

    Renewal Contract: Choose a duration period for a renewable contract for the resource pricing package. The user is notified about the expiration of the contract in time for renewal.

  4. In the Virtual Machine Resources section:

    1. Customize the following settings to increase or decrease the workload resources.

      Number of CPUs: Select the minimum and maximum number of CPUs for a workload. The maximum allowed vCPUs cannot exceed the number supported by the hypervisor.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Memory: Select the minimum and maximum number megabytes (MB) of RAM to allocate to a workload.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Number of NICs: Select the number of network interface cards (NICs) to allocate to the workload.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Total Storage: Displays the amount of virtual storage (in GB) that you can designate as the minimum and maximum allowed for this resource pricing package.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

    2. (Optional) Select Try these values to open a worksheet dialog where you can experiment with different discount percentages and apply them to each resource. The list shows the effect of the discounts applied to each service level. You can click Apply to bring your tested values forward as the actual configured resource values.

  5. (Optional) You can associate the resource pricing package with one or more workload templates:

    1. Under Associations, click the Workload Templates tab.

    2. Click Add to display the Add Workload Templates dialog box

    3. Select the workload templates to add.

      You can Shift-click and Ctrl-click to select multiple workload templates.

      If you want to associate the resource pricing package with all workload templates in the catalog, select Assign to all Workload Templates.

    4. Click Save to add the selected workload templates to the Workload Templates list.

NOTE:If any resource pricing packages are associated with a workload template, the business service owner is required to pick a package when configuring a workload. If you want to provide a way for the business service owner to opt out of picking a package, you need to create a package without restrictions or discounts. For example, you could create a package called “No Package” with no restrictions and no discounts.

12.8.2 Configuring a Resource Pricing Package

Roles that Can Perform This Task: Cloud Administrator, Catalog Manager

To configure a resource pricing package in the catalog:

  1. On the main navigation bar, click Catalog.

  2. On the Legal Agreements tab, select a resource pricing package from the list, then click Edit to open an Edit Resource Pricing Package dialog box.

The following table lists the tasks and actions that you might want to perform as you configure a resource pricing package in the Cloud Manager catalog.

Task

Steps

Change the resource pricing package details

  1. In the General section, modify the following resource pricing package details:

    Name: Specify a name for the resource pricing package. The same package can be associated to one or more workload templates.

    Description: Specify a description of the pricing package that can provide more information about the nature of the pricing package.

    Minimum Contract: Choose a minimum contract length from the drop-down list. The user must agree to this contract length.

    Renewal Contract: Choose a duration period for a renewable contract for the resource pricing package. The user is notified about the expiration of the contract in time for renewal.

  2. In the Virtual Machine Resources section:

    1. Customize the following settings to increase or decrease the workload resources.

      Number of CPUs: Select the minimum and maximum number of CPUs for a workload. The maximum allowed vCPUs cannot exceed the number supported by the hypervisor.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Memory: Select the minimum and maximum number megabytes (MB) of RAM to allocate to a workload.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Number of NICs: Select the number of network interface cards (NICs) to allocate to the workload.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

      Total Storage: Displays the amount of virtual storage (in GB) that you can designate as the minimum and maximum allowed for this resource pricing package.

      You can also apply a discount to this resource, to give the customer an incentive to purchase the package.

    2. (Optional) Select Try these values to open a worksheet dialog where you can experiment with different discount percentages and apply them to each resource. The list shows the effect of the discounts applied to each service level. You can click Apply to bring your tested values forward as the actual configured resource values.

Change how resource pricing packages are associated

You can associate the resource pricing package with one or more workload templates:

  1. Under Associations, click the Workload Templates tab.

  2. Click Add to display the Add Workload Templates dialog box.

  3. Select the workload templates to add.

    You can Shift-click and Ctrl-click to select multiple workload templates.

  4. Click Save.

If you want to associate the resource pricing package with all workload templates in the catalog, select Assign to all Workload Templates.

NOTE:If any resource pricing packages are associated with a workload template, the business service owner is required to pick a package when configuring a workload. If you want to provide a way for the business service owner to opt out of picking a package, you need to create a package without restrictions or discounts. For example, you could create a package called “No Package” with no restrictions and no discounts.