Billing - General

Last updated: October 2023

1. I have an existing SUSE Manager BYOS subscription; can I use this on the cloud?

BYOS Bring-your-own-subscription SUSE Manager deployments are supported on the cloud, however, billing will not be via the cloud marketplace.

Once the existing subscription term ends, you can purchase SUSE Manager PAYG via the cloud provider marketplace and manage your instances with a SUSE Manager deployment that is billed via the cloud.

2. I have an existing deployment covered by a BYOS SUSE Manager subscription; can I use this new listing in the cloud for a separate deployment of SUSE Manager PAYG?

Yes, the listing works independently from your existing BYOS SUSE Manager subscriptions. Please remember that support processes may be different for deployments using your existing BYOS subscription and those billed via the cloud and note that there is currently no process for migrating deployments between BYOS and PAYG versions.

3. Tell me more about how the billing for SUSE Manager PAYG works via the cloud?

When purchasing SUSE Manager via the AWS & Azure Marketplaces, the billing is as follows:

  • Billing is monthly and handled via cloud marketplace.

  • Managed instances are recorded hourly.

  • The peak usage total is recorded for the month.

  • There is a monthly usage charge for each instance in the count.

4. I have existing SLES for SAP instances procured via the cloud provider marketplace, is there a cost to manage these instance with SUSE Manager PAYG?

SLES for SAP Applications PAYG/on-demand instances, when purchased via the cloud marketplace, include Lifecycle Management (LCM) entitlements for SUSE Manager.

The SUSE Manager PAYG billing engine recognizes the embedded LCM entitlements and does not include them in the count. This means there are no additional charges to manage these with the SUSE Manager PAYG listing.

However, if SUSE Manager Monitoring is required for these instances, additional charges will apply for this feature.

5. Is there a way to try SUSE Manager PAYG before purchasing?

If using the SUSE Manager PAYG listing in the cloud marketplace, billing will commence from the time of deployment and when applicable client instances are on-boarded to SUSE Manager.

There is the SUSE Manager BYOS listing in the cloud marketplace that can be used, a trial subscription key can be obtained via the SUSE Website. This deployment cannot be directly converted to allow billing via cloud marketplaces.

To benefit from monthly billing via the cloud marketplace, SUSE Manager needs to be redeployed using the version from the PAYG listing in the cloud marketplace.

6. How does SUSE calculate the amount of managed instances to bill for?

Billing is based on the number of managed instances.

Below are 3 examples of how the node count is calculated, check the table below for the detail.

Static usage

Using SUSE Manager with 10 instances registered for management, for 1 month with no additional managed clients added in the month.

Bursting Model

Using SUSE Manager with 10 instances registered for management for 3 weeks in the month, bursting to 30 managed instances for 1 week.

Transient model

A temporary deployment of SUSE Manager with 20 managed instances, for 2 weeks (336 hours)

The total is calculated by counting number of active nodes (checked hourly). There is a monthly charge for each managed node under management in the billing cycle.

Below are 3 examples of how the average node count is calculated.

Table 1. Usage calculations for different scenarios

Managed Instances

Peak Usage

Billed for

Static Usage

10

10

10

Bursting Model

10 - 3 Weeks, 30 - 1 Week

30

30

Transient Cluster

20 - 2 Weeks

20

20

7. Are special commercial terms available?

It is dependent on the deployment and the cloud provider, as every Cloud Service Provider (CSP) has its own commercial terms and offers.

It may be possible to secure special commercial terms such as an annual subscription. For example, AWS can offer SUSE Manager PAYG via a Private Offer. Please contact SUSE for more information.

8. Can my spending on SUSE Manager PAYG count towards my committed spend with the cloud provider?

There are such programs at the cloud providers:

  • Azure MACC Program

  • AWS Enterprise Discount Program

  • Google CUD

Yes, it can. Please contact your cloud provider sales team for more details.

9. How do I purchase SUSE Manager / LCM subscriptions for additional managed instances?

Once SUSE Manager PAYG has been deployed from the marketplace listing and billing is active, there is no need to make a specific purchase to manage additional instances. Billing is dynamic and based on the number of instances SUSE Manager is managing. Just on-board additional instances to SUSE Manager as needed, this will be reflected in your cloud marketplace bill.

10. Is this an annual commitment, will it auto-renew?

By default, the SUSE Manager PAYG listing on the cloud is billed on a monthly cycle, based on usage. Billing is ongoing for as long as SUSE Manager is deployed and instances are registered.

11. Is there a volume discount / tiered pricing built into the Cloud Listing?

Currently, there is no volume discount available.

12. I no longer require support; how can I end the SUSE Manager PAYG subscription?

If you no longer require support, there are 2 options:

  • Unregister all systems from the SUSE Manager Server

  • Terminate the SUSE Manager instance.