Al Sherkow is a capacity planning and performance consultant for IBM's mainframe computers. He is also recognized as the leading industry expert on the crucial subject of IBM’s new software pricing model Workload License Charges (WLC). This expertise is the basis of the LPAR Capacity and Software Usage Analysis (LCS™) Software. LCS is the only WLC Pricing tool available in the world! LCS help sites study and understand Workload License Charges including: estimation of your aggregated software invoices, value of zIIP and zAAP engines, recommended SCRT overrides. With LCS you can audit your SCRT reports and estimate your invoices weeks before they arrive. LCS provides alerts when products reach new billable peaks and when additional Value Units must be acquired for IPLA products. Al is an industry expert regarding the configuration and planning of processors and PR/SM. Understanding and leveraging PR/SM and IRD are required to achieve lower software charges with WLC. He regularly helps clients through consulting, classes, magazine articles, papers and dozens of presentations. Samples of LCS Reports are Now Available Online! WLC Consulting and Seminars for ISVs

IBM's Comment on LCS:

"As stated in the Mainframe Charter, IBM is focused on enhancing the value proposition of zSeries solutions. IBM believes that its Workload License Charge ("WLC") software pricing metric is an important proof point of our focus in this area. For customers interested in understanding the potential benefits of WLC, there is a third party tool from Al Sherkow's I/S Management Strategies Ltd called the LPAR Capacity and Software Usage Analysis (LCS) Software. This software can enable customers to compare and contrast the cost of certain software under various pricing methodologies."
           — IBM zSeries Executive, Terri Virnig

Read Al's latest comments (31Aug2005) which are estimated HW MSUs and estimated MIPS for the z9-109 Servers.

LPAR Capacity and Software Usage Analysis (LCS) Software helps you plan, implement, monitor and audit WLC. Why aren't you using LCS? LCS is the only tool that lets you analyze your environment so you can compare PSLC to WLC prices. To help you plan ahead LCS works with OS/390 or z/OS and any compatible hardware. Read the brochure for a description of all the LCS capabilities. LCS provides timely information you can use to manage your IBM Software charges, and perhaps reduce your invoice. With LCS you can audit IBM's Sub Capacity Reporting Tool.

The LPAR-PRICING-L discussion list is also now available specifically for LPAR Pricing topics.

You can read more about I/S Management Strategies, Ltd., and Al's Outside Interests.