Virtual SLES server does not show up as "Virtual Count" in the Novell Customer Center

This document (7005155) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 or 11
Third party virtualization software

Situation

One license has been purchased for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES).

The SLES operating system is running on a physical server. On that server is installed a third party virtualization software and SLES has been installed as a virtual server.

The virtual SLES system has been registered successfully but when looking at the SLES product in the Novell Customer Center (NCC) it shows the following information:

Purchased Count:     1
Used Count:               2
Virtual Count:             0

This gives the appearance of more than one system using the same product code. The virtual system should show up as a "Virtual Count".

Resolution

When using the Xen product for virtualization (included with SLES) the virtual system is normally recognized as a "Virtual Count". With third party virtualization software the NCC registration may not correctly identify the virtual system. Here's how to correct the problem:

As the root user edit the file "/etc/suseRegister.conf" and find the entry for "hostGUID". It will be commented out with a "#" in front of it. Remove the "#" and then enter a value after the "=" sign that is the same GUID of the physical host system. For a SLES 10 host you will find the GUID value in the file "/etc/zmd/deviceid" and on a SLES 11 host use the "username" value in the file "/etc/zypp/credentials.d/NCCcredentials". Your result will look something like this (with your personal value instead of this one):

hostGUID = aaa7b2411d69459aa4f6fe1f08e0663a

Save the file and then register the system. You should then see the "Virtual Count" in the NCC information.

Disclaimer

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