HP IMC - Edition Comparison
HP IMC was originally offered in two editions - Standard and Enterprise. As of v5.2, there is also a “Basic” edition. The new “Basic” edition is feature-limited, aimed at smaller customers with limited network management requirements.
[UPDATE April 13 2015: Prices and node counts have been updated]
The main goal of Basic is to put PCM+ out to pasture. It comes in two flavours:
- IMC Basic Software Platform
- IMC Basic WLAN Manager Software Platform - same as Basic, with added Wireless Management capabilities
There is plenty of information published on each edition, but HP does not seem to have a table showing a side-by-side comparison of the editions. This can make it a little hard to work out which edition you should choose. Here’s my stab at bringing this information together:
| Feature | Basic | Standard | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed SNMP Nodes | 50 (Max) | 50 (base, expandable) | 50 (base, expandable) |
| Managed Wireless APs | 50 with Basic WLAN Manager Expandable. | 0 base, need license for WSM | 0 base, need license for WSM |
| Fault Management | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Performance Mgmt | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting | Yes (Basic) | Yes (Basic, custom reporting requires iAR license) | Yes (Basic, custom reporting requires iAR license) |
| Config Mgmt | Basic, no compliance mgmt | Yes | Yes |
| WLAN Monitoring | Yes with WLAN version | With WSM license | With WSM license |
| NetFlow/sFlow | sFlow only, max 24 hours data | 0 base, can add NTA license | 5 nodes base, can add more with NTA license |
| Embedded DB | Yes, Windows only | Yes, Windows only | No |
| External DB | Yes - SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle | Yes - SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle | Yes - SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle |
| Syslogs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Service Monitor | No | Yes | Yes |
| Security Control Centre | No | Yes | Yes |
| ACL Management | No | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Connect | No | Yes | Yes |
| Customised Functions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Network Mgmt | No | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical Monitoring | No | Can be lower tier | Yes |
| eAPI | No | With license | Yes |
| Additional Modules Available | None | UAM, NTA, EAD, VSM, QoS, MPLS, UAM, SHR, IPSec VPN, WSM, eAPI, TAM, APM, VAN, RSM, iAR | UAM, EAD, VSM, QoS, MPLS, UAM, SHR, IPSec VPN, WSM, TAM, APM, VAN, RSM, iAR |
| Target Market | Small HP wired/wireless networks. PCM+ replacement. | Most medium-sized businesses, that don’t need hierarchical monitoring. | Large, distributed networks with many sites, needing hierarchical monitoring |
| Price (at cdw.com) | $1,529.99, or $4,221,99 (WLAN version) | $3,066.99, additional 50 nodes $2,299.99 | $11,499.99, additional 50 nodes $2,299.99 |
Note that you can get upgrade pricing from PCM+ to IMC.