Cost Estimation For Partners

Cost Estimation For Partners

The Cost Estimation feature provides cost analysis for migrating VMware environments to OpenShift Virtualization. It compares three-year cost projections across VMware VCF, VMware VVF, and OpenShift Virtualization scenarios to help partners guide migration decisions.

Applies to: V0.11.0 Last update (dd-mm-yyyy): 12-05-2026

How It Works

The cost estimation service analyzes your VMware cluster inventory to calculate three-year cost projections. It extracts environment data from your assessment and applies proprietary cost models to generate comparative cost breakdowns.

High-Level Flow

Prerequisites

Partner Access

• Valid Red Hat partner credentials
• Partner authentication token
• Read permission on the target assessment

Assessment Requirements

• Assessment must have at least one snapshot
• Snapshot must contain inventory data
• Cluster must exist in the inventory with the specified cluster ID

API Workflow

Step 1: Authenticate as Partner

Ensure you have valid partner credentials and authentication token. The cost estimation endpoint validates partner status before processing requests.

Step 2: Calculate Cost Estimation

Request a cost estimation calculation for a specific cluster within an assessment.

curl -X POST http://planner:3443/api/v1/assessments/{assessment-id}/cost-estimation \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <partner-token>" \
  -d '{
    "clusterId": "cluster-1",
    "discounts": {
      "vcfDiscountPct": 0,
      "vvfDiscountPct": 0,
      "redhatDiscountPct": 0,
      "aapDiscountPct": 0
    }
  }'

Response Codes

Understanding Results

Response Structure

The cost estimation response includes:

{
  "calculatorVersion": "1.0.0",
  "results": {
    "vmwareVcf": { ... },
    "vmwareVvf": { ... },
    "openshiftVirtualization": { ... }
  },
  "savings": {
    "vsVcf": { ... },
    "vsVvf": { ... }
  }
}

Calculator Version

The calculatorVersion field indicates which version of the cost calculation model was used. This allows tracking of estimate methodology over time.

Cost Scenarios

Each scenario provides:

Cost Breakdown Components

Each scenario breaks down costs into six categories:

Savings Analysis

When OpenShift Virtualization is more cost-effective than VMware options, the savings field provides:

Customer Environment Data Extraction

The service automatically extracts the following data from your cluster inventory to inform cost calculations:

The service attempts to extract actual CPU configuration from the first host in your inventory. If CPU data is missing or invalid, it falls back to industry-standard defaults (2 sockets per host, 16 cores per socket).

Cost Estimation Methodology

The cost estimation feature uses a proprietary calculation model developed by Red Hat to project three-year costs. The methodology considers:

• Customer environment sizing (hosts, sockets, cores, VMs)
• Vendor subscription models and pricing tiers
• Migration consulting service requirements
• Infrastructure upgrade needs for migration
• Third-party software dependencies
• Discount percentages applied by the user

Error Handling

Common Errors

Tips

• Use Latest Inventory: Cost calculations are based on the latest snapshot. Ensure your assessment inventory is up-to-date before requesting estimates.
• Accurate Discount Data: Apply accurate discount percentages to get realistic cost comparisons. Consult with vendor account teams for current discount rates.
• Multiple Clusters: Generate separate cost estimates for each cluster if your environment has multiple VMware clusters with different configurations.
• Partner Context: Cost estimates are designed for partner-led customer conversations. Use results as discussion points, not final pricing.
• Version Tracking: Note the calculatorVersion in your results. Estimates from different calculator versions may not be directly comparable.