Oracle Database Licensing
Optimize software investment with the best in licensing practices
Oracle Database 10g, the industry’s first database designed for grid
computing, is available in a choice of editions: Express Edition, Standard
Edition One, Standard Edition, and Enterprise Edition. All editions are built
using the same common code base, which means your database applications can
easily scale from small, single processor servers to clusters of multi-processor
servers without changing a line of code.
Additional options for enhanced
performance, scalability, availability, security and manageability are available
with Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition. Whether you’re a lone developer,
small and midsize business, or large corporate enterprise, there’s an edition of
the world’s #1 database tailored to meet your business and technical
requirements.
Given Oracle’s extensive product porffolio only Database
Licensing is explained here. For licensing questions, pricing and special
promotions regarding all Oracle products (for example Internet Application
Server) you can also contact your Insight account manager.
Database Metrics
The Standard Edition One, Standard Edition and
Enterprise Edition of the Oracle database can be licensed using the Named User
Plus metric or the Processor metric.
Named User Plus is defined as an
individual authorized to use the programs which are installed on a single server
or multiple servers, regardless of whether the individual is actively using the
programs at any given time.
Processor shall be defined as all processors
where the Oracle programs are installed and/or running. For a complete
description of the Named User Plus metric and the Processor metric, including
the product specific licensing requirements please visit the Oracle Software
Investment Guide on
http://www.oracle.com/corporate/pricing/sig.pdf
Licensing Terms
Oracle offers fixed-term or perpetual licenses. With
fixed-term licenses, the license rights terminate automatically with the passing
of time. Should the Oracle environment need to be operated longer, a new license
must be purchased. A mix is also usually possible: e.g. the data bank can have a
perpetual license but the development tool (e.g. Internet Developer Suite) can
have a license lasting only 2 years.
Platform Independence
Oracle products are available for all current
Unix, Linux and Windows platforms. The selected product is purchased separately
from the platform for which it is supplied. A change of platform is therefore
only associated with media costs.
Support
Oracle offers a Software Update License & Support
service in the framework of its support services, which can be purchased as an
option. The costs for this are to be paid annually in advance. The initial fee
is 22% of the license price.
Further Information
Oracle has a discount chedule that is
transaction-based. Some (global) customers have special discount agreements,
based on a transaction or even for a specified period. In both cases Insight can
fulfill and manage the license requirement. You can obtain further information
from your Insight advisors or online at
www.oracle.com/corporate/pricing/sig.pdf
TOP 3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. I HAVE
OLDER LICENSES THAN ARE DESCRIBED HERE. CAN I STILL USE
THEM?
a. If the licenses are perpetual
you still can. However, you are not able to buy additional licenses of this
type.
b. If you need additional licenses, you
can migrate your old ones to one of the current license definitions (Named User
Plus or By doing this, you must adhere to the new definition. Migrations can be
profitable as your annual support fees may decrease. However there are cases
where it may be beneficial to keep the old definition.
2. DO I NEED TO LICENSE TEST AND DEVELOPMENT
SERVERS?
a. Yes, they need to be
licensed. If a server is only used for the purpose of Development (Prototyping/
Proof of Concept), a development license (Internet Development Suite) can be
purchased for the hired and contracted developers of your company.
b. Testing servers are usually licensed correctly by Named
User Plus based on the minimum requirements per processor (if the amount of
users of the testing server is lower than the minimum).
3. HOW DO I LICENSE STANDBY/FAILOVER
DATABASES?
a. In a typical Standby
scenario databases are installed (one for each server). The standby server is
installed and running and is ‘synced’ with the production server. All queries on
the production server are also replicated on the standby server (usually with
Archive-Log files). Therefore a standby server must be licensed the same way the
production server is licensed.
b. Failover is
allowed: in this scenario there is only one database existing (for example in a
SAN). The failover server cannot be used and is only checking the heartbeat of
the production server (using Failsafe or similar technology) and cannot be
accessed. Oracle allows using a Failsafe server without licenses as long as it
is not used for more than 10 separate calendar days per year.
