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Home -> Community -> Mailing Lists -> Oracle-L -> Re: Important - Oracle Pricing on Standby/DR/Failover databases
Tony,
come out of the woodwork more often!
By standby I mean Oracle's standby database, now named DataGuard. since this *is* a running database and can be opened for read access in 8i and read/write (with logical standby running) in 9i, it's another license. And I have no objection to it be charged as that. Although I'd like to see the charge for the physical standby be less, since the database is not normally in use.
I agree, if Oracle is not running, then there shouldn't be a charge.
Rachel
--- tjambu_fatcity_at_yahoo.com.au wrote:
> Hi Rachel
>
> Good to hear from you. I am always on the list. Just being
> a lurker.
>
> I am surprise that you are paying for a standby if the standby
> DB is not being used at the same time as the Pri.
>
> By standby, do you mean something like Oracle replication or
> Dataguard
> where you are using Oracle's utility to replicate?
> This client of mine does not use any Oracle's features to
> replicate but a filesystem replication to another server.
> Oracle is not even up on the Standby server. So why should
> the pay for the standby licence?
>
> ta
> tony
>
> At 02:53 AM 16/01/2003 -0800, Rachel Carmichael wrote:
>
> >Tony,
> >
> >Good to see your fingerprints here!
> >
> >I had always gone on the theory that I would need at least two of
> the
> >licenses, one for production and one for the standby server. I
> hadn't
> >thought about one for the DR site, on the theory, that since DR was
> up
> >and running ONLY when production was not, it was the same
> "software". I
> >had had that information from my Oracle sales reps as well.
> >
> >Now it seems I'll have to go back to my IT operations people and
> have
> >them verify that we are in compliance with the licensing. Or that
> they
> >are ready to fight it. We do have an overall company license (Sony
> is a
> >fairly large user) so I don't know how that affects our licensing as
> >well.
> >
> >I hadn't realized that as an Oracle DBA I also had to be a lawyer!
> >
> >Rachel
> >--- tjambu_fatcity_at_yahoo.com.au wrote:
> >> Hi All
> >>
> >> For those sites with either a standby, DR or failover database,
> >> the following information is very important to you. You could be
> in
> >> breach of Oracle's Licensing agreement and could cost you
> $100,000s
> >> if not millions $$
> >>
> >> (Read the summary at the end if you want to skip the details)
> >>
> >> In the last issue of Select, I wrote that with Oracle's new
> >> Failover policy you now need not purchase two sets of Oracle
> licences
> >> (one for the production server and the other for the Standby
> server)
> >> if the standby server was not activated for more than 10 days in a
> >> calender year.
> >>
> >> This was based on the following information I received
> >> FAILOVER POLICY
> >>
> >> Oracle recognizes that customers may require very infrequent and
> >> limited use
> >> of their failover server. To address this use, we are modifying
> the
> >> current
> >> failover policy, which currently requires a full use of the
> Database
> >> on any
> >> failover server. Effective today, Oracle allows Oracle Database
> >> licensed
> >> users to load the database in main memory on an unlicensed spare
> >> computer
> >> for up to a total of ten separate days in any given calendar year.
> >> Any use
> >> beyond the right granted in the previous sentence must be licensed
>
> >> separately.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> So, in this instance if you have DataGuard, it implies that
> >> failing over to the 2nd box while the primary is down is OK
> >> with one license. Right? WRONG.
> >>
> >> Since the article, Oracle has come out with more clarifications
> >> as a lot of people were querying about the definitions and
> >> legalities.
> >>
> >> The confusion is with the definition of STANDBY vs FAILOVER.
> >>
> >> Here is an extract of a correspondence from Oracle:
> >> There have been a number of changes recently to our policies and
> >> licencing requirements for backup/standby databases. This email
> is
> >> to clarify the new policies.
> >>
> >> The following is on page 19 of the current Software Investment
> Guide,
> >> which can be downloaded from eSource and oracle.com:
> >>
> >> Backup/Failover/Standby - Oracle differentiates between 3 methods
> of
> >> database recovery:
> >> Backup - In this type of recovery, database files of the primary
> >> database are stored on tape media. In this type of environment,
> >> Oracle permits customers to store a back up copy of the database
> data
> >> on storage devices, such as tapes, without purchasing additional
> >> licenses.
> >> Failover - In this type of recovery, nodes are configured in
> >> "cluster;" the first installed node acts as a primary node. If the
> >> primary node fails, one of the nodes in the cluster acts as the
> >> primary node. In this type of environment, Oracle permits licensed
> >> Oracle Database customers to run the Database on an unlicensed
> spare
> >> computer for up to a total of ten separate days in any given
> calendar
> >> year. Any other use requires the environment to be fully licensed.
> >> Additionally, the same metric must be used when licensing the
> >> databases in a failover nvironment.
> >> Standby - In this type of recovery, a copy of the primary database
> is
> >> maintained on a separate server at all times. These systems are
> >> configured for disaster recovery purposes. If the primary database
> >> fails, the standby database is activated to act as the new primary
> >> database. In this environment, both the primary and the standby
> >> databases must be fully licensed. Additionally, the same metric
> must
> >> be used when licensing the databases in a standby environment.
> >> You should note from the above that these are Oracle's
> definitions,
> >> and your customer may have a different understanding of the terms
> >> backup, failover and standby. The important concept is the 3
> >> different methods of recovery - offline storage, clustered nodes
> >> operating on a Storage Array Network, and a copy of the database
> >> maintained on a separate server.
> >> The offline storage (Backup) does not require additional licences.
>
> >> The clustered nodes (Failover) do not require additional licences
> if
> >> the spare node is used for no more than ten separate days per
> >> calendar year.
> >> Where a copy of the database is maintained on a separate server
> >> (Standby), that server must be licenced as though it were a
> >> production server. If the production server is licenced by
> >> Processor, the standby server must also be licenced by Processor.
> If
> >> the production server is licenced by Named User Plus, the number
> of
> >> Named User Plus licences must cover at least the minimum licencing
> >> requirement for both production and standby servers. The minimum
> is
> >> 25 Named User Plus per processor.
> >> Recovery systems that fall into the Failover category include
> Oracle
> >> Failsafe, Veritas Cluster Server, IBM HACMP, Sun Cluster, HP
> Service
> >> Guard and Microsoft MSCS.
> >>
> >> Recovery systems that fall into the Standby category include
> Oracle
> >> Data Guard and remote 'mirroring' solutions such as EMC SRDF,
> Veritas
> >> Volume Replicator and Sun StorEdge.
> >>
> >> I attach some slides which provide further clarification. Note
> that
> >> on the 'Licencing Rules' slide we define our licencing as it was
> pre
> >> September 2002, and as it is now post September 2002, so please
> don't
> >> confuse the two. Also note that these slides are labelled Oracle
> >> Internal Confidential - they are for your education and not for
> >> giving to customers. The Software Investment Guide is the
> >> documentation we give to customers on our policies.
> >>
> >> If you have any questions on this material please contact me.
> >>
> >> NAME DELETED
> >> I think that stinks. And Stink big time. The big O is not going
> to
> >> win
> >> this one. Why should you pay for two sets of Oracle S/W if your
> DR
> >> site is never used.
> >> And when it is used, the primary is dead anyway.
> >> So you only have one copy running at any one time.
> >>
> >> For detail information, goto:
>
=== message truncated ===
-- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net -- Author: Rachel Carmichael INET: wisernet100_at_yahoo.com Fat City Network Services -- 858-538-5051 http://www.fatcity.com San Diego, California -- Mailing list and web hosting services --------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: ListGuru_at_fatcity.com (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).Received on Thu Jan 16 2003 - 19:53:38 CST
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