Re: Restricting Oracle to one processor

Jason,

   The text you cited is exactly correct. And here is the part that makes SE-1 (or any SE product) ineligible for wide ranges of hardware:

[Standard Edition] When licensing Oracle programs with Standard Edition One or Standard Edition in the product name, a processor is counted equivalent to an occupied socket; however, *in the case of multi-chip modules, each chip in the multi-chip module is counted as one occupied socket*.

   Why is that? Well, many -- probably *most *-- processors today are implemented as "Multi-chip-Modules". In most cases, a Multi-Chip-Module contains *one* CPU chip, one Memory Controller, and one or more memory chips. A single-core processor manufactured by Intel (or, indeed, by anybody else) could be shipped as an MCM containing a dozen chips or more. *And each and every chip now counts as an "occupied socket" (and therefore, a CPU) for purposes of SE licensing.*

   Is this what Oracle *meant*? I very much doubt it. But this *is what the license says*. Even if you interpret this rule the way Oracle corp probably *intended* it, a server with 2 quad-core *intel* processors (they have 2 CPU chips each right now) is ineligible for SE-1 licensing because it exceeds the *maximum capacity *for SE-1 (namely, not more than 2 "sockets"). The rules (even as "probably intended") apply differently to quad-core AMD processors, though. Or SPARC processors. Or POWER processors, or...

   To license Standard Edition correctly, you now need to know details of CPU implementation that are not at all easy to locate, and your server's * eligibility* to run SE products can change over time as manufacturers introduce new (compatible) processor designs with differing numbers of chips. (E.g., if AMD introduced next year quad-core processors implemented with 2 @ dual-core chips, the server you licensed today for SE may no longer be eligible, because its *maximum capacity* has increased!) Not being a lawyer, though, I have no idea whether Oracle would get away with trying to enforce *that* though...

   You purchase SE licenses today at your own peril. How many chips are in *your* processors? How would you know? (MCMs are so common-place now, nobody really discusses them anymore. Personally, I cannot imagine Oracle corp being foolish enough to enforce this rule exactly as written, but I think potential purchasers would be equally foolish to *accept* this licensing condition as written.

On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 9:44 AM, Jason Heinrich <jheinrich_at_heinrichfamily.com> wrote:

> Here's the exact wording on multi-core licensing from Oracle's most recent
> price list (
> http://www.oracle.com/corporate/pricing/technology-price-list.pdf):
>
> [Enterprise Edition] For the purposes of counting the number of processors
> which require licensing for AMD and Intel multicore chips, "n" cores shall
> be determined by multiplying the total number of cores by a core processor
> licensing factor of .50.
> ...
> [Standard Edition] When licensing Oracle programs with Standard Edition One
> or Standard Edition in the product name, a processor is counted equivalent
> to an occupied socket; however, in the case of multi-chip modules, each chip
> in the multi-chip module is counted as one occupied socket.
>
> I don't see anything there that would prevent SE1 from being used on his
> Intel hardware. A multi-core processor is still just one chip, so my
> understanding of the "multi-chip module" wording would be something like a
> daughtercard with multiple processors on it. One motherboard socket, but
> multiple physical CPUs. However, if you were going to purchase SE or SE1
> licenses, I would definitely ask a licensing expert to be sure.
>
> On Thu, Jun 5, 2008 at 7:16 PM, Mark Brinsmead <pythianbrinsmead_at_gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The OP did not say anything about database editions. Bill, you might also
>> want to be aware that with the new license rules regarding
>> Multi-Chip-Modules, the hardware you described will not be (cannot be)
>> eligible for Standard-Edition One licenses if your quad-core processors are
>> manufactured by Intel. (Actually, because Oracle seems to have accidentally
>> mis-worded the new license rules, the hardware may be ineligible for SE of
>> any flavour with CPUs from any manufacturer.)
>
>
> --
> Jason Heinrich

-- 
Cheers,
-- Mark Brinsmead
Senior DBA,
The Pythian Group
http://www.pythian.com/blogs

--
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