Re: Restricting Oracle to one processor

Jason,

   Sorry. I did not read closely enough the first time. I think I see now what is confusing you...

*> A multi-core processor is still just one chip,*

No. This is not correct. An Intel Quad-Core processor has (for now) *two*processor chips, each with one core. AMD quad-core processors have all
processing units on one chip. For now. Three years from now, who knows what they might be marketing?

Multi-core processors may, in fact, be implemented with any number of processor chips. I recall an announcement from Sun Microsystems a while back that could actually allow a *single* processor core to be implemented with *multiple* chips, although I doubt anybody would ever choose to do that.

*> so my understanding of the "multi-chip module" wording would be something like a daughtercard with multiple processors on it.*

That is *one* form that a MCM can take, but there are many others. Often, MCMs will appear as a small square or rectangle of fibre-glass circuit card, with a metal cap on top. Beneath the metal cap, there are multiple chips. As packaging technology has improved, MCMs can now appear as multiple chips embedded in ceramic or -- I expect -- even the "black goo" that has commonly been used to package single chips.

The early MCMs from Intel (e.g., Pentium-II processors) looked very much like you describe -- a "card" mounted vertically in a "slot". But they now commonly appear as the standard pin-grid-array packages that most of of think of when we picture a "CPU" or a "chip". I suspect that you will find -- if you dig deeply enough -- that *most* modern CPUs are actually delivered as multi-chip-modules. I could be mistaken about that, though.

By the way... What is a "chip"? Most people picture a black oblong with little metal legs on the side or a big grid of pins on the bottom when the envision a "chip". This is not correct. A chip is a (usually) oblong piece of (usually) silicon crystal, with integrated circuits etched on its surface. One or more of these "chips" go into one of those black oblong things (called "packages") with those legs or pins. When a package contains more than one "chip", we call it a multi-chip-module.

*> One motherboard socket, but multiple physical CPUs. *

Actually, most MCMs contain *only one* CPU chip, but may contain memory controllers, memory chips, GPUs, and many other things. Under the new licensing rules, every one of those chips now counts as a "occupied socket", that is a "CPU", for licensing purposes.

*> However, if you were going to purchase SE or SE1 licenses, I would definitely ask a licensing expert to be sure.*

Yes, you should! But be *certain *when you are consulting an "expert" that they actually (fully) understand what a Multi-Chip-Module is! (Note: your Oracle sales rep probably does not...)

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

--
http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l