Intel P IV hyperthreading and oracle - any licensing implications?

On Windows 2000 Server, a single Intel Pentium IV CPU appears as 2 CPUs in the operating system - dual P IV CPUs appear as 4 cpus. This sympton has been exhibited on both Dell and Compaq Servers.

The initialization parameter cpu_count for a database created without an explicit value for cpu_cound read 4 instead of 2. I really can't blame Oracle if the operating system is (errantly) telling oracle that the cpu_count = 4.

http://www.compaq.com/products/servers/technology/hyper-threading.html

What I am concerned about is that if the server is licensed as per CPU and there is a single CPU in the server - that the oracle server license for a single CPU should be valid. Microsoft and Intel should not be causing Oracle's revenues to double just because they think that hyperthreading is neat.

This is not just a Win32 issue - as RedHat and SuSE have announced support for hyperthreading (as mentioned in the above article).

If I have to - I'll disable support for hyperthreading in the BIOS. (as mentioned in the above article).
Actually, as oracle 817 standard likely doesn't take advantage of hyperthreading, I probably should have disabled it already.

Has anyone had any experience with this "feature" - yet?

thanks much.

Paul Received on Tue Aug 13 2002 - 17:13:36 CDT