Re: Standby database & licensing

On Mon, 02 May 2005 11:44:18 -0700, DA Morgan interested us by writing:

>
> Find a different Oracle rep. Standby databases are free unless they are
> made active for, IIRC, 9 days. Here's the proof:
>
> http://oraclestore.oracle.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=11365&media=os_local_license_agreement
>

Oracle has been having a challenge on sync'ing info and definitions. Based on the available info, you are right ... but there's a bit of expansion needed:

In general terms, a [physical or logical] standby database that is up and actively receiving & applying the archives is considered a part of the production environment and must be licensed. (This used to be called warm standby.)

On the flip side, there is no charge for a standby environment that is normally down (not using any CPU cycles), designed to be activated and sync'd on demand and will not be up at the same time as the produciton system - except for 10 days per year permitted to test the environment. Oracle currently calls that 'failover', although we (non-Oracle) often called that 'cold standby'.

General rule or thumb: if it uses CPU cycles for more than 10 days per year, it needs a license.

As far as I can tell, this discussion about standby licensing has been going on since at least 1993 - when I first got involved with the license side of it. IIRC, we didn't even have 'warm standby' then.

One of the biggest challenges, especially at this time of year, is getting the Oracle rep to hear any words after 'we need a standby ....' - their internal calculators are whirring too loudly as they start calculating license fees (and comissions). They really don't want to hear terms like 'cold standby' or 'failover'.

/Hans Received on Mon May 02 2005 - 15:55:34 CDT