This is unfortunately a very complex topic and the final answer legally
must come from Oracle, not us. Also, talk to them to see whether you
can get additional discounts, etc.
However, some things to consider - based on my reading:
- You can chose whether you prefer Named User Plus or CPU, so you need
to do both calculations, then pick the least expensive for you. Also
remember to include the price of the CD packs - a separate item. (And
don't use the downloaded version in production, in case of download
glitches.)
- The database is generally licensed at the database level. Very, very
few of Oracle's client software modules need licensing on the client
machine. Search for the "Oracle9i Database Release 2 Product Family"
document on OTN (under product descriptions section) for a fairly
comprehensive list of extra cost options.
- In the Oracle Store, under Check User Minimums, it clearly states how
many Named User Plus you MUST have at a minimum for each CPU, for each
grade of database.
- If you are using Named User Plus (you do not license by CPU) you
license by the name of the user (or device if a totally automated unit
such as a transponder) that ultimately connects to the database. It
does not matter whether the user is connected at any time or not. This
is spelled out in the Licencing and Pricing documents that you can
access from the "Licensing & Pricing" link from http://www.oracle.com
- The Plus in the Named User Plus refers to autonomic device, such as a
recording transponder, which effectively gets it's own name.
- Intermediate devices, such as terminal servers, http/web servers,
multiplexors, etc. are explicitly ignored - if you have 5 people getting
to the database through web browsers and the the web browser is
configured to use 1 userid you still need 5 licenses (or more, to
maintain minimums). This is also stated in the Licensing and Pricing
documents.
- Named User Plus is NOT the number of client devices. You could load
up the client software on every PC in your organization and the named
user could legitimately use any of those devices. A named user can also
have multiple concurrent accesses the instances. Conversely, people
whose 'names' are not on the licenses may not use the database even if
the software is loaded on their PC.
- If you get the CPU license, all CPUs physically in the server need to
be licensed. If it's a 2 CPU chassis capable for 4 CPUs - license 2
now, add licenses if you upgrade the box to add CPUs.
- The license is independant to operating system (Windows, Unix, Linux)
and you do not need to re-license to switch OSs.
- CPU licenses allow any number of users concurrent access to all the
instances on the server. So there is a break-even point between Named
User Plus and CPU. Effectively start with Named User Plus and user the
CPU as an upper limit.
- Either way, you can run all the instances your server's CPUs and
memory will handle.
Again, this is all based on my reading on Oracle's site - if you want
document ids and page numbers I can (very grumpily) provide them.
Received on Thu May 22 2003 - 17:51:00 CDT
