Oracle has announced an update to its multi-core processor pricing and licensing policy. The new policies improve parity among hardware vendors and help ensure that customers receive the most advantageous pricing for their Oracle technology software, regardless of the hardware on which it is deployed, according to Oracle.
After working closely with its customers over the past several months, Oracle chose to update its pricing policies to help customers take advantage of the recent advancements in multi-core processor chips from leading vendors such as AMD, IBM, Intel and Sun Microsystems. While Oracle will continue to recognize each core as a separate processor, the processor definition has been amended as it relates to counting multi-core chips to determine the total number of processor licenses required. Now, the required processor licensing depends on the specific multi-core chip on which the Oracle software is deployed.
Oracle Processor Licensing: Processor Factor
UltraSparc T1: 0.25
AMD/Intel: 0.50
All other Multi-core Servers: 0.75
Single Core Servers: 1.00
For example, if an AMD, IBM, Intel or Sun UltraSparc T1 multi-core server were installed and/or running Oracle software on 8 cores, the licenses would be calculated in the following manner:
- IBM multi-core server -- Requires six processor licenses (8 multiplied by a factor of 0.75 equals 6)
- Intel or AMD server -- Requires four processor licenses (8 multiplied by a factor of 0.50 equals 4)
- Sun UltraSparc T1 server -- Requires two processor licenses (8 multiplied by a factor of .25 equals 2)
"As technology evolves, we have adapted our licensing models to accommodate those changes. In the same way that the shift from mainframes to client/server and client/server to multi-tiered architectures required new licensing metrics, advancements in multi-core chip technology represents the same," said Jacqueline Woods, vice president, Global Pricing and Licensing Strategy, Oracle. "These new pricing policies will enable our customers to leverage the advancements in multi-core chip technology and derive even more value from their Oracle technology software."
Licensing by processor is one of only several choices Oracle provides its customers. Other options include licensing per user and per employee. Oracle also offers the option of licensing its software on a term (1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 4-year and 5-year) or perpetual basis.
