I’ve written quite a bit about Oracle virtualization in the past, as you can find on my Oracle Page. Now that I’m working with Nutanix I thought it was time to write about the topic of Oracle Licensing and Support on the Nutanix Virtual Computing Platform. This article will take you through the highlights that you need to know. Keep an eye out on the Nutanix Product Information page for the Tech Notes and Best Practice Guides for Oracle, SAP and other applications.
The licensing and support position for Oracle running on the Nutanix platform with VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V is the same as any other platform running these supported hypervisors and Oracle supported guest operating systems. Both hypervisors are supported from their respective vendors, and both are also supported by Oracle (MOS Note 249212.1 – VMware vSphere, 1563794.1 – Microsoft Hyper-V). However with the Nutanix Virtual Computing platform you have the option of calling Nutanix support for both the hypervisor and the underlying hardware platform, and as a member of TSA Net (http://www.tsanet.org/) Nutanix can also work with Oracle and your chosen hypervisor vendor on support cases.
From a licensing perspective, information on Oracle licensing policy can be found in Oracle’s Software Investment Guide and many details are included on my Oracle Page. Ultimately the source of truth is your executed and binding legal contract, referred to commonly as the OLSA or TOMA (see http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/contracts/index.html). There are a number of different licensing models, including Named User Plus, per Processor, OEM and various enterprise license agreements. When it comes to the Nutanix Virtual Computing Platform it is important to know that when using per Processor based licensing, the smallest unit that can be licensed is a single Nutanix node. You are not able to partition a single Nutanix node into smaller units for licensing purposes, as both Hyper-V and vSphere are considered soft-partitioned platforms (see http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/pricing/partitioning-070609.pdf and Fight the FUD – Oracle Licensing and Support on VMware vSphere). You are not required to license an entire Nutanix block, or cluster (Nutanix cluster or hypervisor cluster), if not all nodes will run Oracle software. Don’t get sub-cluster containment (keeping VM’s restricted to a small number of hosts in a big cluster) confused with partitioning, as they are completely different. You can use hypervisor clusters, or cluster rules to restrict where Oracle software can run, and therefore restrict how many nodes of a large cluster must be licensed. You must however ensure you are appropriately licensed for every and all Nutanix nodes where Oracle software is run. You should also put measures in place to reduce the risk of configuration error that could result in license compliance issues.
Note: Given the complexity of software licensing and the potential impact of becoming out of compliance, I recommend that you obtain appropriate independent legal advice on your license agreements when considering any platform change.
Additional Oracle Support and Licensing Resources:
o Understanding Oracle Certification, Support and Licensing on VMware Environments
o VMware Expanded Oracle Support Policy
o Oracle and Microsoft Support
Final Word
Make sure you know your license compliance position prior to virtualizing your Oracle Databases and put measures in place to ensure that you stay in compliance without any nasty surprises. You can successfully virtualize Oracle and optimize your return on investment by getting higher utilization and avoiding unnecessary additional license purchases. But as with virtualizing any business critical applications it needs to be done with care and due attention paid to the important details, which includes licensing, not just the technology.
—
This post appeared on the Long White Virtual Clouds blog at longwhiteclouds.com, by Michael Webster +. Copyright © 2014 – IT Solutions 2000 Ltd and Michael Webster +. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission.
Whilst I think this is an excellent article, with a common sense approach also favoured by VMware – Oracle are still saying at their DOAG conference and other licensing discussion forums that they do not accept processor or host affinity rules on VMware. And even worse, that you should have separate shared storage and vCenter Server instances for each database cluster which you wish to license. In practice this means for v5.5 where storage vMotion is limited to a single vCenter instance that you should license all host servers defined by their vMotion boundary, and with long distance vMotion between datacenters in v6 who knows! It would appear that two camps already exist or are set to develop. Those who damn the consequences and will use host affinity until told not to by Oracle, or those who miss out on all of the great benefits brought about by hyperconvergence because they fear to be presented with a sizeable demand for license shortfalls. I still don’t know which side it’s worth being on, but if you’re implementing designs which involve Oracle on any virtualisation platform I think it’s worth running it by Oracle first. Does anyone know if Oracle have actually approved the host affinity approach on the Nutanix platform?
There is nothing for them to approve. It\’s in the contract and that is set in stone. They can say whatever they like. It has no relevance other than what is in the signed contract and it\’s all based on physical servers. So long as you can provide proof Oracle has only been on licensed servers, you are fine. If Oracle says something like that, ask them, which page and paragraph does that appear in the contract. It\’s that simple.
Great to read your reply Michael, but not sure what exactly you are referring to with your comment of “it’s in the contract, and that is set in stone”? Do you mean that they make the statement that you must only pay for sockets on which Oracle has been actually used, in which case the vMotion/DRS log files would prove that it hasn’t been used on an unlicensed host? I’m not an apologist for Oracle by any means, and I think it’s a cynical stance that they are taking in favour of pushing customers down the Oracle VM route – however I have been involved in several designs which have necessarily counselled caution in this area due to the numerous red flags throughout Oracle’s documentation. But I think I see your point (not necessarily agree though!) now that I’ve read House of Brick’s post here: http://houseofbrick.com/oracle-licensing-soft-par…
Yes the vMotion log files and log files from vCenter are proof that the database has never moved from the licensed hosts. The contract is the only relevant document, all of the other Oracle papers on their web site 'are for educational purposes only' unless it is explicitly included in the contract, and are therefore irrelevant. You only have to license where Oracle software is installed and/or running, not where it might be. The contract replaces all prior understandings and communications both verbal and written. You should be cautious when planning projects for Oracle software. But you should not be afraid of Oracle if you are properly prepared and know your licensing position, which is quite clear if configured correctly and when you have the right processes and evidence to back you up.
[…] Permalink to Michael’s original article […]
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/virtualizationmatrix-172995.html
Oracle DB does not support running on VMware or AHV. I don’t know why Nutanix or VMware always say can.
You seem to misunderstand the difference between support and certified. Please refer to Oracle Support Note 249212.1, as an example. Oracle supports their software on certified operating systems. The operating system is not modified.
[…] Permalink to Michael’s original article […]