Q: What is the difference between Oracle Standard Edition and Oracle Standard Edition One?
A: There are two differences. Firstly, Oracle Standard Edition One can only be licensed on servers that have a maximum capacity of 2 processors (CPUs). If your server has a maximum capacity of 3 processors or more then you will have to purchase Oracle Standard Edition (or if it has a maximum capacity of more than 4 processors, you will have to purchase Oracle Enterprise Edition). Secondly, Oracle Standard Edition One does not support clustering whereas Oracle Standard Edition includes Oracle Real Application Clusters.
Q: I only use 2 processors on my server, but it can support 4 processors. Do I still need to purchase Oracle Standard Edition rather than Oracle Standard Edition One?
A: Yes. Your eligibility to use Oracle Standard Edition One is not determined by how many processors in place or in use, but by how many processors the server has capacity for.
Q: I would like to cluster my servers. Which license level should I choose?
A: This depends on how many processors there are in your cluster. If you have 4 or less then you can purchase either Oracle Standard Edition or Oracle Enterprise Edition licenses. If you have 4 or more processors in total across the cluster then you must choose Oracle Enterprise Edition. Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) is a licensing option for Oracle Enterprise Edition.
Q: Are there any minimum order requirements when purchasing Named User licenses?
A: Yes. The minimum order requirements vary depending on which database product you select. These are:
Standard Edition One - 5 Named User Plus licenses per server or the total number of actual users, whichever is greater.
Standard Edition - 5 Named User Plus licenses per server or the total number of actual users, whichever is greater.
Enterprise Edition - 25 Named User Plus licenses per processor or the total number of actual users, whichever is greater.
Personal and Lite Editions - 1 Named User Plus license or the total number of actual users, whichever is greater.
Q: Do I need to buy Named User Plus or per Processor licenses?
A: If you select the Named User Plus licensing option then you must license all the users who are using the Oracle Database, as well as all non-human operated devices accessing the Oracle Database. An example of a non-human device would be a sensor that connects to a database. If a human-operated device such as a bar code scanner connects to the database then all humans operating these devices need to be licensed. If the Named User Plus population is likely to be very high, it would be more cost effective to license per processor. Where it is impossible to quantify the user population (such as in an Internet environment), then you must license per processor.
Q: My server contains multi-core processors. How do I price this?
A: Until recently Oracle counted each physical core as a full processor and they were licensed as thus. Under the new processor definition each core of a multi-core chip is priced using a "licensing factor". These licensing factors are as follows:
Sun UltraSPARC T1 - 0.25
AMD/Intel - 0.5
All other multi-core processors - 0.75
Single core processors - 1
Therefore if you have two dual-core AMD Opteron processors, the cost will be 0.5*4*list price. Two four-core UltraSPARC T1 processors will cost 0.25*8*list price.
Q: Do multi-core processors affect the processor limits on Oracle Standard Edition and Oracle Standard Edition One?
A: Yes. Oracle Standard Edition can only be used on servers that have a maximum capacity of 4 single core processors (CPUs). For multi-core processors, the limit per server is determined by multiplying the "licensing factor" (shown in the previous answer) by the number of cores. The result must be less than or equal to 4, and the number of cores must be less than or equal to 8. In a RAC environment, this limitation applies to the whole cluster (i.e. the result of multiplying the "licensing factor" by the total number of cores in the cluster must be less than or equal to 4, and the total number of cores in the cluster must be less than or equal to 8).
Oracle Standard Edition One can only be used on servers that have a maximum capacity of 2 single core processors. For multi-core processors, the limit per server is determined by multiplying the "licensing factor" (shown in the previous answer) by the number of cores. The result must be less than or equal to 2, and the number of cores must be less than or equal to 4.
Q: Are these licenses any different to those I might purchase directly from Oracle Corporation?
A: No, they are identical. Your license purchase will be registered with Oracle in exactly the same manner as if you'd purchased the license(s) directly from Oracle. The only difference is that you pay less when you purchase from us.
Q: Once I have placed my order how long will I have to wait for my license details?
A: Your order is logged with Oracle who then issue us with a license number for you. This process can take up to 10 business days.
Q: What are your payment terms?
A: Payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date (subject to approval). For larger orders or maximum discounts, payment-on-order is required.