Re: Standard Edition Feature Availability

From: HansF <News.Hans_at_telus.net>
Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2006 13:30:45 GMT
Message-ID: <pan.2006.04.08.13.51.33.244640@telus.net>

On Sat, 08 Apr 2006 02:15:00 -0700, Dusan Bolek wrote:

> Jim Smith wrote:

>> >Interesting comment.  Care to expand?
>> >
>> <unwarrantedAssumption>
>> I assume he means the 4 CPU limitation. </unwarrantedAssumption>
>>
>> It would be interesting to see the actual figures for the size of
>> servers in oracle deployments.
>>
>> My suspicion is that the majority, or at least a substantial minority
>> are small systems which SE or SE1 would cover.

>
> It is even worse. It is not the 4 CPU limitation, it is the MAXIMUM 4 CPU
> CORES CAPACITY limitation and that's the problem. Even with licensing
> factors that for some processors can decrease the number of the cores up
> to the number of the processors (e.g Intels) is is quite limiting. I'm
> working for a big shop, so we have never ever acquired any other edition
> than the Enteprise, but while looking on even low end servers available
> today, most of them are extendable to at least 6 CPUs and therefore not
> usable for SE.
>
> Quote: "Oracle Database Standard Edition can only be licensed on servers
> that have a maximum capacity of 4 single core processors cores."

OK - so your argument, paraphrased, seems to be

"In my shop we have decided to use SMP machines that exceed 4 CPU capacity. Standard Edition is not permitted on such machines and therefore we need to go to Enterprise Edition regardless of the feature requirements."

that is somewhat different than your original

"due to licensing restrictions, it is also impossible to use Standard Edition for a vast majority of implementations."

In some areas and demopgraphics - in fact in the vast majority of my customers - 1, 2 and 4 CPU capable machines are the norm. And they don't buy machines that are capable of more than 4 CPU and stuff them with only 1 or 2 as seems to be your case. After all, the intention of Standard Edition is to serve the needs of small customers and workgroups - in my experience it is a rare small customer or department will need a 4 CPU (or more) machine.

You correctly raise awareness of the 4-CPU limitation (and the 4-CPU frame capability limitation), but I think you over-generalize the impact.

And, I don't think it should be too much of a surprise. A logical place to go for price, minima and license information should be the online store at http://oraclestore.oracle.com where, under the 'Minimums' link attached to EACH price field, we read

"
Oracle Database Standard Edition can only be licensed on servers that have a maximum capacity of 4 single core processors cores. ... "

There is more, full English text for the minimums is at http://oraclestore.oracle.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=11365&media=os_user_minimums

-- 
Hans Forbrich                           
Canada-wide Oracle training and consulting
mailto: Fuzzy.GreyBeard_at_gmail.com   
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Received on Sat Apr 08 2006 - 08:30:45 CDT