Oracle Database VMware support for IFS 10

Licensing is another tricky subject. (My advice on this is offered without warranty.)

• If you use a user-based licensing metric, you’re free to deploy on the hardware of your choice. This is typically how IFS sells ASFU licenses, but these carry the added requirement that you ONLY run IFS on the system.
• If you use a processor-based licensing metric, you’ll need to license Oracle for the entire machine, not just the number of cores in use by the VM. If you’re running Standard Edition 2, the two-socket limitation applies to the whole machine.

If you’re running a VMware cluster with VMotion, Oracle wants you to license the entire cluster, just because you COULD move a VM to any server, but the landmark lawsuit Mars. vs. Oracle showed this reasoning might not hold up in court.
If you’re only running IFS on this database, an ASFU license is your best bet.
(Again, my advice on this is offered without warranty.)

Like Kevin Durette said above, if you are on the processor based licensing, it gets VERY expensive.  I’ve included what Oracle gave to me, but based on what they told me over the phone and in writing, if you have multiple clusters you MUST LICENSE ALL CORES FOR ALL CLUSTERS. We ended up purchasing a second ESXi license and re-configuring two hosts to run separately on these two (we have two - two core instance licenses), it was far cheaper than additional Oracle Licensing.    Good luck, maybe IFS will finally realize SQL is a better option for it’s customers!!

This is not fully true. The Oracle Named User Plus (NUP)  is an named user metric license. The NUP could/can be procured with Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition versions. The SE (SE1, SE or SE2) has an maximum CPU socket limit that affects the number of physical sockets that could be part of the VM-cluster. I.e. you are not allowed to exceed the maximum number of sockets even if you had the user-based metric. Enterprise Edition has no such restrictions. Before the fall 2015, IFS was able to sell NUP ASFU versions and some customers might still have those type of license today.

However, the current ASFU license model sold by IFS, have no hardware restrictions at all, it has to match the amount of IFS user license.

Thus, if you buy the Oracle EE ASFU license from IFS you are not limit to the hardware (CPU sockets, Cores, Virtualization, Cloud, number of servers etc) from an license point of view.

Thanks. I had only considered the EE NUP ASFU licenses currently being sold.

If you are on NUP there is no Hardware Limitation (CPU sockets, Cores, Virtualization, Cloud, number of servers etc) from an license point of view. So then Having a VMware may be a feasible option.

But If you have a Processor or Socket ( SE2 etc.) based licencing, Then you have to have Oracle licences for All Physical cores (according to Core Factor) in VMware Cluster(s). So it will not be cheep and Not worthy.  Depending on your total IFS users count and total solution, You may have to Decide on Cost & Support factors.

When it comes to the Support you can refer to below:

Database virtualization support

All policies for virtualization stated by Oracle also apply for the IFS Application database. See http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/virtualizationmatrix-172995.html
Regarding VMWare support, see Oracles VMware policy statement (Note: 249212.1: Support Status for VMware)
 

IFS Middware Server virtualization support

Only virtualization/OS combinations including IFS supported operating systems are supported by IFS Middleware Server.

Kosala Sandaruwan

I think there is some potential conflicting information with regards to NUP ASFU.

We have NUP ASFU Enterprise Ed licenses (acquired many years ago), and although we are not directly restricted on the amount of sockets cores we use by edition, we do need to keep within the Oracle User/Core minimums, which depending on chipset is something like 2 cores per 25 named users. So if you have 400 NUP licenses, you can utilise a maximum of 32 cores.

I have heard that IFS have a newer deal (v9 and v10 customers may have this?) whereby you can acquire WU Application specific licenses (Weighted User), of which is an agreement between IFS and Oracle. These do not have any restriction with regards to hardware or installations. We are looking to move across to these.

I have always been concerned with Virtual systems (I’m old!). I have always been pressured from the Network/Hardware guys to allow IFS/Oracle servers to be virtualised. I think after many years I do agree that this is the way to go. Once we have changed to the WU licenses, I think this step will follow.

Thanks for the insight guys.

Mike