[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text use_border_color=”off” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.9″]<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that time of year where Oracle and its Partners scrabble around frantically trying to close off as much revenue as possible by the end of May. All Oracle end-users will be used to getting the “deal of a lifetime”<\/em> if they sign now and this means Oracle sell more licences at this time of year compared to the previous 11 months.<\/p>\n So, good news for the DBAs out there who will soon have new systems to deploy but how do you ensure you\u2019re not unintentionally opening up your business to a non-compliance situation? Oracle licence management is a complex world where policies are long and are subject to change which means even experienced systems managers can be caught-out.<\/p>\n Oracle users will be aware that when installing the software, many of the functions require a definite opt-out to avoid mistakenly installing unlicensed functionality.\u00a0It’s easy to become non-compliant with Oracle licensing policies although it’s equally easy to avoid expensive\u00a0mistakes through correct planning and\u00a0understanding. Here are 5\u00a0key gotchas to look out for:<\/p>\n Enterprise Management Packs<\/strong>, these are sold extensively with new database licences, such as Diagnostics and Tuning Packs. Some of these Packs are enabled by default, they aren\u2019t free and need to be managed accordingly during the installation. We\u2019ve seen so many users get caught out by this\u2026<\/p>\n In a similar vein, many of the new features within Oracle 12c require additional licensing, yet many are enabled by default.<\/p>\n Multi-tenancy<\/strong> is a widely publicised new feature of 12c and it\u2019s great for managing a large number of databases on the same server. However, you\u2019ll need to licence the feature to match the number of corresponding database licences otherwise it won\u2019t be feeling so great if you get caught out in a compliance audit.<\/p>\n Advanced Security<\/strong> is another very common option for customers that require a tighter level of data encryption, but beware are it\u2019s equally a very easy way to get caught out with a hefty bill if you don\u2019t licence correctly.<\/p>\n Virtualisation,<\/strong> how many times has this been written about. If you’re running Oracle databases on a virtual platform (including OVM), you should check your licence agreements quickly and ensure you haven’t opened up a can of worms.<\/p>\n SE2 <\/strong>is\u00a0Oracle’s replacement for Standard Edition. You could happily licence 4 x CPUs previously\u00a0but since 1st December ’15, you’re restricted to 2 processor sockets if you upgrade past version 12.1.0.1. If you need 4 x CPUs (inc total in a 2 Node RAC), you’ll need to move up to Enterprise Edition and budget accordingly.<\/p>\n As such, it\u2019s all too easy for an Oracle users to inadvertently become non-compliant, so what can you do about it?<\/p>\n The team at N4Stack have developed an\u00a0Automated Licence Review Tool<\/strong>\u00a0to deliver a monthly report to show Oracle usage so you can compare against your owned licences. It\u2019s an invaluable service that\u2019s been developed based on working with complex Oracle licence agreements for over a decade. We recommend it to all of our Oracle customers, please give us a call to find out more, it could prevent you from pulling your hair out.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.12.2″ background_color=”#e05206″ color=”#e05206″ height=”4px” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_team_member _builder_version=”3.12.2″ saved_tabs=”all” name=”Julian Boneham” position=”Director” linkedin_url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/julianboneham\/” image_url=”http:\/\/content.n4stack.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Julian-Boneham_GW.png” global_module=”53973″]<\/p>\n Julian brings over 20 years of experience having started his career in the UK\u2019s Oracle distribution channel in 1997.<\/p>\n He co-founded Onomi in 2015 and, following Onomi’s acquisition by Node4 in 2017, he co-founded N4Stack.<\/p>\n He’s working hard towards taking over the Database Managed Services world and we think he’s doing a pretty good job!<\/p>\n