About VMware DRS groups and Oracle

Recently I’ve learned two interesting things about running Oracle on VMware:

1. VMware DRS Groups can be used as a means to limit running options within a vSphere cluster for your Oracle virtual machines;
2. VMware is a supported platform for your Oracle servers;

DRS Groups & Oracle Licensing

There’s a lot indistinctness about whether one can use DRS groups to limit running options for your Oracle VM’s within a vSphere cluster. I’ve written about this subject a couple of months ago: it’s one of the most popular articles on this blog (make sure to read this first of you are new to Oracle licensing on vSphere).

In this article I wrote: “Oracle is not very clear about this configuration [using DRS groups to decrease licensing costs]. Is this allowed? I haven’t found a clear answer on this so far”.

From a earlier posted VMworld TV video I’ve learned: “As long as the log files show that the Oracle App has not been on a particular server [whichever technology you use for this], as long as it doesn’t come on a server it doesn’t need to be licensed”. Well, that’s interesting: If you use DRS groups to minimize the number of ESXi servers on which Oracle can run on in a vSphere cluster, you only have to license these hosts! In this viktorious.nl blogarticle which is about VMworld 2012 session APP-BCA1751, the statement seems to be confirmed: “you [only] have to license all processors where the Oracle programs are installed and/or running on“. Oracle is not really interested in which means you use to achieve this. Please read the article, for the full context of this statement.

VMware is a supported platform for Oracle

Another thing I’ve learned it that VMware vSphere is supported platform for running Oracle solutions, although it’s not certified. (Note: HP, Dell and IBM servers are also not certified, they are supported as well….of course). See Appendix 2 on page 11 in this whitepaper by VMware, which contains the Oracle support statement regarding vSphere environments.

Well, that’s some interesting information. Note: Always check with your license vendor if you’ve got things correctly licensed, the purpose of this article is just to inform you about the subject and of course I take no liability.

Also check this article by Marcel van den Berg (no, we’re not family).