During VMworld 2012 USA there was a lot of blogging and discussion about how to license an Oracle solution when running on vSphere. Articles are available here and here.
VMworld TV uploaded an interview with Daniël Hesselink and Judica Krikke who both are experts on Oracle licensing. Daniël actually did a presentation on this subject at both VMworlds. The interview is available on YouTube:
The interview gives some new insights, especially on using standard edition (maybe this license model is suitable for you?).
For the rest, the interview confirms what we (probably) already know and what was discussed before: The only legal document is the licensing contract you have with Oracle. All other whitepapers and Oracle policies don’t have any legal value.
I hoped this interview would give the final and only answer on how to license Oracle on vSphere. Unfortunately the interview will not bring you the final answer. The text in the Oracle licensing contract is not really unambiguous and leaves room for discussion. Conclusion: you will end up asking Oracle how they want you to license their stuff. Just don’t give Oracle any motive to discuss license compliancy within your organisation!
Just check the interview yourself. Kuddos to VMworld TV and Eric Sloof for recording the interview!
One Comment
Paul Bullen
Good interview there and they both capture the issues well. I think we all hope for some clarity on vSphere licensing but we’ll probably have a long wait. For those interested in Standard Edition, worth a look at http://rocela.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/a-standard-way-of-thinking-part-i/