Partitioned servers are commonly found in the corporate IT environment today due to cost savings and simplified management of running multiple operating systems — such as UNIX or Windows NT — on the same server. Partitioned servers also improve the work load balancing and distribution.

In the case of partitioning servers, Oracle licensing recognizes hardware partitioning for licensing purposes. Meaning ….Oracle customers can license “only those processors that have been purchased from the hardware vendors.” As more processor rights are bought, additional Oracle licenses must be purchased.

Note: Oracle Database Standard Edition can only be licensed under server with four sockets. Customers cannot partition a larger server into four sockets and then license the database Standard Edition for that partition.

If you’re using Oracle Database Standard Edition, be aware that Oracle licensing rules only allows it to be licensed on servers that have a maximum capacity of 4 sockets. Oracle Standard Edition One has a maximum capacity of 2 sockets, according to Oracle licensing.

With the release of Oracle 10g, the Oracle Database Standard Edition product includes the Real Applications Clusters database option. Also, Oracle Cluster Ready Services must be used as the clusterware AND use Oracle’s Automatic Storage Management. Third-party clusterware is not supported.

If you’ve been following Oracle licensing updates, you’ll note that these licensing tips were part of a footnote reminder in the latest software investment guide.

Like I’ve said before, Oracle licensing can be complex.