Oracle Active Dataguard Licensing

How Does Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Work?

• Separate License: A separate license from the Oracle Database is required.
• Cost: USD 11,500 per processor or named user plus.
• Nodes: Must be licensed on both primary and standby nodes.
• License Matching: The number of licenses must match Oracle Database Enterprise Edition.
• Core Factor Table: Used to determine license requirements based on cores.
• Inclusions: This can be included in an Oracle Unlimited License Agreement (ULA).

Oracle Active Dataguard Licensing

Oracle Active Data Guard is a database option for Oracle Database Enterprise Edition that provides advanced data protection, high availability, disaster recovery, and real-time data replication capabilities.

While offering significant benefits, Active Data Guard has specific licensing requirements that organizations must fully understand to avoid compliance issues and unexpected licensing costs.

This guide explains Oracle Active Data Guard licensing rules, processor-based license calculations, standby database licensing requirements, key licensing considerations, common pitfalls, best practices, and practical examples to help manage Oracle licensing efficiently.

What is Oracle Active Data Guard?

Oracle Active Data Guard extends Oracle Data Guard capabilities by allowing real-time read-only access to standby databases while continuous data replication from primary databases occurs.

Unlike basic Data Guard, Active Data Guard enables the standby database to actively serve reporting, analytics, queries, and backup operations, significantly increasing business continuity and data availability.

Oracle Active Data Guard is licensed as a separate Oracle Database Enterprise Edition option, requiring explicit processor-based licenses beyond the standard database licenses.

Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Model

Oracle Active Data Guard licensing follows Oracle’s standard Processor-based licensing model. Named User Plus (NUP) licensing does not typically apply to Active Data Guard, which is processor-only.

Oracle defines processor licenses for Active Data Guard based on the total number of processor cores (physical or virtual) within servers hosting Active Data Guard-enabled standby databases.

Processor Licensing and Oracle Core Factor Table

Oracle calculates Active Data Guard processor licenses using the standard Oracle Core Factor Table, applying processor multipliers based on CPU types and cores.

Example of Oracle Core Factor Table for Common CPUs:

Processor Licensing Example:

• A standby database server using Active Data Guard has 2 Intel Xeon CPUs with 12 cores each (24 total cores).
• Core factor: 0.5 (Intel Xeon).
• Licenses required: 24 cores × 0.5 core factor = 12 Active Data Guard processor licenses.

Licensing Active Data Guard Standby Environments

Oracle requires separate licensing of all physical cores on servers running Active Data Guard standby databases, regardless of whether the standby database is actively accessed or used intermittently.

Unlike basic Data Guard (which is included free with Oracle Database EE for passive, non-accessed standby databases), Active Data Guard always requires explicit licensing.

Practical Licensing Scenario:

• Primary database server: 16 cores licensed for Oracle Database EE.
• Active Data Guard standby server: 16 cores with identical hardware and configuration.
• Both servers require full Oracle Database EE licenses (16 cores each).
• Standby server additionally requires Active Data Guard licenses (16 cores × applicable core factor).

Common Misunderstandings about Licensing Standby Databases:

• Organizations mistakenly assume Active Data Guard licensing covers both primary and standby databases.
  Reality: Oracle requires separate processor licensing for each Active Data Guard server.
• Standby environments intended purely for Disaster Recovery but regularly accessed for reports or backups require Active Data Guard licenses.

Licensing Active Data Guard in Virtualized Environments

Active Data Guard licensing rules become more complex in virtualized environments such as VMware or Oracle VM. Oracle typically mandates licensing all physical cores in a virtualized cluster where Active Data Guard VMs reside, irrespective of VM-specific resource allocation.

Example Licensing Scenario (VMware):

• VMware cluster with 3 physical servers, each with 16 cores (48 cores total).
• Active Data Guard running on a VM allocated 8 virtual CPUs.
• Oracle licensing policy typically requires licensing the entire cluster:
  • 48 cores × 0.5 core factor = 24 Active Data Guard processor licenses required, despite minimal VM allocation.

This often leads to significantly higher licensing costs, highlighting the importance of understanding Oracle virtualization licensing rules clearly.

Licensing Active Data Guard in Cloud Environments

When deploying Active Data Guard in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure), Oracle applies specific licensing rules:

AWS and Azure Licensing Rules:

• Active Data Guard licensing is based on the vCPU count.
• Oracle calculates licensing as two vCPUs equal to one processor license (2:1 ratio).
• Core factor tables do not apply in these cloud environments.

AWS Licensing Practical Example:

• Standby database with Active Data Guard on AWS EC2 instance with 16 vCPUs.
• Required processor licenses: 16 vCPUs ÷ 2 = 8 Active Data Guard processor licenses.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI):

• Oracle offers Active Data Guard through subscription-based cloud service or Bring Your Own License (BYOL).
• BYOL licensing follows similar vCPU calculations (2 vCPUs = 1 processor license).

Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Compliance Risks and Common Pitfalls

Several common licensing pitfalls can result in compliance violations:

Pitfall 1: Unlicensed Active Data Guard Usage

• Organizations mistakenly activate Active Data Guard functionality on standby databases without proper licenses, assuming basic Data Guard licenses suffice.

Pitfall 2: Incorrect Standby Licensing Calculations

• Underestimating required licenses by licensing only primary databases or incorrectly counting cores on standby servers.

Pitfall 3: Virtualization Miscalculations

• Incorrectly licensing only virtual CPUs instead of required entire physical clusters, causing significant compliance exposure during Oracle audits.

Best Practices for Managing Active Data Guard Licensing

Organizations can minimize compliance risks and optimize Active Data Guard licensing by following clear best practices:

Maintain Accurate License Inventories

• Document Active Data Guard processor license entitlements, core counts, hardware details, and standby database configurations.

Regular Internal Compliance Audits

• Conduct quarterly or annual audits of Active Data Guard deployments, ensuring proper license counts and configurations.

Document Standby Usage

• Clearly distinguish between passive standby databases (basic Data Guard) and active standby databases (Active Data Guard) to avoid unnecessary licensing confusion.

Engage Licensing Experts for Complex Scenarios

• Consult independent Oracle licensing specialists for complex virtualized, clustered, or cloud-based Active Data Guard deployments to avoid expensive compliance pitfalls.

Preparing for Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Audits

Given Oracle’s aggressive licensing audit practices, organizations must proactively prepare:

Audit-Ready Documentation

• Centralize clear licensing documentation, including Active Data Guard processor licenses, deployment configurations, core factors, and hardware specifications.

Internal Validation and Remediation

• Regularly run Oracle LMS-provided audit scripts internally to proactively identify and remediate licensing gaps before audits occur.

Strategic Audit Communication

• Respond promptly and accurately to Oracle audit inquiries, providing detailed licensing records and deployment data to minimize potential penalties.

Practical Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Scenarios

Scenario 1: On-Premises Licensing Calculation

• Primary Database: 24-core Intel Xeon (12 processor licenses)
• Active Data Guard Standby: Identical hardware (24-core Intel Xeon), requiring additional 12 Active Data Guard processor licenses.

Scenario 2: AWS Licensing Scenario

• The active Data Guard was deployed on an AWS EC2 instance with 20 vCPUs.
• Required processor licenses: 20 ÷ 2 = 10 Active Data Guard processor licenses.

Final Recommendations for Oracle Active Data Guard Licensing Management

Managing Oracle Active Data Guard licenses effectively requires clear documentation, proactive compliance practices, and strategic planning:

• Document Active Data Guard licensing entitlements and deployment specifics centrally.
• Regularly conduct internal licensing audits to identify and proactively remediate issues.
• Communicate licensing requirements and limitations internally.
• Engage independent licensing experts for complex deployment scenarios and validation.

Following these detailed recommendations ensures organizations effectively manage Oracle Active Data Guard licenses, minimize compliance risks, and optimize licensing costs.

FAQs

What is Oracle Active Data Guard?

Oracle Active Data Guard is a feature that creates and maintains standby databases for disaster recovery, high availability, and read-only workloads, continuously updated from the primary database.

How is Active Data Guard different from Data Guard?

Data Guard provides data availability and protection, which the Oracle Database includes. Active Data Guard enhances this by enabling read-only access and additional features, requiring a separate license.

Do I need a separate license for Active Data Guard?

Oracle Active Data Guard requires a separate license for primary and standby nodes.

How much does an Oracle Active Data Guard license cost?

The license costs USD 11,500 per processor or named user plus.

How do I determine the number of licenses needed?

The number of licenses is based on the number and metric of Oracle Database Enterprise Edition licenses, using the Oracle core factor table.

Can Active Data Guard be included in an Oracle Unlimited License Agreement (ULA)?

Yes, Oracle Active Data Guard can be included in an Oracle ULA.

What features does Active Data Guard provide?

Active Data Guard includes real-time query on physical standby, fast incremental backup, automatic block repair, far sync, global data services, real-time cascade, application continuity, rolling upgrade, and DML redirection (excluding Oracle Database 19c and later in authorized cloud environments).

What is the core factor table used for?

The core factor table helps determine the number of processor licenses required based on the system’s core count.

Can I use Active Data Guard for read-only workloads?

Active Data Guard allows offloading read-only workloads to standby databases, improving primary database performance.

Is there a difference in licensing Active Data Guard on cloud environments?

Active Data Guard DML redirection is unavailable for Oracle Database 19c and later releases in authorized cloud environments.

What types of operations can be offloaded to the standby database?

Operations like read-only queries, backups, and recovery tasks can be offloaded to the standby database.

Do I need to license primary and standby databases for Active Data Guard?

The primary and standby databases must be licensed for Active Data Guard.

Can Active Data Guard be used for disaster recovery?

Yes, one of the primary uses of Active Data Guard is disaster recovery, ensuring the standby database is ready to take over if needed.

What is the impact of using Active Data Guard on primary database performance?

By offloading read-only workloads and backup operations to the standby database, Active Data Guard helps improve the primary database’s performance.

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