Oracle Database licensing in multitenant architectures

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 9 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Oracle Database licensing in multitenant architectures

    The Software Asset Management application supports licensing rules for Oracle databases using multitenant architectures, which consolidate multiple pluggable databases (PDBs) into a single container database (CDB). This architecture, available from Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) onward, simplifies management by enabling simultaneous tracking, provisioning, cloning, resource management, and upgrades of multiple PDBs. Customers must license both Oracle Database and the Oracle Multitenant option, with some cloud service editions including the Multitenant option license by default.

    Show full answer Show less

    Oracle Multitenant Option Licensing

    The Oracle Multitenant option requires licensing through either Named User Plus or Per Processor metrics, covering all users or devices accessing user-created PDBs, or processor cores on hosts running those PDBs. Licensing applies only to user-created PDBs, excluding proxy or seed PDBs.

    Determining licensing needs depends on Oracle Database version, edition, and the number of user-created PDBs per database instance.

    Licensing Requirements by Version and Edition

    • Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1):
      • Standard Editions (SE, SE1, SE2) do not support the Multitenant option.
      • Enterprise Edition (EE): No license needed if each instance has only one user-created PDB. Licensing required if more than one user-created PDB is present.
      • Supports up to 252 user-created PDBs per instance; exceeding this creates compliance removal candidates.
    • Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2) and 18c:
      • Enterprise Edition (EE): Same licensing rules as 12.1 EE.
      • Standard Edition 2 (SE2): Supports only one user-created PDB per instance; no licensing needed.
      • Cloud Service Enterprise Editions (DBCS EE-HP, DBCS EE-EP) and Exadata Cloud Service (ExaCS):
        • No separate Multitenant license required even if multiple user-created PDBs exist, as it is included.
        • Supports up to 4,096 user-created PDBs per instance; exceeding this requires removal to maintain compliance.
    • Oracle Database 19c and later:
      • Enterprise Edition (EE): No license needed if each instance has three or fewer user-created PDBs; licensing required beyond that.
      • Standard Edition 2 (SE2) and certain cloud editions follow similar rules with included Multitenant licensing for up to three user-created PDBs.
      • Supports up to 252 user-created PDBs per instance for EE, and up to 4,096 for cloud editions before removal candidates are created for excess PDBs.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    • Track the number of user-created PDBs per database instance to ensure compliance with Oracle Multitenant licensing requirements.
    • Identify the Oracle Database version and edition in use to determine whether separate Multitenant licensing is necessary.
    • Be aware that exceeding supported PDB limits per database instance will trigger compliance alerts and necessitate removal of excess PDBs.
    • For cloud customers using Oracle Database Cloud Service or Exadata Cloud Service, separate Multitenant licensing is generally not required as it is included.
    • Use Software Asset Management tools to monitor and manage license compliance effectively across multitenant environments.

    The Software Asset Management application supports licensing rules for Oracle databases in multitenant architectures.

    The Oracle multitenant architecture simplifies database management by enabling you to consolidate multiple pluggable databases (PDBs) into a single container database (CDB). With a CDB, you can track, provision, clone, manage resources for, and upgrade multiple PDBs simultaneously. This multitenant architecture is supported on Oracle Database version 12c Release 1 (12.1) and later.

    To run an Oracle database in a multitenant architecture, you must purchase and manage licenses for both Oracle Database and the Oracle Multitenant option. In most cases, Oracle Multitenant option licenses must be purchased and managed separately from Oracle Database licenses. However, Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - High Performance (DBCS EE-HP), Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - Extreme Performance (DBCS EE-EP), and Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Service (ExaCS) do not require a separate license for the Oracle Multitenant option, as it is already included in the database license. For more information on Oracle Database licensing, see Software Asset Management publisher pack for Oracle.

    Oracle Multitenant option licensing

    The Oracle Multitenant option supports both the Named User Plus and Per Processor license metrics. The Named User Plus license metric licenses all users and physical devices that access a user-created PDB. The Per Processor license metric licenses the processor cores on all physical hosts that are running a user-created PDB. For more information on these license metrics, see Oracle license metrics.
    Important:
    Oracle Multitenant option licensing accounts for user-created PDBs only. It does not account for proxy PDBs or seed PDBs.
    You can determine whether Oracle Multitenant option licensing is required for your database deployment based on the following criteria:
    • The Oracle Database version and edition of your PDBs and CDBs.
    • The number of user-created PDBs within each database instance that is running on the database installation.
    Table 1. Oracle Multitenant option licensing requirements
    Oracle Database version Oracle Database edition Licensing requirement
    12c Release 1 (12.1) Oracle Database Standard Edition (SE) The Oracle Multitenant option is not supported.
    Oracle Database Standard Edition One (SE1)
    Oracle Database Standard Edition 2 (SE2)
    Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE)
    • If every database instance contains only one user-created PDB each, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    • If any database instance contains more than one user-created PDB, licensing is required using either the Named User Plus or Per Processor license metric.
      Important:
      This version and edition of Oracle Database supports up to 252 user-created PDBs per database instance. If a database instance contains more than 252 user-created PDBs, Software Asset Management creates removal candidates for the additional PDBs. You must remove the additional PDBs to maintain compliance.
    12c Release 2 (12.2) and 18c Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE)
    • If every database instance contains only one user-created PDB each, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    • If any database instance contains more than one user-created PDB, licensing is required using either the Named User Plus or Per Processor license metric.
      Important:
      This version and edition of Oracle Database supports up to 252 user-created PDBs per database instance. If a database instance contains more than 252 user-created PDBs, Software Asset Management creates removal candidates for the additional PDBs. You must remove the additional PDBs to maintain compliance.
    Oracle Database Standard Edition 2 (SE2) The Oracle Multitenant option is supported only in deployments where every database instance contains one user-created PDB each. However, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - High Performance (DBCS EE-HP)
    • If every database instance contains one user-created PDB each, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    • If any database instance contains more than one user-created PDB, the Oracle Multitenant option is in use. However, separate licensing is not required for this option since it is already included in the Oracle Database license.
      Important:
      These versions and editions of Oracle Database support up to 4,096 user-created PDBs per database instance. If a database instance contains more than 4,096 user-created PDBs, Software Asset Management creates removal candidates for the additional PDBs. You must remove the additional PDBs to maintain compliance.
    Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - Extreme Performance (DBCS EE-EP)
    Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Service (ExaCS)
    19c and later Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE)
    • If every database instance contains three or less user-created PDBs each, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    • If any database instance contains more than three user-created PDBs, licensing is required using either the Named User Plus or Per Processor license metric.
      Important:
      This version and edition of Oracle Database supports up to 252 user-created PDBs per database instance. If a database instance contains more than 252 user-created PDBs, Software Asset Management creates removal candidates for the additional PDBs. You must remove the additional PDBs to maintain compliance.
    Oracle Database Standard Edition 2 (SE2) The Oracle Multitenant option is supported only in deployments where every database instance contains three or less user-created PDBs each. However, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - High Performance (DBCS EE-HP)
    • If every database instance contains three or less user-created PDBs each, licensing is not required since the Oracle Multitenant option is not in use.
    • If any database instance contains more than three user-created PDBs, the Oracle Multitenant option is in use. However, separate licensing is not required for this option since it is already included in the Oracle Database license.
      Important:
      These versions and editions of Oracle Database support up to 4,096 user-created PDBs per database instance. If a database instance contains more than 4,096 user-created PDBs, Software Asset Management creates removal candidates for the additional PDBs. You must remove the additional PDBs to maintain compliance.
    Oracle Database Cloud Service Enterprise Edition - Extreme Performance (DBCS EE-EP)
    Oracle Database Exadata Cloud Service (ExaCS)