Calculating Oracle Licenses for AWS EC2 Instances
Determining Oracle licensing requirements on AWS EC2 is straightforward if you follow Oracle’s published licensing rules.
Below is a practical step-by-step guide to accurately calculate the number of Oracle licenses needed for specific AWS EC2 instances, illustrated through clear examples.
Read Oracle on AWS Licensing FAQs 3 of 4.
Step-by-Step: Calculating Oracle Licenses for AWS EC2
Step 1: Identify EC2 Instance Type and vCPUs
AWS specifies the number of virtual CPUs (vCPUs) for each EC2 instance type. For example:
- m5.2xlarge: has eight vCPUs (4 physical cores, hyper-threaded).
Step 2: Apply Oracle Licensing Rules Clearly
Oracle’s standard cloud licensing rule clearly states:
- If hyper-threading is enabled (default on AWS):
- 2 vCPUs = 1 Oracle Processor license
- If hyper-threading is disabled:
- 1 vCPU = 1 Oracle Processor license
AWS typically uses hyper-threading, so usually, you’ll divide vCPUs by 2.
Step 3: Calculate Required Licenses
- For an EC2 instance with eight vCPUs (hyper-threaded):
- 8 vCPUs ÷ 2 equals 4 Oracle Processor licenses required.
This calculation applies to Oracle Database Enterprise Edition (EE).
Practical Example Clearly Explained
AWS EC2 Example: m5.2xlarge (8 vCPUs)
- Instance type: m5.2xlarge
- vCPUs: 8 vCPUs (4 cores hyper-threaded)
| Licensing Metric | Calculation | Licenses Needed (Clearly Explained) |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Metric | 8 vCPUs ÷ 2 | 4 Processor licenses |
| Named User Plus | 4 processors × 25 users | Minimum 100 Named User licenses |
Clearly explained decision:
- The processor metric is typically cost-effective for larger AWS instances because Named User minimums increase rapidly with vCPU counts.
Oracle Database Options (Partitioning, Diagnostics, etc.)
Oracle options (like Partitioning, Diagnostics Pack, Tuning Pack) require licensing based on the underlying processor license count:
- If your base database requires four processor licenses, any additional Oracle options require the same number (4 licenses each).
Example:
- Base Oracle Database EE: 4 processor licenses
- Using the Partitioning option: An additional 4 Partitioning licenses are required.
Total licenses clearly explained:
- 4 Database EE licenses + 4 Partitioning licenses required.
Standard Edition 2 (SE2) Licensing Example
Oracle Standard Edition 2 (SE2) differs from EE licensing rules:
- Licensed by socket, not by processor or vCPU directly.
- AWS cloud rule for SE2 clearly states:
- Up to 8 vCPUs = 2 sockets clearly required
- Each SE2 license clearly covers one socket.
Clear SE2 Example: (8 vCPUs)
| Metric | Calculation | Licenses Needed (Clearly Explained) |
|---|---|---|
| SE2 (Sockets) | 8 vCPUs → 2 sockets | 2 SE2 socket licenses |
| Named User | Minimum 10 per license | 20 Named Users (if using NUP) |
Usually, the socket metric for SE2 is used since Named User licensing minimums quickly become inefficient.
Multi-Instance or Clustered Environment Example
If you have multiple EC2 instances:
- Calculate licenses individually per instance.
- Active/passive setups have clearly defined exceptions.
Clear Multi-Instance Example:
- Two EC2 instances, each with clearly eight vCPUs running Oracle Database EE:
- Each instance requires four processor licenses.
- Total licenses: 4 licenses per instance × 2 instances = 8 processor licenses.
- Active/passive DR is clearly defined by Oracle (passive DR may not require licenses if idle for <10 days/year).
Recap: Clear Licensing Formulas
Enterprise Edition (EE) on AWS:
| Hyper-threading Enabled | Licenses Required (Clearly) |
|---|---|
| Yes (AWS default) | vCPUs ÷ 2 = Processor licenses |
| No | vCPUs = Processor licenses |
Example Clearly Illustrated:
- 16 vCPUs (HT): 8 Processor licenses
- 16 vCPUs (No HT): 16 Processor licenses
Standard Edition 2 (SE2) on AWS:
| vCPUs Count | Sockets Required (Clearly) |
|---|---|
| 1-8 vCPUs | 2 sockets |
| 9-16 vCPUs | 4 sockets (maximum limit) |
Practical Licensing Scenarios Explained
| EC2 Instance | vCPUs (HT) | EE Licenses (Clearly) | SE2 Licenses (Clearly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| m5.large | 2 | 1 processor | 2 sockets (minimum) |
| m5.xlarge | 4 | 2 processors | 2 sockets (minimum) |
| m5.2xlarge | 8 | 4 processors | 2 sockets |
| m5.4xlarge | 16 | 8 processors | 4 sockets (max allowed) |
- SE2 is limited to a maximum of 16 vCPUs on AWS (4 sockets).
- EE scales without vCPU limits, licensing strictly by vCPU count.
Read Oracle WebLogic Server Licensing on AWS.
Licensing Checklist for AWS EC2
✅ Confirm EC2 Instance vCPU Count Clearly
✅ Verify Hyper-threading Status (Typically Enabled)
✅ Calculate Processor Licenses (vCPUs ÷ 2 Clearly Explained)
✅ Match Options to Base Licenses (1:1)
✅ Choose Processor Metric for Larger Instances
✅ Apply SE2 Socket Metric Rules if Using SE2
Common Misunderstandings Clarified
- Misconception: “One EC2 instance always equals one Oracle license.”
- Clarification: It depends on vCPU count and hyper-threading.
- Misconception: “Named User Plus licensing is cheaper for larger AWS instances.”
- Clarification: The processor metric is more cost-effective for larger vCPU instances due to Named User minimums.
- Misconception: “AWS RDS Oracle follows the same licensing as EC2.”
- Clarification: AWS RDS provides license-included SE2 or BYOL licensing options that differ from EC2.
Conclusion: Calculating Oracle Licenses on AWS EC2
Calculating Oracle licenses for AWS EC2 instances is straightforward once you apply Oracle’s published cloud licensing rules. Remember:
- Enterprise Edition: divide vCPUs by 2 (with HT enabled).
- Standard Edition 2: count by sockets (2 per 8 vCPUs clearly).
By following these practical guidelines, you can ensure accurate Oracle license calculations, avoid compliance issues, and optimize your Oracle costs effectively.
