Number of SQL licenses for a cluster

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

DEAKER00 - 11 Nov 2005 02:29 GMT

Looking for quick answer. If we implement a 2 node cluster fora single SQL
database....do we need to buy two licenses of SQL enterprise. It will reside
on an active\passive cluster. Can I use SQL standard??

Dan

Reply to this Message

Tom Moreau - 11 Nov 2005 03:14 GMT

You can use a single SQL Server 2005 Std license or a single SQL Server 2000
Enterprise license.

Signature

Tom

----------------------------------------------------
Thomas A. Moreau, BSc, PhD, MCSE, MCDBA
SQL Server MVP
Columnist, SQL Server Professional
Toronto, ON Canada
www.pinpub.com

> Looking for quick answer. If we implement a 2 node cluster fora single SQL
> database....do we need to buy two licenses of SQL enterprise. It will
> reside on an active\passive cluster. Can I use SQL standard??
>
> Dan

Reply to this Message

Kevin3NF - 11 Nov 2005 13:52 GMT

Per CPU, yes?

Signature

Kevin Hill
President
3NF Consulting

www.3nf-inc.com/NewsGroups.htm

> You can use a single SQL Server 2005 Std license or a single SQL Server
> 2000 Enterprise license.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>>
>> Dan

Reply to this Message

Jasper Smith - 11 Nov 2005 22:18 GMT

It doesn't matter
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/activepassive.mspx

Signature

HTH

Jasper Smith (SQL Server MVP)
http://www.sqldbatips.com
I support PASS - the definitive, global
community for SQL Server professionals -
http://www.sqlpass.org

> Per CPU, yes?
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>>>
>>> Dan

Reply to this Message

Kevin3NF - 14 Nov 2005 14:27 GMT

I know the passive box doesn't need licenses, but if the active node has
more than one CPU socket exposed to the O/S, and therefore to SQL as
well...don't you need a license for each one on the active node?

It's entirely possible I am mistaken :-)

Signature

Kevin Hill
President
3NF Consulting

www.3nf-inc.com/NewsGroups.htm

> It doesn't matter
> http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/activepassive.mspx
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>>>>
>>>> Dan

Reply to this Message

Ole Kristian Bangås - 14 Nov 2005 15:18 GMT

> I know the passive box doesn't need licenses, but if the active node has
> more than one CPU socket exposed to the O/S, and therefore to SQL as
> well...don't you need a license for each one on the active node?
>
> It's entirely possible I am mistaken :-)

You're not completely mistaken. You are required to have licences for the
number of physical CPUs on which Sql Server 2005 is configured to run, by
deafalt that is all available CPUs (afaik). However, if this number is
different on the two nodes, you'll need licenses for the higher number. If
the SQL Server is configured with multiple instances, and by configuration
can run in Active/Active mode then you'll need licenses for both servers.

If you think this is difficult, look on the licensing rules for Oracle :)

Signature

Ole Kristian Bangås
MCT, MCDBA, MCDST, MCSE:Security, MCSE:Messaging

Reply to this Message

Anthony Thomas - 18 Nov 2005 05:49 GMT

Also keep in mind that there are different ways to classify a CPU: socket,
physical, and logical. Microsoft has amended their physical/logical
licensing to now focus on the socket.

This means that when the Intel Itanium2 Montecito chips are available, they
will be multi-core (dual to start with) and hyper-threaded. So, you could
have a 4-way socket installation but expose what would appear to be 16
logical CPUs to the OS and SQL Server, but Microsoft would only require you
to license the 4 sockets per-processor license. Moreover, those bad boys
are IA64.

Now, that's a bargain. Can you imagine the muscle something like the HP
Superdome will have rolling out a 16-way installation with these chips?
With a single Superdome, you could load it with 32 of these processors,
create 2 LPARs, install a 2-node cluster, multi-instanced, each with 16
sockets, but each looking like it has 64 logical CPUs? Wow!

For those not so lofty at heart, there is also the Paxville x64 Xeon variant
that is also supposed to be released as dual-core and hyperthreaded.

Either way, x86, x64, IA64, a CPU is a CPU and if Microsoft is only going to
charge you per-socket, get the most bang for your buck.

Sincerely,

Anthony Thomas

> > I know the passive box doesn't need licenses, but if the active node has
> > more than one CPU socket exposed to the O/S, and therefore to SQL as
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> If you think this is difficult, look on the licensing rules for Oracle :)

Reply to this Message