Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing in hard-partitioned environments

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 5 minutes to read
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    Summary of Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing in hard-partitioned environments

    This guide explains how ServiceNow supports Oracle licensing rules in hard-partitioned environments, specifically for IBM AIX Logical Partition (LPAR), Solaris Logical Domain (LDOM), and Solaris Zones. Hard partitioning divides a server into independent systems with dedicated resources. Understanding and applying Oracle licensing rules in these environments helps ensure compliance when running Oracle Database and WebLogic Server.

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    IBM LPAR Licensing and Discovery

    An LPAR is a subset of hardware resources functioning as an independent system. ServiceNow Discovery uses IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) patterns to detect LPARs and their resources. To enable this, customers must install the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application, as well as the CMDB CI Class Models application to support IBM HMC CMDB classes.

    Discovered LPAR data is stored in specific CMDB tables, which can be consolidated via the sampframetolparresource database view. This consolidated data supports license compliance analysis for Oracle Database and WebLogic Server installations across IBM LPARs.

    Licensing Rules for IBM LPAR

    • Dedicated Processors: License all dedicated processor cores running Oracle software, multiplied by the Oracle core processor licensing factor.
    • Shared Processors: License cores based on micro-partition types:
      • Capped LPARs: Multiply the sum of assigned entitled capacities by the Oracle core processor licensing factor.
      • Uncapped LPARs: Calculate licensing rights by summing assigned virtual processors and entitled capacities. If this sum is less than available physical cores, multiply by the core processor factor; otherwise, multiply the number of physical cores by the factor.

    Solaris LDOM Licensing and Discovery

    Solaris LDOMs are virtual machines with isolated OS and resources. ServiceNow Discovery uses Solaris LDOM infrastructure patterns to identify LDOM data. Licensing for Oracle Database and WebLogic Server installed on Solaris LDOM (version 2.0 and above) supports Per Processor and Named User Plus (NUP) metrics. Oracle licensing rights are assigned to the physical server hosting the LDOM configuration.

    Solaris Zones Licensing

    Solaris Zones allow partitioning a server into a global zone and multiple local zones. Oracle Database or WebLogic Server can run on local zones. Licensing rights should be assigned to the physical host running the entire Solaris zone configuration.

    • Per Processor Metric: License must cover cores across all local zones up to the physical host’s maximum capacity.
    • NUP Metric: License must cover clients accessing Oracle software on the local zones.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables automated discovery and consolidation of partitioned hardware environments for accurate Oracle licensing compliance.
    • Supports complex licensing rules for IBM LPAR, Solaris LDOM, and Solaris Zones within ServiceNow’s Software Asset Management application.
    • Helps optimize Oracle license usage by aligning licensing rights with actual partitioning and resource allocation.

    The Software Asset Management application supports Oracle hard-partitioning licensing rules for IBM AIX Logical Partition (LPAR), Solaris Logical Domain (LDOM), and Solaris Zone.

    When you hard partition a server, the server is divided into smaller systems that run independently from each other. Each system contains its own processors, network resources, operating system, memory, and more. For more information on Oracle licensing and hard partitioning, refer to Oracle Partitioning Policy.

    IBM LPAR

    LPAR is a defined subset of processor hardware that supports the operating system. An LPAR contains resources, such as processors, memory, and input or output devices, that operate as an independent system. You can have multiple LPARs within each mainframe hardware system.

    Discovering the LPARs and LPAR resources within your IBM LPAR infrastructure requires ServiceNow Discovery patterns for the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC), which is the hardware appliance that enables you to manage and configure your LPARs. To access these discovery patterns, you must request and install the Discovery and Service Mapping Patterns application from the ServiceNow Store. For more information on how to configure a discovery on your LPARs, see IBM Virtualization and Hardware Management Console discovery.

    Note:
    The lparstat command pulls a report of LPAR-related information and usage. For more information, see the IBM Knowledge Center.
    When you run a discovery, your discovered LPAR data is populated and stored in the following Configuration Management Database (CMDB) tables on your ServiceNow instance:
    • cmdb_ci_ibm_frame
    • cmdb_ci_aix_server
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_instance
    • cmdb_ci_lpar_resource
    • cmdb_rel_ci
    • cmdb_sam_sw_install
    To populate and store this data, you must request and install the CMDB CI Class Models application from the ServiceNow Store. This application adds or updates CMDB classes for the IBM HMC. For more information on IBM HMC CMDB classes, see IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC) extension classes.
    After your discovered LPAR data is populated in the appropriate CMDB tables, you can use the samp_frame_to_lpar_resource database view to join the tables together and consolidate all LPAR data into a single view. Based on this database view and the Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing rules for IBM LPAR, you can identify and determine the license compliance of all Oracle Database and WebLogic server installations across your IBM LPAR infrastructure.
    Table 1. Oracle Database and WebLogic Server licensing rules for IBM LPAR
    Processor pool Description Licensing rule
    Dedicated Processors are assigned to only one dedicated LPAR, which is an LPAR that is built on dedicated CPU resources. You must license the dedicated processors on which you install or run an Oracle database or WebLogic server.

    To determine the number of rights that are required for a dedicated LPAR, multiply the total number of processor cores that are running an Oracle Database or WebLogic server on the LPAR by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.
    Shared Processors are shared across micro-partitions, which are LPARs that are built on shared CPU resources. You must license the shared processors on which you install or run an Oracle Database or WebLogic server.
    You can determine the number of rights that are required across your micro-partitions based on the LPAR type:
    • Capped LPAR: A capped LPAR is a logical partition that is assigned a maximum entitled capacity, which is the number of CPU resources that the LPAR is entitled to receive. Capped LPARs can’t use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity.

      To determine the number of rights that are required across your capped micro-partitions, multiply the sum of all assigned entitled capacities by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.

    • Uncapped LPAR: An uncapped LPAR is a logical partition that can use more processor power than the assigned entitled capacity. Processor power usage is limited by the number of virtual processors that are assigned to the LPAR or by the maximum number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool.
      To determine the number of rights that are required across your uncapped micro-partitions, add the sum of all assigned virtual processors with the sum of all assigned entitled capacities.
      • If the resulting value is lower than the number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool, multiply the value by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.
      • If the resulting value is greater than the number of physical processor cores that are available to the shared processor pool, multiply the number of physical processor cores by a core processor licensing factor, as specified on the Oracle Processor Core Factor Table.

    For more information on database views, see Working with database views for reporting.

    Solaris LDOM or Oracle VM Server for SPARC

    A logical domain (LDOM) is a distinct logical unit within a single computer system, complete with its own operating system, resources, and identity. You can run different applications in separate logical domains and maintain their independence for performance and security reasons. Solaris LDOM is a virtualization technology that enables creating multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical server.

    The ServiceNow Discovery application uses the Solaris LDOM infrastructure pattern and Solaris LDOM shared library pattern to find all LDOM data. For information on Solaris LDOM discovery, see Oracle Solaris LDOM discovery.

    The Software Asset Management application supports licensing of Oracle Database Server and WebLogic Server installed on the Solaris LDOM, version 2.0 and above, for Per Processor and Named User Plus (NUP) license metrics. To license your Oracle Database or WebLogic server installations, rights should be allocated to the physical server that runs the Solaris LDOM configuration. For details on the licensing of Oracle products, see Software model metric attributes.

    Solaris zones

    You can set up a global zone on a Solaris server and hard partition it with multiple local zones. You can then run an Oracle Database or WebLogic server on one or more local zones. To license your Oracle Database or WebLogic server installations, rights should be allocated to the physical host that runs the entire Solaris zone configuration. For the Per Processor license metric, rights must cover the cores for all local zones up to the maximum capacity of the physical host. For the NUP license metric, rights must cover the clients that access the Database or WebLogic server on the local zones. For information on Solaris zone discovery, see Solaris discovery.