Licensing scenario for Windows server VMs deployed on Oracle PCA

Question

We need to get the clarification on the licensing scenario for the VMs deployed on Oracle PCA which is the hypervisor of Oracle. Is it according to the general licensing compliance where we need to license the VMs deployed based on the virtual cores of the VM (minimum 8 cores per VM).

Answer 1

Dear Pasindu

Licensing Windows Server VMs on Oracle PCA: A Direct Answer

Yes, your understanding is correct. When deploying Windows Server virtual machines (VMs) on Oracle Private Cloud Appliance (PCA), you must license the VMs based on the virtual cores of each VM, with a minimum of 8 core licenses per VM.

This licensing model falls under Microsoft's "Flexible Virtualization Benefit," which allows customers to license Windows Server on a per-virtual-machine basis. This approach is an alternative to licensing all the physical cores of the Oracle PCA hardware.

Here are the key points for licensing Windows Server on Oracle PCA:

• Per-VM Licensing: You must assign Windows Server core licenses to each individual virtual machine running on the Oracle PCA.
• Minimum Core Requirement: A minimum of 8 core licenses is required for each VM, regardless of whether the VM uses fewer than 8 virtual cores. If a VM has more than 8 virtual cores, you must license all of them.
• Software Assurance or Subscription: To be eligible for this per-VM licensing model on a third-party virtualization platform like Oracle PCA, the Windows Server licenses must have active Software Assurance (SA) or be acquired through a subscription.
• No Physical Core Licensing of the Host (with per-VM licensing): By choosing the per-VM model, you are not required to license all the physical cores of the Oracle PCA compute nodes for Windows Server. This can be a more cost-effective option for environments with a low density of Windows Server VMs.

Best Regards,