Oracle standby database licensing

One of the questions we get asked a lot is: In terms of ORACLE licensing, do we need a separate Oracle license for the DR /Standby database?

Yes, you require a separate Oracle license for the DR/Standby database. This license has to be the same license metric as the primary database. This means that if you license the primary database per CPU, then the standby database must also be licensed per CPU (although it does not have to be the same number of CPU).

Or if the primary database is licensed per user then the standby database must also be licensed per user.

It must be the same license type, so if your primary database is Standard Edition, then the standby database must also be Standard Edition. We might go for a Standard Edition processor-based licensing option, which allows us to have up to 4 CPUs in total.

If we have a production/primary server with 4 CPU, will the licensing work with a standby database?

You will require a separate Oracle Standard Edition license for the standby database which is also processor-based. With Dbvisit we include the standby database with the Dbvisit license for the primary database.

How would the licensing work for multiple standby databases?

Dbvisit licensing works on the basis of a primary database. This means you will need 1 license for each primary database you wish to protect/create standby databases for. You can create an unlimited number of standby databases for each license/primary database. If you have a requirement to protect a large number of primary databases (10+), please contact us to discuss group licensing options.