QOD 22 Sep 2003 - Licensing
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I had a stab at this one and fortunately got it right. However, I couldn't find any official statement by MS on this scenario. Where does MS hide this little gem?
Cheers,
- Mark
Cheers,
- Mark -
Here is what you need:
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/faq.asp
"Active/passive. In the active/passive configuration, one or more computers in the cluster do not regularly process information but rather passively wait to pick up the workload when an active server fails. All active servers in a cluster must be fully licensed, according to either the Per Processor licensing model or the Server/CAL licensing model. However, if a server is strictly passive, working only while an active server has failed, no additional licenses are needed for that passive server.
The only exception to this rule is if the cluster is licensed using Processor licenses and the number of processors on the passive server exceeds the number of processors on the active server. In these cases, additional Processor licenses must be purchased for the additional processors on the passive server. " -
Why would you ever want to set this up? 4A/2P makes sense, but 2A/4P? Pay two whole extra processor lics for a server that you hardly ever use!
Keith Henry
DBA/Developer/BI Manager
Keith Henry
According to everyone I know I "do something with computers?" for a living, so there you go. -
Agree with Keithh
In this case, the extra licence costs are the 'punishment' for this 'stupid' configuration.
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quote:
Why would you ever want to set this up? 4A/2P makes sense, but 2A/4P? Pay two whole extra processor lics for a server that you hardly ever use!Keith Henry
DBA/Developer/BI Manager
Normally yes, but if the 2 processor machine has a higher clock rate and more RAM you may have a faster machine with the 2. Considering many places have slowed down on the computer purchases and are relying on older machines because they are in many cases more cost effective.
Example. I have 2 2 GHz Pentium 4 processors (w/out hyperthreading) but with the 800Mhz bus and 8GB of high end 2700 DDR RAM. While the passive machine is 400MHz P3 machines with 2 GB of PC133 RAM and a lower end bus. Which would you make Active?
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If I configure the passive server so only two of the processors are used for SQL Server only two licenses would be required. Is this correct? I think the question is unrealistic. Who wants to go to Management/Accounting and tell them we need to purchase 4 licenses, but we are only planning on using two of them on the production server! If I have 4 licenses, I better have four processors in the production machine.
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You need to look at this Microsoft's way. Eventually your cluster will fail and the passive side (4 processor) will become the active side. This could happen just by rebooting your active side. Then you have 4 processors active. Sure you might have it set to only use 2, but Microsoft doesn't know that. So, instead of calling Microsoft and saying "I just failed my cluster over-I need two more licenses NOW", they make you buy them upfront.
-SQLBill
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I think this question highlights MS's advice that you buy identical machines for a cluster configuration.
Not only is there less chance of configuration problems, but it also means you are supported (you MUST have a configuration as defined in the Windows Catalog / Hardware Compatibility List as a "cluster" system to be supported by Microsoft).
For more information, see the KB articles below...
309395 The Microsoft Support Policy for Server Clusters and the Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=309395
327518 INF: The Microsoft Support Policy for a SQL Server Failover Cluster
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=327518
Also, remember that Enterprise per Processor Licences for SQL are expensive, so if you can afford the software, you can probably afford the hardware!
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Si Chan
Database Administrator
Edited by - BanzaiSi on 09/22/2003 10:45:49 AM
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quote:
Example. I have 2 2 GHz Pentium 4 processors (w/out hyperthreading) but with the 800Mhz bus and 8GB of high end 2700 DDR RAM. While the passive machine is 400MHz P3 machines with 2 GB of PC133 RAM and a lower end bus. Which would you make Active?I'd take two procs out of the second and make that passive. [:-)] 2000 is so much more reliable than NT that the only time I failover now is when patching upgrades, and I can time them.
Keith Henry
DBA/Developer/BI Manager
Keith Henry
According to everyone I know I "do something with computers?" for a living, so there you go. -
quote:
I think this question highlights MS's advice that you buy identical machines for a cluster configuration.Not only is there less chance of configuration problems, but it also means you are supported (you MUST have a configuration as defined in the Windows Catalog / Hardware Compatibility List as a "cluster" system to be supported by Microsoft).
For more information, see the KB articles below...
309395 The Microsoft Support Policy for Server Clusters and the Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=309395
327518 INF: The Microsoft Support Policy for a SQL Server Failover Cluster
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=327518
Also, remember that Enterprise per Processor Licences for SQL are expensive, so if you can afford the software, you can probably afford the hardware!
--
Si Chan
Database Administrator
Edited by - BanzaiSi on 09/22/2003 10:45:49 AM
I fully agree here, however many of us don't have any say in the budget and if we don't use it this year we lose it into next year. Or we have no budget except and have to beg for wht we get and they still short us somewhere. For some reason many companies worry so much about the budget and how to save money that they lose sight of quality and push of what they can buy tomorrow for what they can reuse today.
The only exception to this rule is if the cluster is licensed using Processor licenses and the number of processors on the passive server exceeds the number of processors on the active server. In these cases, additional Processor licenses must be purchased for the additional processors on the passive server. "Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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