Licensing,

How do I calculate Processor(s) using the core factor table?

Short Answer

Add up the number of physical cores subject to licensing and multiply by .5 (point five) given the vast majority of Oracle runs on x86.

In-Depth Answer

The Processor metric originally appeared at the turn of the century and was ambiguously defined as, well, all processors where the Oracle programs are installed and/or running. Prior to Processor, Oracle had attempted to level the playing field among chip makers with its Universal Power Unit. Calculating UPUs required complicated math so Oracle pivoted, ultimately landing on core factors and subtle updates to the Processor metric over time.

The core factor table was originally published in 2009 and has been updated 40 (or more) times since. It’s a testament to the industry’s embrace of Lintel that we rarely see .25, .75, or 1 core factors anymore. As stated above, most Oracle software runs on x86 gear with a .5 core factor.

To ensure clarity, consider a server with two 16-core chips running Enterprise Database. That’s 2 times 16 times .5 equaling 16 Processors. Named User Plus is a derivative of Processor. In this case, 16 times the 25 per-Processor minimum equals 400 NUPs or the actual number of users, whichever is greater.

Got Standard Edition? Ignore the cores and core factors, and count each chip as a Processor.

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