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After AMD's 96 core processor, a 24 core chip just doesn't sound all that impressive. The article doesn't address why you wouldn't run Oracle on X86 with more

After AMD's 96 core processor, a 24 core chip just doesn't sound all that impressive. The article doesn't address why you wouldn't run Oracle on X86 with more cores.

bogwog 4y ago
I'd guess that some software is stuck on Power, so a bigger multi-core chip for those cases is probably cheaper than both porting to x86, or buying a higher tier Oracle license.
- dillab2 4y ago
  If POWER LPARs are the same as Z LPARs then a lot of it comes down to the difference in licensing between hard and soft partitioned VMs. On a typical VM Oracle will charge for the entire cost of the machine, even if the DB is only running on a VM with a fraction of the resources, due to it being considered a soft partition. At least on Z series mainframes, LPARs are considered hard partitions (handled by PR/SM, not the OS like a KVM situation) and are actually treated as different machines. I am not sure if this is the case with POWER. I've never heard of this website and don't know if they are a decent resource, but they seem to cover the issue the way I remember it. Looks like they are offering a license management product that tries to warn Oracle customers about this consideration. I'm sure Oracle slaps people pretty hard over this during their first audits, maybe even hard enough to get a company to shell out for IBM hardware :). https://bluemedora.com/the-hard-and-the-soft-of-oracle-licensing/ https://bluemedora.com/the-hard-and-the-soft-of-oracle-licen...
Symmetry 4y ago
It's a little known fact that IBM creates its SMT-8 cores by taking two of its SMT-4 cores, having one stand on the other's shoulders, and draping a trenchcoat over them so they count as one core for Oracle licensing. The trenchcoat being a de minimis ability to reschedule work from one half to the other. Seriously the per-thread performance you get from 1 thread on an SMT-4 core, 1 thread on a SMT-8 core, and 2 threads on an SMT-8 core are all extremely close together.
- jdsully 4y ago
  Very interesting use case of SMT.

After AMD's 96 core processor, a 24 core chip just doesn't sound all that impressive. The article doesn't address why you wouldn't run Oracle on X86 with more cores.

bogwog 4y ago

I'd guess that some software is stuck on Power, so a bigger multi-core chip for those cases is probably cheaper than both porting to x86, or buying a higher tier Oracle license.

dillab2 4y ago
If POWER LPARs are the same as Z LPARs then a lot of it comes down to the difference in licensing between hard and soft partitioned VMs. On a typical VM Oracle will charge for the entire cost of the machine, even if the DB is only running on a VM with a fraction of the resources, due to it being considered a soft partition. At least on Z series mainframes, LPARs are considered hard partitions (handled by PR/SM, not the OS like a KVM situation) and are actually treated as different machines. I am not sure if this is the case with POWER. I've never heard of this website and don't know if they are a decent resource, but they seem to cover the issue the way I remember it. Looks like they are offering a license management product that tries to warn Oracle customers about this consideration. I'm sure Oracle slaps people pretty hard over this during their first audits, maybe even hard enough to get a company to shell out for IBM hardware :). https://bluemedora.com/the-hard-and-the-soft-of-oracle-licensing/ https://bluemedora.com/the-hard-and-the-soft-of-oracle-licen...

Symmetry 4y ago

It's a little known fact that IBM creates its SMT-8 cores by taking two of its SMT-4 cores, having one stand on the other's shoulders, and draping a trenchcoat over them so they count as one core for Oracle licensing. The trenchcoat being a de minimis ability to reschedule work from one half to the other. Seriously the per-thread performance you get from 1 thread on an SMT-4 core, 1 thread on a SMT-8 core, and 2 threads on an SMT-8 core are all extremely close together.

jdsully 4y ago
Very interesting use case of SMT.