Timothy Sipples wrote:
[...]
I forgot a couple other software cost reducers, too:
1. With IFLs you get to consolidate lots of distributed software licenses
onto a much smaller number of processors, including test and development
software licenses. There is a large and growing number of customers who
are consolidating Oracle databases, for example. (It also happens to be
good business for Oracle, actually, because they get more customers.) I've
seen other compelling financial cases for our own software. For example,
I've worked with one very happy small business that's running WebSphere
Commerce on Linux on z. WebSphere Commerce would have been unaffordable to
them on any other platform. Linux software is almost always priced per
processor, and a thoroughly virtualized IFL counts exactly the same as one
X86 processor.
It can be risky. *NOW* most Linux software is priced per processor,
regardless of processor type. Maybe "next version" will be priced
differently. No warranty.
AFAIR some time ago Oracle did "bad trick" - they "repackaged" the
software, so most of upgrade contracts were not applicable - customers
had to buy full versions.
IMHO it is better to negotiate with software vendor showing him the
possibilities, especially competitive products. Sometimes it helps, it
is possible to get similar prices WITHOUT migration.
Obviously YMMV, sometimes RAS can be important, maybe even floor space, etc.
--
Radoslaw Skorupka
Lodz, Poland
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