Licensing Terminology
OpenLink's UDA family of products requires a license based on a number of standard pricing units and deployment models. This page introduces those pricing units and models and clarifies terminology used to express them.
Application Server
An Application Server is a machine and/or software instance which serves multiple concurrent users. These may be web-based (e.g., PHP, Python, Perl, ASP, JSP) or other applications (e.g., Crystal Reports Enterprise, SQL Server Report Services), or entire operating system environments (e.g., Windows Terminal Server and Remote Desktop clients). Database sessions are "condensed," meaning the Application Server opens all connections on behalf of individual Workstations, through data access drivers or providers found on the Application Server machine. Workstations in this environment do not typically require data access drivers or providers, as the Workstation tools open no direct database connections.
Client Types or Data Access Mechanisms
Client types are the individual APIs, sometimes called Data Access Mechanisms, that applications use to connect to a target DBMS. Many applications use the ODBC API; others may use the JDBC, OLE DB, ADO.NET, or XMLA API, or some combination of these.
Each client type is served by different client components — one or more libraries, typically loaded on an as-needed basis, to make the data access connection. As examples, ODBC client types use C-based libraries (.so, .dll, etc. files); JDBC client types use Java libraries (.jar files).
Licensees must take account of all applications in the environment that use OpenLink products for data access purposes. Then, users need to tally the data access mechanisms used by these applications. Sales will adjust the license price upward by a set percentage, if two or more "client types" or data access mechanisms are required.
Concurrent Connections
Concurrent connections are the maximum number of distinct database sessions opened by SQL-consuming client applications. OpenLink evaluators and customers must bear in mind that certain applications spawn a surprising number of database sessions per data access operation. Number of database sessions can be detected using a variety of database native monitoring systems. Click your DBMS to see how it is done.
| CA Ingres | Microsoft SQL Server | PostgreSQL |
| Firebird | MySQL | Progress |
| IBM DB2 | Oracle | Sybase |
| IBM Informix |
OpenLink Client Hosts
OpenLink Client Hosts are the machines where the data consuming applications run, where the OpenLink Client Components are installed. These are typically (but not always) different from the machines where the databases or other data sources run.In a Workstation Model environment, the OpenLink client hosts are the individual Workstations. In an Application Server Model environment, the OpenLink client hosts are the Application Server hosts.
Operating System Types
Our license models clearly distinguish between Workstation-class and Server-class operating systems. For instance, the "Home" and "Professional" Editions of Windows are classed as Workstation-class variants of Windows, while "Web", "Server", and "Advanced Server" Editions are classed as Server-class variants. The same applies to Mac OS X (Desktop) and Mac OS X Server, as well as Linux (Client) and Server editions. OpenLink license terms prohibit the use of Workstation Model licenses on Server-class operating systems, or with Application Server-class client applications (even when the Application Server client application is running on a Workstation-class operating system).
Operating System Type also impacts licensing costs associated with physical processor cores in host computers. However, OpenLink does not employ a simplistic, per-core pricing model. Our license technology makes allowances for Workstation machines that have high physical processor core counts. Multi-core machines hosting Workstation operating systems like "Home", "Personal", or "Desktop" variants of Linux, Mac, and Windows are covered by licenses with a lower price entry point. A core count threshold is also applied to server class machines in recognition of the fact that different servers possess larger or smaller number of physical cores by default.
Processor Cores
OpenLink licenses take into account the number of physical processor cores found in the machine(s) on which they are deployed.A dual-core processor has 2 processor cores; a quad-core processor has 4 cores. A machine with two dual-core processors has 4 cores.
Virtual processors such as Solaris containers or AIX micropartitions are not tallied by OpenLink's license technology.
Processors are one factor in OpenLink's licensing cost calculation. However, OpenLink does not employ a simplistic, per-core pricing model. Our license technology makes allowances for Workstation machines that have high physical processor core counts. Multi-core machines hosting Workstation operating systems like "Home", "Personal", or "Desktop" variants of Linux, Mac, and Windows are covered by licenses with a lower price entry point. A core count threshold is also applied to server class machines in recognition of the fact that different servers possess larger or smaller number of physical cores by default.
Workstation
Workstations are machines supporting a single user at a time, running applications such as Microsoft Excel, Quark XPress, InDesign, or Microsoft Access. Each application opens its own database sessions via data access drivers or providers found on the Workstation machine.