VMware

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dual- or quad-core processor?

Intel and AMD have announced new x86 processors that combine multiple independent central processing units ("cores") on a single silicon chip. These processors, generally referred to as multi-core processors, offer increased performance compared to conventional processor designs. Multi-core processors also reduce heat dissipation relative to single-core designs, a benefit referred to as "higher performance per watt."

What benefits should VMware customers expect to see from multi-core processors?

Published benchmarks for multi-core systems show impressive performance gains over single-core systems. Each processor core provides a dedicated CPU for one or more virtual machines, increasing the scalability of VMware virtual infrastructure and offering even more fine-grained resource isolation. Server consolidation in virtual machines will particularly benefit from the naturally partitioned processing capacity provided by additional cores. Intel has recently advertised that quad-core systems improve performance by approximately 50% over similar dual-core processors.

How does VMware license its products for dual- quad and hexa-core systems?

VMware licenses its server products on a per processor basis. As of the Effective Date referenced above, processor is defined as a single physical chip that contains no more than six processor cores.

Which VMware products does this affect?

This policy affects VMware Infrastructure 3, VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler, VMware HA and Consolidated Backup and any other server products licensed on a per-processor basis.

How does this policy affect my licensing costs?

Customers upgrading their hardware to multi-core technology will not need to pay additional licensing fees for a processor with up to six cores per processor. This means that a customer who purchases a two-socket server with each socket populated with a hexa-core processor is only required to purchase 2 processors of VMware Infrastructure 3 or related products for that server.

What multi-core server models are supported?

Only servers listed in the Systems Compatibility Guide for VMware Infrastructure 3 are supported. As VMware certifies additional servers with multi-core processors they will be added to the Systems Compatibility Guide.

When will this licensing change be effective?

This licensing policy is effective as of September 15th 2008. Support for specific multi-core processors is effective when servers containing these processors have been certified and added to the relevant systems compatibility guides.

How do customers order licenses for multi-core systems?

Because VMware is building multi-core licensing support into its products, no special ordering procedures will be necessary for new customers. Existing VMware customers with subscription service can upgrade to the new releases and get multi-core support for up to six cores.

Does this policy apply to all the future multi-core systems? In other words, what happens when 8-core chips are available?

This policy applies only to dual, quad and hexa-core processors. VMware will revisit its licensing policies as x86 processors with a greater number of cores become available.

If I want to understand more about dual-core technology, where should I go?

Learn more at http://www.intel.com/technology/advanced_comm/multicore.htm or http://multicore.amd.com/.

This policy updates the definition of a "Processor" as outlined in Section 1.6 of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT as to mean a single, physical chip that houses no more than four (4) processor cores. This policy change will also be reflected in the next applicable version of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT. Unless otherwise modified herein, the remaining terms of the VMWARE MASTER END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT shall remain in full force and effect and in the event of a conflict, the terms in this notice shall control.