引言： 之前在和一家代理商的讨论过程中， 在开发和测试环境的数据库是否需要购买License 这个问题上产生了分歧， 按照我当时的理解只要是不用于商业用途或者说不部署实际使用的应用程序的环境是不需要购买License 的， 而代理商的工程师说不管你的开发还是测试环境其实都是为了生产环境而存在的，所以实际也是要购买License的。   Google了一把， Oracle官方的<Database Licensing> 分别定义了Development Environment、Test Environment和Production Environment三种环境。   以下是对Development Environment的说明：  

Development Environment: Customers may use Oracle Full Use licenses in a development environment. Customers also may download Oracle technology products from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) at http://otn.oracle.com/software/. In order to download an Oracle product from OTN, customers must signify their agreement to the terms of the OTN Development License. This limited license gives the user the right to develop, but not to deploy, applications using the licensed products. It also limits the use of the downloaded product to one person, and limits installation of the product to one server. Customers may not use products licensed under the OTN Development License in connection with any classroom activity, internal data processing operations, or any other commercial or production use purposes.

The OTN Development License is a limited license, and is not part of the Oracle License and Services Agreement (OLSA). If a customer wants to use products licensed under an OTN Development License for any purposes other than the limited development rights granted by that license, including deployment of an application developed under an OTN Development License, he will need to contact Oracle, or an authorized Oracle reseller, to obtain the appropriate licenses.

 

用户从OTN上下载到的Oracle数据库软件遵循<The OTN Development License >OTN开发协议， 该协议给予用户开发的权利，但是不能部署应用程序， 也不能将之安装到服务器上( limits installation of the product to one server)。

以上对于开发环境的定义较为严格，如不能将开发环境搭建在服务器上， 这意为着我们只能在自己的桌面电脑上进行开发。 实际企业运作过程中很难完全避免<The OTN Development License >中的限制。

所以说虽然理论上开发环境是不需要购买相应的license软件使用许可证的，但是因为Development License的限制过于严格，所以我们口中的"开发环境" 实际可能被鉴定为测试环境。

而对于测试环境要求获得和产品环境(Production Environment)一样的 Oracle License and Services Agreement 协议的许可， 换句话说测试环境是需要购买License的。

Test Environment: All programs used in a test environment must be licensed under an OLSA or other appropriate Oracle (or Oracle authorized reseller) license agreement.

Production Environment: The environment used by end users for business or other operations is called a production environment. All programs used in the production environment must be licensed under an OLSA or other appropriate Oracle (or Oracle authorized reseller) license agreement

    在实际的License采购过程中，代理商或Oracle销售都可能这样告诉你"开发和测试环境都是需要购买License的" ，这样做可能是出于多种考虑的。而实际如果你很清楚数据库许可证协议的内容，那么你可以明确地判断你需要的究竟是否是Oracle定义的开发环境"Development Environment"

本文转自maclean_007 51CTO博客，原文链接:http://blog.51cto.com/maclean/1278166