Amazon RDS for Db2 licensing options - Amazon Relational Database Service
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Amazon RDS for Db2 licensing options

Amazon RDS for Db2 has two licensing options: Bring Your Own License (BYOL) and Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

Bring Your Own License for Db2

In the BYOL model, you use your existing Db2 database licenses to deploy databases on Amazon RDS. Verify that you have the appropriate Db2 database license for the DB instance class and Db2 database edition that you want to run. You must also follow IBM policies for licensing IBM database software in the cloud computing environment.

Note

Multi-AZ DB instances are cold standbys because the Db2 database is installed but not running. Standbys aren't readable, running, or serving requests. For more information, see IBM Db2 licensing information on the IBM website.

In this model, you continue to use your active IBM support account, and you contact IBM directly for Db2 database service requests. If you have an Amazon Web Services Support account with case support, you can contact Amazon Web Services Support for Amazon RDS issues. Amazon Web Services and IBM have a multi-vendor support process for cases that require assistance from both organizations.

Amazon RDS supports the BYOL model for Db2 Standard Edition and Db2 Advanced Edition.

IBM IDs for Bring Your Own License for Db2

In the BYOL model, you need your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID to create, modify, or restore RDS for Db2 DB instances. You must create a custom parameter group with your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID before you create an RDS for Db2 DB instance. For more information, see Adding IBM IDs to a parameter group for RDS for Db2 DB instances. You can run multiple RDS for Db2 DB instances with different IBM Customer IDs and IBM Site IDs in the same Amazon Web Services account or Amazon Web Services Region.

Important

If we can't verify your license by your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID, we might terminate any DB instances running with these unverified licenses.

If you're a new IBM Db2 customer, you must first purchase a Db2 software license from IBM. After you purchase a Db2 software license, you will receive a Proof of Entitlement from IBM, which lists your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID.

If you're an existing IBM Db2 customer, you can find your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID on your Proof of Entitlement certificate from IBM.

You can also find your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID in your IBM Passport Advantage Online account. After your log in, you can view both IDs on either the main page or the Software downloads page.

Adding IBM IDs to a parameter group for RDS for Db2 DB instances

Because you can't modify default parameter groups, you must create a custom parameter group and then modify it to include the values for your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID. For information about parameter groups, see DB parameter groups for Amazon RDS DB instances.

Important

You must create a custom parameter group with your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID before you create an RDS for Db2 DB instance.

Use the parameter settings in the following table.

Parameter Value

rds.ibm_customer_id

<your IBM Customer ID>

rds.ibm_site_id

<your IBM Site ID>

ApplyMethod

immediate, pending-reboot

These parameters are dynamic, which means that any changes to them take effect immediately and that you don't need to reboot the DB instance. If you don't want the changes to take effect immediately, you can set ApplyMethod to pending-reboot and schedule these changes to be made during a maintenance window.

You can create and modify a custom parameter group by using the Amazon Web Services Management Console, the Amazon CLI, or the Amazon RDS API.

To add your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID to a parameter group
  1. Create a new DB parameter group. For more information about creating a DB parameter group, see Creating a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

  2. Modify the parameter group that you created. For more information about modifying a parameter group, see Modifying parameters in a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

To add your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID to a parameter group
  1. Create a custom parameter group by running the create-db-parameter-group command.

    Include the following required options:

    • --db-parameter-group-name – A name for the parameter group that you are creating.

    • --db-parameter-group-family – The Db2 engine edition and major version. Valid values: db2-se-11.5, db2-ae-11.5.

    • --description – A description for this parameter group.

    For more information about creating a DB parameter group, see Creating a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

  2. Modify the parameters in the custom parameter group that you created by running the modify-db-parameter-group command.

    Include the following required options:

    • --db-parameter-group-name – The name of the parameter group that you created.

    • --parameters – An array of parameter names, values, and the application methods for the parameter update.

    For more information about modifying a parameter group, see Modifying parameters in a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

To add your IBM Customer ID and your IBM Site ID to a parameter group
  1. Create a custom DB parameter group by using the Amazon RDS API CreateDBParameterGroup operation.

    Include the following required parameters:

    • DBParameterGroupName

    • DBParameterGroupFamily

    • Description

    For more information about creating a DB parameter group, see Creating a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

  2. Modify the parameters in the custom parameter group that you created by using the RDS API ModifyDBParameterGroup operation.

    Include the following required parameters:

    • DBParameterGroupName

    • Parameters

    For more information about modifying a parameter group, see Modifying parameters in a DB parameter group in Amazon RDS.

Now you are ready to create a DB instance and attach the custom parameter group to the DB instance. For more information, see Creating an Amazon RDS DB instance and Associating a DB parameter group with a DB instance in Amazon RDS.

Integrating with Amazon License Manager

To aid in monitoring RDS for Db2 license usage in the BYOL model, Amazon License Manager integrates with RDS for Db2. License Manager supports tracking of RDS for Db2 engine editions based on virtual CPUs (vCPUs). You can also use License Manager with Amazon Organizations to manage all of your organizational accounts centrally.

The following table shows available values for the Engine Edition product information filter for RDS for Db2.

Value Description

db2-se

Db2 Standard Edition

db2-ae

Db2 Advanced Edition

Terminology

This page uses the following terminology when discussing the Amazon RDS integration with Amazon License Manager.

Self-managed license

Self-managed license is a term used in Amazon License Manager. The Amazon RDS console refers to the license as an Amazon License Manager configuration. A self-managed license contains licensing rules based on the terms of your enterprise agreements. The rules that you create determine how Amazon processes commands that consume licenses. While creating a self-managed license, work closely with your organization's compliance team to review your enterprise agreements. For more information, see Self-managed licenses in License Manager.

Creating a self-managed license in Amazon License Manager

To track license usage of your RDS for Db2 DB instances, you must create a self-managed license. In this case, RDS for Db2 resources that match the product information filter are automatically associated with the self-managed license. Discovery of RDS for Db2 DB instances can take up to 24 hours.

Note

If you create an RDS for Db2 DB instance by using the Amazon Web Services Management Console, you will create a self-managed license by entering a name for the license. Then Amazon RDS associates the DB instance with this license. (In the Amazon RDS console, this license is referred to as an Amazon License Manager configuration.) If you want to create an RDS for Db2 DB instance by using the Amazon License Manager CLI or Amazon License Manager API, you must first create a self-managed license with the following steps. The same situation applies to restoring an RDS for Db2 DB instance to a point in time or from a snapshot.

To create a self-managed license to track the license usage of your RDS for Db2 DB instances
  1. Go to https://console.amazonaws.cn/license-manager/.

  2. Create a self-managed license.

    For instructions, see Create a self-managed license in the Amazon License Manager User Guide.

    Add a rule for an RDS Product Information Filter in the Product Information panel.

    For more information, see ProductInformation in the Amazon License Manager API Reference.

Note

This procedure uses an Amazon License Manager CLI command.

To create a self-managed license by using the Amazon CLI, run the Amazon License Manager create-license-configuration command. Use the --cli-input-json or --cli-input-yaml options to pass the options to the command.

For more information, see Settings for creating self-managed licenses by using the Amazon License Manager CLI and API.

The following command creates a self-managed license for Db2 Standard Edition.

aws license-manager create-license-configuration --cli-input-json file://rds-db2-se.json

The following JSON is the content of the rds-db2-se.json file used in the previous command.

{ "Name": "rds-db2-se", "Description": "RDS Db2 Standard Edition", "LicenseCountingType": "vCPU", "LicenseCountHardLimit": false, "ProductInformationList": [ { "ResourceType": "RDS", "ProductInformationFilterList": [ { "ProductInformationFilterName": "Engine Edition", "ProductInformationFilterValue": ["db2-se"], "ProductInformationFilterComparator": "EQUALS" } ] } ] }

For more information about product information, see Automated discovery of resource inventory in the Amazon License Manager User Guide.

For more information about the --cli-input parameter, see Generating Amazon CLI skeleton and input parameters from a JSON or YAML input file in the Amazon CLI User Guide.

Note

This procedure uses an Amazon License Manager API command.

To create a self-managed license, use the CreateLicenseConfiguration Amazon License Manager API operation with the following required parameters:

  • Name

  • LicenseCountingType

  • ProductInformationList

  • ResourceType

  • ProductInformationFilterList

  • ProductInformationFilterName

  • ProductInformationFilterValue

  • ProductInformationFilterComparator

For more information about the parameters, see Settings for creating self-managed licenses by using the Amazon License Manager CLI and API.

Settings for creating self-managed licenses by using the Amazon License Manager CLI and API

In the following table, you can find details about the settings for creating self-managed licenses by using the Amazon License Manager CLI and API. For more information, see create-license-configuration in the Amazon CLI Command Reference and CreateLicenseConfiguration in the Amazon License Manager API Reference.

API parameter name Data type Required Description

Name

string

Yes

The name of the license configuration.

Description

string

No

The description of the license configuration.

LicenseCountingType

string

Yes

The dimension used to track the license inventory. Valid value: vCPU.

LicenseCountHardLimit boolean No Indicates whether hard or soft license enforcement is used. Exceeding a hard limit blocks the launch of new instances.

ProductInformationList

array of objects

Yes

A list of product information for a license configuration.

ResourceType

string

Yes

The resource type. Valid value: RDS.

ProductInformationFilterList

array of objects

Yes

A list of product information filters for a license configuration.

ProductInformationFilterName

string

Yes

The name of the type of filter being declared. Valid value: Engine Edition.

ProductInformationFilterValue

array of strings

Yes

The value to filter on. You must only specify one value. Valid values: db2-se or db2-ae.

ProductInformationFilterComparator

string

Yes

The logical operator for ProductInformationFilterName. Valid value: EQUALS.

Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace

In the Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace model, you pay an hourly rate to subscribe to Db2 licenses. This model helps you get started quickly with RDS for Db2 without needing to purchase licenses.

To use Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace, you need an active Amazon Web Services Marketplace subscription for the particular IBM Db2 edition that you want to use. If you don't already have one, subscribe to Amazon Web Services Marketplace for that IBM Db2 edition.

Amazon RDS supports Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace for IBM Db2 Standard Edition and IBM Db2 Advanced Edition.

Terminology

This page uses the following terminology when discussing the Amazon RDS integration with Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

SaaS subscription

In Amazon Web Services Marketplace, software-as-a-service (SaaS) products such as the pay-as-you-go license model adopt a usage-based subscription model. IBM, the software seller for Db2, tracks your usage and you pay only for what you use.

Public offer

Public offers allow you to purchase Amazon Web Services Marketplace products directly from the Amazon Web Services Management Console.

Private offer

Private offers are a purchasing program that allow sellers and buyers to negotiate custom prices and end user licensing agreement (EULA) terms for purchases in Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

Db2 Marketplace fees

Fees charged for the Db2 software license usage by IBM. These service fees are metered through Amazon Web Services Marketplace and appear on your Amazon bill under the Amazon Web Services Marketplace section.

Amazon RDS fees

Fees that Amazon charges for the RDS for Db2 services, which excludes licenses when using Amazon Web Services Marketplace for Db2 licenses. Fees are metered through the Amazon RDS service being used and appear on your Amazon bill.

Payments and billing

RDS for Db2 integrates with Amazon Web Services Marketplace to offer hourly, pay-as-you-go licenses for Db2. The Db2 Marketplace fees cover the license costs of the Db2 software, and the Amazon RDS fees cover the costs of your RDS for Db2 DB instance usage. For information about pricing, see Amazon RDS for Db2 pricing.

To stop these fees, you must delete any RDS for Db2 DB instances. In addition, you can remove your subscriptions to Amazon Web Services Marketplace for Db2 licenses. If you remove your subscriptions without deleting your DB instances, Amazon RDS will continue to bill you for the use of the DB instances. For more information, see Deleting a DB instance.

You can view bills and manage payments for your RDS for Db2 DB instances that use Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace in the Amazon Billing console. Your bills includes two charges: one for your usage of Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace and one for your usage of Amazon RDS. For more information about billing, see Viewing your bill in the Amazon Billing and Cost Management User Guide.

Subscribing to Db2 Marketplace listings and registering with IBM

To use Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace, you must use the Amazon Web Services Management Console to complete the following two tasks. You can't complete these tasks through the Amazon CLI or the RDS API.

Note

If you want to create your DB instances by using the Amazon CLI or the RDS API, you must complete these two tasks first.

Task 1: Subscribe to Db2 in Amazon Web Services Marketplace

To use Db2 license with Amazon Web Services Marketplace, you need to have an active Amazon Web Services Marketplace subscription for Db2. Because subscriptions are associated with a specific IBM Db2 edition, you need to subscribe to Db2 in Amazon Web Services Marketplace for each edition of Db2 that you want to use: IBM Db2 Advanced Edition, IBM Db2 Standard Edition. For information about Amazon Web Services Marketplace subscriptions, see Saas usage-based subscriptions in the Amazon Web Services Marketplace Buyer Guide.

We recommend that you subscribe to Db2 in Amazon Web Services Marketplace before you start to create a DB instance.

Task 2: Register your subscription with IBM

After you subscribe to Db2 in Amazon Web Services Marketplace, complete the registration of your IBM order from the Amazon Web Services Marketplace page for the type of Db2 subscription that you chose. On the Amazon Web Services Marketplace page, choose View purchase options, and then choose Set up your account. You can register either with your existing IBM account or by creating a free IBM account.

Obtaining a private offer

You can request an Amazon Web Services Marketplace private offer for Db2 from IBM. For more information, see Private offers in the Amazon Web Services Marketplace Buyer Guide.

Note

If you are an Amazon Organizations user and received a private offer that was issued to your payer and member accounts, follow the procedure below to subscribe to Db2 directly on each account in your organization.

To obtain a Db2 private offer
  1. After a private offer has been issued, sign in to the Amazon Web Services Marketplace Console.

  2. Open the email with a Db2 private offer link.

  3. Follow the link to directly access the private offer.

    Note

    Following this link before logging in to the correct account will result in a Page note found (404) error.

  4. Review the terms and conditions.

  5. Choose Accept terms.

    Note

    If an Amazon Web Services Marketplace private offer is not accepted, the Db2 service fees from Amazon Web Services Marketplace will continue to be billed at the public hourly rate.

  6. To verify the offer details, select Show details in the product listing.

After you've completed the procedure, you can create your DB instance by following the steps in Creating an Amazon RDS DB instance. In the Amazon Web Services Management Console, under License, make sure that you choose Through Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

Switching between Db2 licenses

You can switch between Db2 licenses in RDS for Db2. For example, you can start with Bring Your Own License, and then switch to Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

Important

If you want to switch to Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace, make sure that you have an active Amazon Web Services Marketplace subscription for the IBM Db2 edition that you want to use. If you don't, first subscribe to Db2 in Amazon Web Services Marketplace for that Db2 edition, and then complete the restore procedure.

To switch between Db2 licenses
  1. Sign in to the Amazon Web Services Management Console and open the Amazon RDS console at https://console.amazonaws.cn/rds/.

  2. In the navigation pane, choose Automated backups.

    The automated backups are displayed on the Current Region tab.

  3. Choose the DB instance that you want to restore.

  4. For Actions, choose Restore to point in time.

    The Restore to point in time window appears.

  5. Choose Latest restorable time to restore to the latest possible time, or choose Custom to choose a time.

    If you chose Custom, enter the date and time you want to restore the instance to.

    Note

    Times are shown in your local time zone, which is indicated by an offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For example, UTC-5 is Eastern Standard Time/Central Daylight Time.

  6. For DB engine, choose the Db2 license you want to use.

  7. For DB instance identifier, enter the name of the target restored DB instance. The name must be unique.

  8. Choose other options as needed, such as DB instance class, storage, and whether you want to use storage autoscaling.

    For information about each setting, see Settings for DB instances.

  9. Choose Restore to point in time.

For more information, see Restoring a DB instance to a specified time for Amazon RDS.

To switch between Db2 licenses, run the restore-db-instance-to-point-in-time command. The following example restores the latest point-in-time version, sets the DB engine to IBM Db2 Advanced Edition, and sets the license model to Db2 license through Amazon Web Services Marketplace.

You can specify other settings. For information about each setting, see Settings for DB instances.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:

aws rds restore-db-instance-to-point-in-time \ --source-db-instance-identifier my_source_db_instance \ --target-db-instance-identifier my_target_db_instance \ --use-latest-restorable-time \ --engine db2-ae \ --license-model marketplace-license

For Windows:

aws rds restore-db-instance-to-point-in-time ^ --source-db-instance-identifier my_source_db_instance ^ --target-db-instance-identifier my_target_db_instance ^ --use-latest-restorable-time ^ --engine db2-ae ^ --license-model marketplace-license

For more information, see Restoring a DB instance to a specified time for Amazon RDS.

To switch between Db2 licenses, call the Amazon RDS API RestoreDBInstanceToPointInTime operation with the following parameters:

  • SourceDBInstanceIdentifier

  • TargetDBInstanceIdentifier

  • RestoreTime

  • Engine

  • LicenseModel

For more information, see Restoring a DB instance to a specified time for Amazon RDS.