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.

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.

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 Working with DB parameter groups in a DB instance.

Use the parameter settings in the following table.

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.

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.

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.

To track license usage of your RDS for Db2 DB instances, you can 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.

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

{
    "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"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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