<p>Two long-standing rivals -- Oracle and Microsoft -- stood on the same stage together Tuesday at Oracle OpenWorld to pool their resources for a new enterprise cloud deal. Many of Oracle's biggest products, from Java to databases to Oracle Linux offerings, are all now supported not only on Windows Server Hyper-V but also on Windows Azure.</p><p>The most vital question on the lips of many long-standing customers for both companies, though, won't be one of application compatibility or migration. It'll be about licensing for Oracle's products.</p><p>At its core, the Oracle/Microsoft deal is impressive. Windows Azure users can now use Oracle Database, Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle Linux, Oracle Solaris, and Java. All products are not only allowed but directly supported by Microsoft as well. Users can make use of them either by setting up prepackaged machine instances in Azure or by migrating their own licensed Oracle products into Microsoft's cloud.</p><p>Here's the catch: Not all Oracle products in Azure have licensing costs rolled into the package. Licenses for Oracle Linux, for instance, have to be purchased by the customer. On the other hand, licenses for Oracle Database on Windows can be included as part of the cost of renting an Azure instance.</p><p><a href="http://www.infoworld.com/t/cloud-computing/microsofts-big-draw-oracle-azure-simplified-licensing-227499">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2013/09/25/oracle-introduces-broad-portfolio-of-cloud-services/">Oracle Introduces Broad Portfolio of Cloud Services</a> (Data Center Knowledge)</p><p><a href="http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/oracle-expands-oracle-cloud-with-new-database-as-service-java-as-service-infrastructure-nyse-orcl-1834377.htm">Oracle Expands Oracle Cloud With New Database as a Service, Java as a ...</a> (Marketwired (press release))</p><p><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/24/microsoft_oracle_cloud/">Microsoft comes through on Oracle cloud partnership</a> (Register)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dDKKLUeGj_Qib2MBXinhKGfdRZ29M&ned=us">95 additional articles.</a></p>
