Window Server Licencing Changes

[CaptainComedy]

I work for IT in the NHS and I have been told of some licence pricing changes by microsoft which run thusly:


Windows Server licences to be sold in packs of 2 (ok)
Windows Server licences to be sold as a minimum of 16 per server (wtf!)


This means that if we want a test server, or a dev server - we need to get 16 cores!? We have no need for this madness...


It gets better because with the price of SQL at £2660 PER CORE, I am now getting quotes of £42560 FOR A TEST SERVER!



This is absolute madness and I must be missing something here, can anyone confirm?? We won't get 80% of our projects off the ground if this is indeed true!

 

[CaptainComedy]

Hi @#Chri5# #
That's fine, however this means the licencing for SQL goes through the roof as (if what I was told is true) SQL licencing is based on the PHYSICAL CPU cores now, not on the virtual as it is what you are CAPABLE of running, rather than what you are actually needing.

@Little_Crow
Yes all our servers virtual (and our software is distributed via App-V / SCCM) however, if an application requires a server, it gets its own server, we don't mix multiple apps with the same server (I guess you could say "muddying the water") This quote is for SQL Server Standard core licences, so it's not even a case of enterprise edition, however it's at £2660 per licence.

I have run the idea of "IT pays for the full 16 and are then recompensed by the departments as per their needs" (e.g they need 4 cores and only pay for 4 cores), whether this is ok I need to double check with our provider because they didn't clarify if the 16 core requirement was for the physical server (host) or the virtual server(s). From reading that HP site @#Chri5# gave, it is for physical cores, so it looks like I'm being quoted for a host rather than a virtual server (fingers crossed).

If it's for virtual servers, there's going to be a lot of sad pandas. I'm escalating to our director of IT so we can see who is going to absorb the initial cost. Should be IT IMHO, but I've been surprised before...

 

[CaptainComedy]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for that and it makes sense, I have a feeling the reseller is saying "we can't sell you less than 16 cores, however you may distribute among VMs how you wish"... I will clarify