Windows Server 2016 Licensing Question

[Cromulent]

I'm entirely new to the world of Windows Server (in the past I have always used Linux) but I'd like to look into running a VPS company that offers Windows Server 2016 virtual machines, but I'm confused over what license I need in order to do that or what edition of Windows Server 2016 I need.

Can anyone offer any advice on this issue, please? Is there a way to pay the license fee per month rather than buying the license in one lump sum?

Also, I know about CAL licenses but is there something similar for the number of virtual machines you can run from a single Windows Server 2016 host?

Edit: From the looks of things it seems like I need Windows Server 2016 Datacentre edition. I guess the cheapest way of getting it would be to rent a dedicated server and then manage it myself. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dedicated server hosting company that comes with Windows Server 2016 Datacentre edition pre-installed?

Or is there a better option available?

 

[#Chri5#]

So you want to sell Windows hosting? If so, you need to look at SPLA licensing as that is for service providers. You pay monthly for the licenses. For Server 2016, it's a per-core license with a minimum of 8 cores licensed per server. There was also a minimum monthly license count / spend as well.

You'll need to read the SPUR document and bits here to understand it all properly:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/licensing-programs/spla-program.aspx

You buy the licenses through a specific SPLA reseller like Crayon or Softcat.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/CloudandHosting/Licensing_Get_started_with_SPLA.aspx

 

[Caged]

What is your USP that means people would go to you rather than a public cloud provider?