Windows Server virtual licensing

[Vertigo]

Trying to wrap my head around licensing of virtual servers and have a question to which I can't see a definitive answer.

With the Enterprise version of Windows Server, it states that I am allowed to run up to four virtual servers at any one time. This means I could actually have, say, ten virtual servers hosted on a box but, provided only four were ever running at once, I'd be fine.

My question is whether this rule also pertains to the Standard version. If I were to purchase, say, two Standard licences, could I actually have more than two virtual servers using these licences, provided only a maximum of two were ever running at the same time?

 

[iaind]

Can't answer the first question (not sure what good 6 powered off servers are anyway ) but it's an enterprise only allowance

 

[paradigm]

I can't answer for Enterprise, but I do know that the most cost efficient way to run VM's is to use a datacenter license for Server 2008R2 (which is what we did). You get UNLIMITED virtualization licensing, and yes, those licenses are downgradable to lower versions of Server 2008R2.

I can only assume that the licensing model, although restricted in numbers of VM's works in the same way for Enterprise, and as such, you could run standard edition VM's and still be licensed.

 

[TheKnat]

Does this link help at all ? Its what I used when trying to figure out what licenses I needed.

http://www.microsoft.com/Windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-calculators.aspx

 

[iaind]

I can't answer for Enterprise, but I do know that the most cost efficient way to run VM's is to use a datacenter license for Server 2008R2 (which is what we did). You get UNLIMITED virtualization licensing, and yes, those licenses are downgradable to lower versions of Server 2008R2.

I can only assume that the licensing model, although restricted in numbers of VM's works in the same way for Enterprise, and as such, you could run standard edition VM's and still be licensed.

Is that one copy of datacenter per host? Does the host need to be Windows based?

I ask because I'm planning an upgrade of quite a few 2003 machines which are DRS'd across 3 ESX hosts

 

[ethos]

Is that one copy of datacenter per host? Does the host need to be Windows based?

I ask because I'm planning an upgrade of quite a few 2003 machines which are DRS'd across 3 ESX hosts

Per socket.

The host can be running ESXi/ESX.

 

[iaind]

Ah, so I'd need 6 datacenter licenses then, not 1

We get charitable pricing too, so cant imagine that will work out cheaper for us!

 

[zetec452]

Enterprise will allow you to use 4 VM's and is charged per server. Could work out a little more cost effective for you.

 

[Little_Crow]

If you ever ended up with more than 4 Windows guests on a single Host through DRS I think you would technically be in violation of your license.

Pardigm is right, Datacenter is the easiest way to license it. We've just bought 24 Datacenter licenses, with the NHS pricing it came out at around £50k.

There is a virtualisation calculator on the MS website that will help you decide the most cost effective way to license.

 

[iaind]

Bearing in mind we're eligible for academic pricing, which puts a standard edition license at about £80, upgrading all of them straight off would only be about £2k.

Not sure what our academic pricing is for enterprise, but we'd need at least 6 of them at least to break even

 

[Vertigo]

Thanks for the replies so far but I still can't see anything definitive on this subject.

In a nutshell, the question is whether you need enough licences to cover all your VMs or only the maximum you'd ever run concurrently.

 

[kefkef]

Per socket.

The host can be running ESXi/ESX.

You can buy MS 2008 DC licences for 2 cpu's (i pay about 2.5k for this). This covers the physical box. It costs us £370 for a standard win 2k8 licence, so after 6 Vm's per host it becomes financially viable to buy the DC version.

 

[kefkef]

Thanks for the replies so far but I still can't see anything definitive on this subject.

In a nutshell, the question is whether you need enough licences to cover all your VMs or only the maximum you'd ever run concurrently.

I'll ask our MS partner for you tomorrow and see if i can get an answer for you

 

[Little_Crow]

It's probably worth getting pricings on each windows edition, for us there is a £40 per processor difference between Enterprise and Datacenter.

That's a pretty minimal increase to go from virtualisation rights for 4 machines to unlimited (limited only by the amount of memory you can stuff in the server).


There is no virtualisation right with the Windows Standard license, it's a license for 1 virtual or 1 physical server, only.


As for your other question, the EULA is not massively clear to me, but then I'm not a lawyer. What I am certain of is that you cannot 'move' a license within 90 days.

So if you shutdown 'server 1' and brought up 'server 2', you'd be fine. But you can't move that license from 'server 2' until 90 days has passed. The only exception is for 'permanent hardware failure'.

I'm utterly unclear as to what situation you're in that requires that sort of shuffling, but thems the rules

 

[Vertigo]

I'll ask our MS partner for you tomorrow and see if i can get an answer for you

That'd be very much appreciated

The licensing FAQs for Enterprise do seem to say this, as they refer to being able to run up to four VMs "at any one time". I just don't know whether this applies to Standard licences too so, if I were only ever going to run two VMs concurrently, despite actually having more configured, I could just buy two Standard licences.

not sure what good 6 powered off servers are anyway

The specific scenario is that we have multiple servers which each replicate a different customer's system. These are used for development, testing and so on. Generally we're only ever working on one or two customer systems at any given time and so only need a couple of them active. We may have a lot of customers and thus want to configure a VM for each one but, as we only ever want to run one or two at a time, it'd be fantastic if we only needed to buy a couple of licences

 

[iaind]

I know I've read that running "standy" servers powered off is a software assurance benefit....

Sounds like datacenter licensing might work for you anyway, when it's unlimited it doesnt matter

 

[Little_Crow]

That'd be very much appreciated

The licensing FAQs for Enterprise do seem to say this, as they refer to being able to run up to four VMs "at any one time". I just don't know whether this applies to Standard licences too so, if I were only ever going to run two VMs concurrently, despite actually having more configured, I could just buy two Standard licences.

My previous comment applies here then, no this doesn't apply to Standard licenses, so you'd have to adhere to the 90 day transfer.

 

[Vertigo]

My previous comment applies here then, no this doesn't apply to Standard licenses, so you'd have to adhere to the 90 day transfer

Hmm, that's a bummer if so. I noticed that you said:

There is no virtualisation right with the Windows Standard license, it's a license for 1 virtual or 1 physical server, only

Well, from what I've read, with Standard you are allowed to deploy one virtual and one physical machine using the same licence, provided the physical is merely used as a host for the virtual and provides nothing other than virtualisation services for that VM.

This appears to be exactly the same situation as with Enterprise, except Enterprise allows you to run four VMs or three VMs and one physical with the same restrictions as above.

It's all so damned confusing.

 

[Vertigo]

Per socket.

Now I'm really confused. I'd read that Datacenter can only be licensed on machines with multiple physical processors. If it's then licenced per socket, that would mean you'd have to buy at least two copies of it?

 

[Little_Crow]

Now I'm really confused. I'd read that Datacenter can only be licensed on machines with multiple physical processors. If it's then licenced per socket, that would mean you'd have to buy at least two copies of it?

That's what it says on the MS website: 'You may not run instances of Datacenter on a server with less than two processors.' So yes you have to buy at least 2 licenses.

I hate licensing, it's such an enormous minefield.


Sorry, you are correct about the standard licensing, I was looking at the 2003 EULA for some reason, it changed with 2008 with virtualisation rights as you've described.