Changes to Virtualization Licensing in Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 arrived with many new, exciting features that have made it attractive to small and large organizations alike. Its also brought several changes to the way that you’ll approach licensing Windows Server, especially if you’re running it as a guest operating system of a hypervisor. This marks the first major changes to Windows Server licensing since the 2012 release did away with most of the distinctions between “Standard” and “Datacenter”. Licensing has become more complex, and there are changes that you’ll need to be aware of before you start installing that shiny new guest.

We’ve been hard at work on a webinar to explain the important facts and changes to licensing Windows Server in a virtual environment. The two points that will have the most impact:

• • Per-core licensing. The 2012 and 2012 R2 Windows Server licenses were “per-processor”, and customers purchased them in pairs. Licenses are now purchased per physical core pair, and there are minimum purchase requirements.
  • Nano server. Licensing a Nano installation of Windows Server is not like any other Windows Server licensing, and smaller institutions that are accustomed to long-term, perpetual OEM and one-off retail licensing purchases are going to be stifled by the restriction. You will not be legally allowed to use a Nano installation unless it is covered by an active Software Assurance agreement.

Join Andrew Mason from Microsoft (Principal Program Manager on the Nano Server team at Microsoft), and MVP Andy Syrewicze in an AMA webinar on March 16th to discuss Nano Server. Register for the webinar and get answers directly from Andrew!

Licensing has always been a confusing topic and the new changes aren’t going to make it any easier. The webinar is designed to handle the most common questions, such as:

• How do I calculate the licenses that I need?
• Can I mix and match different guest operating systems?
• How do I license clustered hosts whose guests will Live Migrate?
• Do I really gain anything from a licensing perspective by installing Windows Server instead of Hyper-V Server?
• What impact do the licensing changes have on the new features of Windows Server 2016 in a virtual environment?
• What about non-Windows guests?

Sign up for our webinar to receive answers to these questions and more!

Andy and Thomas met up at the MVP Summit last week. Check out what they had to say about Windows Server 2016 Licensing!