Is it possible to license 8 core windows server with a 2 core license?

Question

We have a 2 coure win srv license and need to license 8 core server

Answer 1

Hi @ZiadElSamad-9418 ,

one 2 core license doesn't work for licensing a 8 core Windows Server:

Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/product-licensing/windows-server

Answer 2

Ziad,

When licensing a system to support Windows Server VMs or a bare-metal-install of Windows Server I always remind people of the following rules.

for further clarification I recommend contacting your licensing reseller or distributor
Peace,
Deron Braun

Answer 3

Hello there,

For your information, each processor needs to be licensed with a minimum of eight core licenses (four 2-packs). Each physical server, including single-processor servers, will need to be licensed with a minimum of 16 Core Licenses (eight 2-packs or one 16-pack). One core license must be assigned for each physical core on the server.

A minimum of four core licenses are required for each physical processor on the server.

If the processor is disabled for use by Windows, the cores on that processor don't need to be licensed. For example, if 2 processors in a 4 processor server (with 8 cores per processor) were disabled and not available for Windows Server use, only 16 cores would need to be licensed.

You can also contact your vendor for detailed information on the licensing based on your requirement.

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Answer 4

Your statement on this is incorrect.

If the processor is disabled for use by Windows, the cores on that processor don't need to be licensed. For example, if 2 processors in a 4 processor server (with 8 cores per processor) were disabled and not available for Windows Server use, only 16 cores would need to be licensed.

Microsoft requires that you license based on all physical cores in the host.

Under the Q&A section of this doc Microsoft directly responds to this question.

3. Do I have to license all cores on the server, even if they are disabled?
Yes. All physical cores on all physical processors on a server must be sufficiently licensed, even if they have been disabled.

Reference: Page 22 WindowsServer2016-Licensing-Guide.pdf

In your example of a host with four processors with eight cores per processor, you would need to license for 32 cores in this case. In fact even if it were a system with four processors each with two cores, you still must license for 32 cores.

Have a great day,
Deron Braun