Hi @Richard Steiner ,
When running SQL Server in a physical operating system environment (OSE), all physical cores must be licensed.
To determine and acquire the correct number of core licenses needed, customers must:
1. Count the total number of physical cores in the server.
2. Purchase the appropriate number of core licenses required for the server. Core licenses are sold in packs of
two, so customers must divide the number of licenses required by two to determine the actual number of
line items (licensing SKUs) to order.
• For more details on the per core licensing model, including key terms and licensing definitions, download
the Introduction to per core Licensing Volume Licensing Brief https://aka.ms/LicensingByCores.
I also highly recommend going through the Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Licensing Guide (applies to SQL Server 2016 as well).
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Best regards,
Leon