Azure VM resize SQL server standard license will apply the license or additional purchase required

Question

Hello Support,

    Azure VM running with Standard E4ads v5(4vCPU and 32 GB RAM and this will resize the VM to E8ads_v5 -8core CPU with 64 GB memory this will apply the sql Standard Edition (64-bit) on Windows Server 2019 or need to purchase addition license for SQL server 2019 for sql core management.
```Thankyou,

Answer 1

Hello Sakthivel M,

You'd need 8vCore license for it since the VM has been resized to 8 vCore CPU.

source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/virtual-machines/windows/frequently-asked-questions-faq?view=azuresql#how-many-core-licenses-should-i-use-for-my-sql-server-on-azure-vm-if-i-have--n--number-of-vcores-

You can use the guidance listed out here to make sure your VM is compliant (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/get-started/azure-hybrid-benefit?tabs=azure#how-to-maintain-compliance) and is availing Azure Hybrid benefits.

Additional reference to check if the VM is using the AHB: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/hybrid-use-benefit-licensing#list-all-resources-that-use-azure-hybrid-benefit-for-windows-server

Answer 2

Resizing the Azure VM from E4ads_v5 (4 vCPUs) to E8ads_v5 (8 vCPUs) increases the number of vCPUs, so additional SQL Server Standard core licenses are required if SQL Server is licensed per core.

Key points:

1. For pay-as-you-go SQL images on Azure VMs, the SQL Server license cost is tied to the number of VM vCPUs. When the VM is resized to more vCPUs, the per‑second SQL licensing charge increases automatically based on the new vCPU count. No separate purchase is needed, but the bill will be higher because of more cores.
2. For Azure Hybrid Benefit or bring‑your‑own‑license scenarios, SQL Server per‑core licensing must cover all vCPUs that SQL Server can see. If the VM is resized from 4 to 8 vCPUs, the licensed core count must be increased accordingly, or the vCPUs available to SQL Server must be constrained to match the existing licensed cores.
3. Configurable Constrained Cores (CCC) can be used to keep SQL licensing aligned with an existing core entitlement while still gaining more memory and I/O from a larger VM size. In that case, vCPUsAvailable is set to the licensed core count so SQL Server only sees that number of logical processors.

So, if SQL Server Standard is licensed per core and the VM is resized to 8 vCPUs without constraining cores, additional SQL Server 2019 Standard core licenses are required to remain compliant.

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References:

• Pricing guidance for SQL Server on Azure VMs
• VM vCore customization for SQL Server on Azure VMs
• Provision SQL Server on Azure VM (Azure portal)