How I can buy windows server 2022 licence for Virtual Machine?

Question

How I can buy windows server 2022 licence for Virtual Machine?

Alex Soulman 1

Have physical machine with some cores 16+ (2 cpu 18core each)

Running Hyper-V server 2019 (no windows server installed, this is Free Hypervisor directly on hardware) and some VM on it (ubuntu)

I need VM for some windows server roles. And I create VM with i.e. 10core 20ram.

So, What license will fit to me for this Virtual machine windows server 2022.

Question is about this CORE licenses, physical machine didn't use all it cores to run only 1 VM for WinServer2022.

John Whitford 1 Reputation point

2022-09-07T22:26:59.433+00:00

Licensing is based on the host, not the virtual machine. You must license 100% of the cores (not threads) of the physical host for Standard or Datacenter edition. One Standard license, covering all host cores (count all processor sockets), allows for 2 Windows Server virtual machines. You cannot license 1 VM, only 2 at a time. For another 2 Windows Server virtual machines, you must re-license all the host cores again. Minimum is 16 cores even if the host has fewer cores. For numbers not divisible by 16 you can buy a 2, 4, or 8 core packs such as for 24 or 40 core hosts. This means the cost of 2 Windows Server licenses varies between 2 physical hosts with different core counts. Datacenter includes some additional features like software-defined networking, unlimited storage replicas, Storage Spaces Direct, and inherited activation. If you are licensing more than 12 virtual machines on a single host, there is a good chance a Datacenter license costs less as it provides unlimited virtual machines on a single host.

You can purchase through CSP, Open Value, Open Value Subscription, or Enterprise Agreement. All have various advantages/disadvantages.

You will also need Windows Server CALs as well as CALs for any product running on the virtual machine such as SQL Server, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, Remote Desktop Services, etc.
Santhosh Sivaraman 0 Reputation points

2023-05-09T14:08:29.9833333+00:00

Licensing by virtual machine

There is no option to use Windows Server in the physical OSE when you license by virtual machine, This licensing option permits use in virtual machines only. As noted above, the only way to license use in the physical OSE (as the host OS in the case of a virtualized server or to support workloads running directly in the physical OSE) is to license based on physical cores. When you license use of Windows Server by virtual machine, the assumption is that the host OS is separately licensed, or you are using a hypervisor such as VMware’s ESX/ESXi. There is a scenario where you would still be running Windows Server as the host OS, and separately licensing individual virtual machines. For example, if you first license a server for Windows Server Standard based on physical cores, and you need one or more additional virtual machines, in lieu of relicensing the physical server, you could license additional virtual machines separately. If you have fully licensed a server for Windows Server Datacenter based on physical cores, you already have the right to add any number of virtual machines as needed.

Whether you are adding virtual machines to a server fully licensed for Windows Server Standard, or you are deploying virtual machines on a server not using Windows Server as a host OS, licensing by virtual machine requires licenses for all the virtual cores in the virtual machine subject to a minimum of eight licenses per virtual machine and 16 per customer. The option to license Windows Server Datacenter by virtual machine is subject to the same minimums. Licensing by virtual machine requires active Software Assurance or a subscription license.

6 answers

Your answer

John Whitford 1 Reputation point

2022-09-07T22:26:59.433+00:00

Licensing is based on the host, not the virtual machine. You must license 100% of the cores (not threads) of the physical host for Standard or Datacenter edition. One Standard license, covering all host cores (count all processor sockets), allows for 2 Windows Server virtual machines. You cannot license 1 VM, only 2 at a time. For another 2 Windows Server virtual machines, you must re-license all the host cores again. Minimum is 16 cores even if the host has fewer cores. For numbers not divisible by 16 you can buy a 2, 4, or 8 core packs such as for 24 or 40 core hosts. This means the cost of 2 Windows Server licenses varies between 2 physical hosts with different core counts. Datacenter includes some additional features like software-defined networking, unlimited storage replicas, Storage Spaces Direct, and inherited activation. If you are licensing more than 12 virtual machines on a single host, there is a good chance a Datacenter license costs less as it provides unlimited virtual machines on a single host.

You can purchase through CSP, Open Value, Open Value Subscription, or Enterprise Agreement. All have various advantages/disadvantages.

You will also need Windows Server CALs as well as CALs for any product running on the virtual machine such as SQL Server, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, Remote Desktop Services, etc.
Santhosh Sivaraman 0 Reputation points

2023-05-09T14:08:29.9833333+00:00

Licensing by virtual machine

There is no option to use Windows Server in the physical OSE when you license by virtual machine, This licensing option permits use in virtual machines only. As noted above, the only way to license use in the physical OSE (as the host OS in the case of a virtualized server or to support workloads running directly in the physical OSE) is to license based on physical cores. When you license use of Windows Server by virtual machine, the assumption is that the host OS is separately licensed, or you are using a hypervisor such as VMware’s ESX/ESXi. There is a scenario where you would still be running Windows Server as the host OS, and separately licensing individual virtual machines. For example, if you first license a server for Windows Server Standard based on physical cores, and you need one or more additional virtual machines, in lieu of relicensing the physical server, you could license additional virtual machines separately. If you have fully licensed a server for Windows Server Datacenter based on physical cores, you already have the right to add any number of virtual machines as needed.

Whether you are adding virtual machines to a server fully licensed for Windows Server Standard, or you are deploying virtual machines on a server not using Windows Server as a host OS, licensing by virtual machine requires licenses for all the virtual cores in the virtual machine subject to a minimum of eight licenses per virtual machine and 16 per customer. The option to license Windows Server Datacenter by virtual machine is subject to the same minimums. Licensing by virtual machine requires active Software Assurance or a subscription license.

Answer 1

Anonymous

You can just simply buy a Standard or DataCenter license as needed.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/pricing