XP/Windows 7 Retail License, is it legal?

[defrogger]

Hi, Im an IT Consultant and I have a handful of clients that might be interested in VMWare view. These are small Business's ranging from 30 to 100 Users.

The plan was to replace desktops with energy efficient Thin Clients.

I started pricing things out and pricing wise it doesnt look to bad. Not including widows licenses, a 30 user project would cost about $25,000, includes servers, San, thin clients, and the VMware View Licenses.

I origanlly thought I could just buy XP Pro Retail licenses, or Windows 7 Pro Retail Licenses. Basically $140 to $240 a license.

But then I started reading allot of posts about licensing and now im just confused. Everyone keeps talking about having to have a VEDC license and an SA contract with Microsoft in order to be legal. Plus I would have to pay $100 a license just because im using a thin client.

So im trying to figure out whats the best way to go about licensing for windows?

Pricing wise things seem to get to high if I have to pay $240 for a windows license and then $100 a year for the SA/VEDC license. I wont be able to sell that to a client.

To get to my question, Are Retail licenses of Windows legal in a Virtual environement?

Oh if this helps, its a small setup, so the plan is so that every user will get the same desktop everytime they login, there will be no pools setup, so users wont be getting a different VM when they login. Does that help with the licensing?

Thanks

Mike

[intelman2010 · Accepted solution]

Yes you will have to go with the VECD licensing with Microsoft. If your using a thin client you will have to use the device license the part # DTA-00051

It would be nice if you could buy a one time retail license or even a volume license, but since its in a virtualized enviroment you will have to go with a VECD License.

[defrogger]

Well that stinks. In the end it probably wont be cost effective then for clients that only have about 30 to 50 users. Probably going to be better off with Terminal Serivces.

So if I was doing this for a brand new setup for 30 users and 30 thin clients, I would have to purchase the VECD license, CDW has it for $322 and then also pay Micorosoft $110 a year on top of that for each user. Is that correct?

Thanks

Mike

[intelman2010]

No the 322 is for 3 yrs or 36months.

It basically comes out to around 109.99 a yr.

It's device based, not user.

Pretty expensive long term, it would basically be cheapier doing a Terminal Server.

[Linjo]

There is some talk about that MS will modify the VECD licensing in 2010, here is some more info:

http://searchvirtualdesktop.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid194_gci1379714,00.html?track=sy1...

Best regards,

Linjo

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