Windows Server Licensing on top of Vmware ESXi....

[frogman2011]

Greetings virtual community experts.

I am interested in saving as much budget as I have.

I have vSphere essentials plus kit.

I have to deploy 3 , maybe four VMs - Windows Server 2008 R2 std.

I am interested is there any microsoft licensing plan that has esxi VMs involved. Can I get W2K8R2std licenses cheaper as

virtual OSE instances, or I have to buy a license for every W2K8r2std I deploy as a VM under ESXi ?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. If admistrators of this forum think the post is not in the right place, please reallocate.

[bulletprooffool]

Anything licensed by OS still requires an OS license, but there are some applications that are licensed by CPU - in those cases you can often get reduced licensing costs when hosting multiple instances of VMs with that specific application on the same ESX host.

you need to be careful though, as in these cases, a VM that gets DRS Vmotioned around will be changing CPU occasionally, so you can infirnge upon the licensing agreement.

[frogman2011]

So as I understand you if I want to install 3 windows server 2008 R2 as VMs I must buy 3 W2K8R2std licenses?

btw, what is your opinion on installing a DomainController (W2K8) as a VM under ESXi....

thanx in advance

[msemon1]

I would check with your local Microsoft licensing specialist to see the best way to license your environment. You can purchase a Enterprise license which will allow you to run 4 VM's on a server or Datacenter which will allow unlimited VM's from any OS. The key is how many VM's per ESXi host you will be running for the price break. Take a look at this for a start

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/virtualization.aspx

[a_p_]

For an overview of options for licensing virtualized Windows Server, you may take a look at MS's Virtualization Calculator at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/calc_2.htm

André

[Arvindhselvaraj]

check out Datacenter license or enterprise license. also the below link to find out your licensing ( http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/default.aspx)

windows licensing calculator -> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/hyperv-calculators.aspx

For virtualizing AD servers it is very much possible and there are best practises from vmware, but there were time synchrnization issues in my environment and we moved to physical servers, but it could be we didnt implement the correct way.

cheers.arvindh

[frogman2011]

So I have to buy an enterprise edition of windows server 2008 R2. My budget allows only one Standard edition for now.

I cannot use one standard edition license for multiple VM instances as I see ?

My virtualization plan includes to virtualize W2K8 DC, so I must do it, I have read that there were some time sync problems, but they are solvable, are there any other issuses I have to consider?

Another offtopic: I cannot install vSphere center server on Windows 7 proff x64, why is that an issue ?

Thanks in advance.

[msemon1]

You don't have to buy an Enterprise license, however, just like in the physical world you need a license for each virtual server. You can use a Standard Edition license. You cannot buy one license and use on multiple VM's. If you are going to have a virtualized Domain Controller don't P2V you physical one. Build a VM as a domain controller and replicate your AD information to the virtual. Move FSMO roles over and you can remove your physical one. vCenter should be installed on Windows 2003/2008 and not on a workstation like Windows 7.

[ChrisDearden]

Note that the restriction on the number of virtual windows instances is independant of hypervisor. you would have the same issue with hyper-v or xen.

I'm pretty certain 1 Ent licence is cheaper than 4 Std licence ( just did a full retail price comparison and Std is about £800 / server and Ent is around £1800 - of course you may be able to buy cheaper )

As for why you a vCenter Server install isn't supported on Windows 7 , its the same reasoning you can't install Exchange Server on windows 7 - its a client OS and not intended for running server applications.