We have reported on the different features coming in the Windows Server , like the improvements within the deduplication engine and step-by-step configuration of the deduplication. The scalability has been improved over the Windows Server … true, but is that really necessary anymore?
If I remember right, already during the vSphere 6. Scalability isn't much an issue. This is quite insane. To download, go to this link. Docker Inc. We wrote a post s about licensing costs rising in this release. Microsoft announced the Windows Server licensing in December , where per-core licensing rather than the per-CPU licensing will be used. Well, today, modern CPUs carries more cores than in the past, so if Microsoft has decided on per-core licensing, it is not for nothing.
More cores will require to you to give more money to Microsoft…. Licenses for servers with 8 cores or less per proc will be same price as the R2 two-proc license price.
Core licenses will be sold in packs of 2 for incremental licenses needed above the required 8 cores per proc. Core licenses will be sold in packs of two licenses. Each processor will need to be licensed with minimum of 8 cores which is 4 two-core packs.
Each physical server, including 1 processor servers, will need to be licensed with minimum of 16 cores which is 8 two-core packs. Additional cores can then be licensed in increments of two cores one two core pack for gradual increases in core density growth. Standard Edition provides rights for up to two virtual OSEs when all physical cores on a server are licensed minimum of 8 cores per proc and 16 cores per server.
Our Simulation table based on supposition so far, as no exact guidelines on licensing has been released so far — since december :. It is pretty much clear that Microsoft, whether you're planning to deploy new servers for virtualization, which will have a lot of cores, then you'll have to probably pay more than you had to in the past. It may be interesting to compare Microsoft and VMware licensing side by side, when the official licensing docs will be made available to the masses.
Hyper-V Server was released as a standalone product in and has been available free of charge ever since. Hyper-V Server was specifically designed to provide virtualization services only.
As appealing as free Hyper-V Server may seem at first glance no licensing fee, a lightweight tool, and virtualization capabilities , you should think before deploying this option. It is recommended to first consider what free Hyper-V Server licensing includes:. When comparing free Hyper-V Server and the Hyper-V role on Windows Server , it becomes clear that the main distinction between them relates to licensing models, server capabilities, and VM management.
Thus, you can be sure that your VMs and Hyper-V host are properly licensed and your Windows Server can be serviced and supported by the Microsoft team. On the other hand, if you decide to go with free Hyper-V Server , you will have to purchase additional OS licenses for all VMs running in your system.
Even though choosing and purchasing an OS license for every VM in the system might seem like a challenging and resource-intensive task, you still should not stop using Hyper-V Server. In fact, you can greatly benefit from use of free Hyper-V Server by installing open-source OSs, which are available for free and can be easily accessed and used by anyone. They provide a high level of productivity and a rich feature-set, which makes open-source OSs a great alternative to using licensed Windows-based OSs.
As you already know, free Hyper-V Server and the Hyper-V role on Windows Server are essentially the same hypervisor with similar sets of features and server capabilities. However, while Windows Server provides a wide range of server roles, free Hyper-V Server serves only one purpose, which is server virtualization. If you only need a server for purposes of virtualization and want to minimize costs associated with Hyper-V deployment, free Hyper-V Server is the best choice for you.
However, if you need a server with an advanced set of server roles and capabilities, you are prepared to purchase an OS license, and want to enjoy the benefits of readily available technical support, then you should deploy Windows Server with the Hyper-V role enabled.
This way, you can avoid the pitfalls of using either Hyper-V Server or Windows Server and make the most use of these deployment options. Nevertheless, before starting to build your Hyper-V environment, you should pay attention to VM licensing and understand the licensing implications in full. After choosing the deployment option you want to use in your Hyper-V environment, you should ensure that your Hyper-V system is securely protected and can be rapidly recovered in case of disaster.
For this purpose, consider installing an efficient and affordable data protection solution which can back up, replicate, and recover your VMs onsite, offsite, and in the cloud.
