Hi,

We are planning to go Windows 2012 Data center edition for Hyper-V VM.

In the 2012 Data center edition, we can able to create the unlimited no of VM instances (confirmed by Microsoft whitepaper).

I want to clarify about the OS license for the each VM instance in the Hyper-V server whether that license to be purchase separately or not need.

Kindly help on the same.

Thanks and Regards,

Vijayakumar.D Ph: 9789063605.

A license is a legal agreement between you and Microsoft.  Therefore, if you want to have a legal answer, you should contact a trained Microsoft licensing specialist to answer licensing questions instead of posting to a technical forum.  I have seen many incorrect answers to licensing questions in this forum.  Your choice.

That said, the base thing to remember is that Microsoft does not license virtual machines.  It only licenses physical machines.  The license on the physical machine grants rights as to the number of virtual instances of Windows Server that can be run simultaneously (there is no limit to the number of VMs you can create under any license).  This ensures that the licensing model works exactly the same for any hypervisor, not just Microsoft's.  In other words, a Datacenter license assigned to a physical server running Hyper-V as the hypervisor has the exact same licensing rights as a physical server running ESXi.

Hi,

as the Hyper-V Server is a free download you can anser this question i guess very easy by your self or ?

Hyper-V Server includes no License for VMs, so you need to bye it seperatly like you would need also using other hypervisor

Standard Edition includes License for 2 VM if you use only the Hyper-V Role on the Host

Datacenter Edition as you wrote has unlimited numbers of Windows Server VMs

In real life you would use the free Hyper-V Server for Linux Guest or if you want to have the smalest possible Image, a datencenter Edition with Hyper-V Enabled with core Installation needs more GBs.

One other Use Case is customer only has Server2008R2 DataCenter License but wants to use all new Hyper-V Features, for that you also can use the free Hyper-V 2012R2 Download an build your Hypervisor Environment and use all sexy Feature from the newest Version without having or need for a License Upgrade

Helps ?

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/learn-more/brief-server-virtual-environments.aspx

• Edited by UdoWalberer 15 hours 22 minutes ago