Buy Windows Server Essentials License Only

Back with Windows Server 2008 and prior, Windows Server was primarily licensed using a Server + Client Access License (CAL) model, or a Processor + CAL model. Windows Server Standard and Enterprise editions were licensed using the Server + CAL model, and Windows Server Datacenter and Windows Server for Itanium-based systems editions were only licensed using the processor + CAL model.

Exactly as their names imply, a User CAL applies to an end user while a Device CAL applies to a specific device. User licenses are applicable if the user needs to access the server and could potentially use multiple devices like a desktop or a laptop. Device licenses are more applicable for public use or shared device usage as you only need to license the device no matter who is using it. User licensing is the most common option.

For Windows Server 2016 Essentials: You can convert to the full retail version by entering a retail, volume license, or OEM key in the command slmgr.vbs. -gb/windows-server/get-started/supported-upgrade-paths At present, the official channel only supports the purchase of Server 2019, you can consult the activation center: -us/licensing/existing-customer/activation-centers

Lenovo offers various types and forms of Microsoft licensing so organizations and partners can leverage best in class Lenovo servers to build agile IT infrastructure that is reliable, secure, and high performing. Choosing a Microsoft OEM license from Lenovo for most customers is the simplest and most cost-effective license. Microsoft licenses from Lenovo are specifically pre-tested and optimized to install on Lenovo servers. Lenovo offers support for all of its Microsoft subscriptions offerings, giving customers a single point of support for their entire datacenter. For OEM licenses support, please ask for support plans to your Lenovo sales representative.

Microsoft offers a variety of Windows Server and SQL server subscription licenses in in both 1-year and 3-years terms. Microsoft subscription licenses provide customers with latest software versions, complete mobility, and continuous support among other benefits. Below is a comparison between perpetual and subscription licenses from Microsoft:

For more information regarding features and applications for WS version, please visit the Microsoft Windows Server page at -us/windows-server/administration/server-core/server-core-roles-and-services. To order Windows Server subscriptions, please refer to the Microsoft Subscription Licenses section.

A Windows Server CAL is required when a user or device is directly or indirectly accessing Windows Server. A Remote Desktop Service (RDS) CAL is also required for users that need to access programs or the full desktop remotely using Remote Desktop Services (RDSs). Both Windows Server CAL (user or device) and RDS CAL (user or device) are required for remote desktop access. RDS CALs contain a product key for activation. As an exception to these rules, up to two users or devices may access the server software, only for server administration purposes, without requiring either a RDS CAL or a Windows Server CAL.

Each user CAL permits one user, using any device, to access instances of the server software on their licensed servers. Each device CAL permits one device, used by any user, to access instances of the server software on their licensed servers.

There are specific BYOL scenarios that do not require Software Assurance or License Mobility benefits. EC2 dedicated infrastructure is always required in these scenarios. To be eligible, the licenses must be purchased prior to 10/1/2019 or added as a true-up under an active Enterprise Enrollment that was effective prior to 10/1/2019. In these specific BYOL scenarios, the licenses can only be upgraded to versions that were available prior to 10/1/2019.

When you bring products that are licensed at the physical level only (e.g. Windows Server, certain SQL Server licenses, etc) Dedicated Hosts provide visibility into physical processor and core counts and are therefore the recommended deployment model.

Instance Affinity (only available through the use of Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts) and Dedicated Host targeting helps you to monitor this requirement. When you enable Affinity between an instance and a Dedicated Host, that particular instance will only run on a specific Dedicated Host. Using Dedicated Host targeting, you can launch instances onto a specific Dedicated Host, giving you full control over how your licenses are used.

Dedicated infrastructure provides servers that are physically isolated for use by a single customer. Amazon EC2 has two dedicated infrastructure options: Dedicated Hosts and Dedicated Instances. If you bring existing licenses to Dedicated Hosts or Dedicated Instances, then you are using hardware that is fully dedicated to your use.

A Dedicated Host is a physical EC2 server fully dedicated to you. Amazon EC2 Dedicated Hosts allow you to use your eligible software licenses from vendors, including Microsoft, on Amazon EC2, so that you get the flexibility and cost effectiveness of using your own licenses, but with the resiliency, simplicity and elasticity of AWS. With Dedicated Hosts, you have an option to control instance placement and gain visibility into the number of sockets and cores installed on a host. You can use these features to bring your own software licenses bound to virtual instances, sockets, or cores, including Windows Server, SQL Server, and SUSE Enterprise Server.

In order to take full advantage of EC2 it is recommended that customers first consider bringing eligible licenses through License Mobility. Default tenancy EC2 allows customers to scale capacity up and down according to changing needs. This allows customers to pay only for what they use. SQL is the most common product brought to AWS through License Mobility.

No, if you are using Dedicated Hosts to bring your own Windows Server licenses, you do not need to have Software Assurance (SA). Windows Server licenses can be brought to Dedicated Hosts if the licenses were purchased prior to 10/1/2019 or added as a true-up under an active Enterprise Enrollment that was effective prior to 10/1/2019. In these specific BYOL scenarios, the licenses can only be upgraded to versions that were available prior to 10/1/2019. When you purchase Windows Server as license included instances from AWS, there is no need for you to have Software Assurance to cover those Windows Server licenses.

In 2019, Microsoft updated the licensing terms for dedicated hosts cloud service. Based on the new licensing terms, you can bring your eligible Windows Server licenses to Dedicated Hosts if the licenses were purchased prior to 10/1/2019 or added as a true-up under an active Enterprise Enrollment that was effective prior to 10/1/2019. In these specific BYOL scenarios, the licenses can only be upgraded to versions that were available prior to 10/1/2019.

There are various factors to consider when licensing passive failover for SQL Server. The information below pertains only to the SQL Server licenses and not the Windows Server licenses. In all cases, you must license Windows Server. For more information on SQL and failover server scenarios, visit this Microsoft SQL Server Licensing guide.

Yes, you can BYOL perpetual Microsoft Office licenses for use on EC2 Dedicated Hosts or EC2 Dedicated Instances if the licenses were purchased prior to 10/1/2019 (or added as a true-up under an active Enterprise Enrollment that was effective prior to 10/1/2019). In these specific BYOL scenarios, the licenses can only be upgraded to versions that were available prior to 10/1/2019. If you bring existing licenses to EC2 Dedicated Hosts or EC2 Dedicated Instances, then you are using hardware that is fully dedicated to your use.

In contrast, when System Center products are purchased individually as Client Management Licenses, and are not purchased as part of System Center Standard or System Center Datacenter suites, the licenses are intended for managing end user clients rather than server environments.

Glossary AMI (Amazon Machine Image): Is a template for the root volume for the instance (for example, an operating system, an application server, and applications), manages launch permissions that control which AWS accounts can use the AMI to launch instances. Contains a block device mapping that specifies the volumes to attach to the instance when it's launched. AWS (Amazon Web Services): offers a broad set of global compute, storage, database, analytics, application, and deployment services that help organizations move faster, lower IT costs, and scale applications. AWS Management Console: access and manage Amazon Web Services through a simple and intuitive web-based user interface. BYOL (Bring Your Own License): is a process you can use to deploy software that you have previously licensed on physically dedicated AWS hardware. If you BYOL, you do not pay for instances with licensing included in the cost. Instead, you pay the same rate as EC2 instances with Amazon Linux pricing. When you BYOL, you are responsible for managing your own licenses. CloudEndure: offers reliable business continuity solutions that minimize data loss and downtime due to human errors, network failures, external threats, or any other disruptions. Our Disaster Recovery and Migration solutions are powered by innovative workload mobility technology, which continuously replicates applications from any physical, virtual, or cloud-based infrastructure into Amazon Web Services (AWS). As such, CloudEndure is uniquely qualified to support large-scale, heterogeneous environments with diverse applications and infrastructure. Custom AMI: is an AMI created in your account either built from an imported image or captured from an existing instance. For example, you can launch an instance from an existing AMI, customize the instance, and then save this updated configuration as a custom AMI. Instances launched from this new custom AMI include the customizations that you made when you created the AMI. EC2 (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud): provides scalable computing capacity in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. EMP (End-of-Support Migration Program) for Windows Server: program that helps customers with migration of their legacy Windows Server applications to the latest, supported versions of Windows Server on AWS, without any code changes. EOS (End of Support): is a term used to reference Microsoft ending support for a product, in accordance with their Product Lifecycle policy. Hyperscale: refers to the facilities and provisioning required in distributed computing environments to efficiently scale from a few servers to thousands of servers. Hyperscale computing is usually used in environments such as big data and cloud computing. In-Place Upgrade: upgrades the operating system files while your personal settings and files are intact. Instance (EC2 Instance): is a virtual server in the AWS cloud. Its configuration at launch is a copy of the AMI that you specified when you launched the instance. LI (License Included): refers to the use of Amazon's Microsoft Licensing Agreement for Windows Server and SQL Server. LTSC (Long Term Servicing Channel): is a release channel of Windows Server released once per 2-3 years with stability and long term support in mind. LTSC releases provide a predictable OS experience and provide 5 years of traditional support starting from initial release, plus an additional 5 years of extended support for security updates. VMIE (AWS VM Import/Export): is an AWS Service used to import Operating System Images to AWS EC2 in an offline mode. RDS (Amazon Relational Database Service): is a web service that makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It provides cost-efficient, resizable capacity for an industry-standard relational database and manages common database administration tasks. SA (Software Assurance): is a comprehensive program offered by Microsoft to help deploy, manage, and use Microsoft products efficiently. SAC (Semi-Annual Channel): is release channel of Windows Server released twice per year with a limited support life cycle, ending 18 months from initial release. SAC releases allow customers to pilot the latest OS features quickly, but are not intended for long term use. SMS (AWS Server Migration Service): is an AWS Service used to import Operating System Images to AWS EC2 in an online mode. WorkSpaces (Amazon Workspaces): is a managed, secure cloud desktop service. You can use Amazon WorkSpaces to provision either Windows or Linux desktops in just a few minutes and quickly scale to provide thousands of desktops to workers across the globe. 2b1af7f3a8