Windows Server 2016 Licensing Guide

This is Ohara from the Technical Sales Department

This article describes the licensing system for server licenses for Windows Server 2016.
Note: This article is current as of June 2017, and pricing and specifications may change in the future.

From "processor license" to "core license"

When purchasing a Windows Server license,
up until Windows Server 2012R2, charges were made on a "processor license" basis.

This "processor license" refers to the number of "CPUs" (sockets) on the server.

Windows Server licenses were charged based on the number of CPUs installed on the server

, purchasing has changed from "CPU-by-CPU"

License charging rules

First, the prerequisites for purchasing a license are as follows:

Based on the above licensing system,
the question is, "How many licenses should I purchase per core?"

The calculation formula is as follows

■ Minimum number of cores required: 16 cores
■ License: 2 cores (1 license purchase includes 2 cores)

Therefore, if you purchase the minimum number of 16 cores, the minimum number of licenses you need to purchase is 8

others

■ It is possible to downgrade Windows Server 2016 to 2012 and use it

■ Windows Server 2016 also requires a CAL (User or Device). (Excluding the SPLA version)

*Windows Server 2016 CALs can be used with Windows Server 2012, but
Windows Server 2012 CALs cannot be used with Windows Server 2016.
If you want to continue using the Windows Server 2012 CALs you have already purchased,
you can downgrade Windows Server 2016 to 2012 and use them.

*By the way, the DB license
"Microsoft SQL Server 2016" can also be downgraded to Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

summary

If you forget the licensing system or billing format when purchasing a Windows Server 2016 license