Licensing multiple instances

  • Hello!

    On a physical server there are several virtual machines running Windows 2008. I have a single SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition license.

    Can I install multiple instances of SQL Server 2008 on one of the virtual machines, without breaking the licensing agreement?

  • on one of the VMS yes, multiple installs across the host, probably not, you would have to check with whoever you bought the licenses off.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

  • In the case of SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard, SQL Server 2008 R2 Workgroup, and SQL Server 2008 R2 Web, if you license all of the physical processors you may run the software in the physical OSE only. In order to run the software in virtual OSEs, you will need to license each virtual processor individually as described below.

    Licensing a Portion of the Physical Processors

    If you choose not to license all of the physical processors, you will need to know the number of virtual processors supporting each virtual OSE (data point A) and the number of cores per physical processor/socket (data point B). Typically, each virtual processor is the equivalent of one core

  • Here is a link to Microsoft's Quick Reference Licensing guide. This was very helpful to me when proving to my employers that we needed a separate license for Reporting services because it was running on a separate machine from the database engine.

    http://tinyurl.com/3jfjekt or just google "SQL Server licensing" and it will be the first result.

    Thanks,

    Jared

    Jared
    CE - Microsoft

  • When in doubt, contact Microsoft. It is their kicensing scheme, they are the ones that will give you the answer you seek. All we can do is give you our interpretation of the EULA, which may be right and then again off in left field.

  • Lynn Pettis (10/12/2011)


    When in doubt, contact Microsoft. It is their kicensing scheme, they are the ones that will give you the answer you seek. All we can do is give you our interpretation of the EULA, which may be right and then again off in left field.

    I have to disagree with you on some level here. When we called Microsoft they were like a deer in headlights. They just kept repeating the same thing from the quick reference and did not listen to anything that we were describing to them. I would always contact your vendor first, as they tend to have a better understanding of the license than the people that you will speak with at Microsoft. However, this situation is pretty straightforward. This is not about how you are using it, it is about where you are installing it. So, depending on the license you have, the quick reference should be plenty information.

    Thanks,

    Jared

    Jared
    CE - Microsoft

  • jared-709193 (10/12/2011)


    Lynn Pettis (10/12/2011)


    When in doubt, contact Microsoft. It is their kicensing scheme, they are the ones that will give you the answer you seek. All we can do is give you our interpretation of the EULA, which may be right and then again off in left field.

    I have to disagree with you on some level here. When we called Microsoft they were like a deer in headlights. They just kept repeating the same thing from the quick reference and did not listen to anything that we were describing to them. I would always contact your vendor first, as they tend to have a better understanding of the license than the people that you will speak with at Microsoft. However, this situation is pretty straightforward. This is not about how you are using it, it is about where you are installing it. So, depending on the license you have, the quick reference should be plenty information.

    Thanks,

    Jared

    Even the vendor may not interpret the EULA the same way Microsoft does. If your not getting the answer you are looking for, you should escalate the request.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply