Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows Server 2012 R2 captures the experience Microsoft has gained from building and operating public clouds to deliver a highly dynamic, available, and cost-effective server platform for your datacenter and private cloud. It offers a scalable, multitenant-aware cloud infrastructure that can help your organization’s distributed and mobile workforces connect more securely across premises and enable IT to respond to business needs faster and more efficiently. The following information provides an overview of your key licensing options.

Licensing editions FAQ

Licensing editions

Compare features in all editions to determine the ideal solution for your virtualization and cloud computing needs.

Datacenter

Datacenter edition is ideal for customers who want to have a highly virtualized private and hybrid cloud environment. As always, it provides access to all the product features and enables unlimited instances of Windows Server with each license, enabling your virtual environment to grow as you do. The licensing for Datacenter edition will continue to be processor plus CAL (Client Access License), with each license covering up to two physical processors on a single server.

Standard

Standard edition is ideal for those customers who want to have a physical or lightly virtualized environment. This edition enables you to run up to two virtual instances of Windows Server with each license and provides all the same features as Datacenter edition. The licensing for Standard edition will continue to be processor plus CAL, with each license covering up to two physical processors on a single server, just like Datacenter edition.

Essentials

Essentials edition is ideal for small businesses that have up to 25 users and want to have a simpler, pre-configured connection to cloud-based services. This edition enables you to run a single virtual instance of Essentials. The licensing for Essentials will continue to be a server license for a two processor server that does not require CALs.

Foundation

Foundation edition is ideal for small businesses that have up to 15 users and want a general purpose server. The licensing for Foundation has not changed; it continues to be a server license for a one-processor server that does not require CALs and is sold only through OEM (original equipment manufacturer).

FAQ

Find answers to questions about features, licensing models, and determining which edition is right for you.

Windows Server 2012 R2 will continue to have the same licensing model as Windows Server 2012, with two editions available in volume licensing: Standard edition and Datacenter edition. Editions are differentiated by virtualization rights only (two OSEs for Standard, and unlimited OSEs for Datacenter). A single license covers up to two physical processors.

Client Access Licenses (CALs) are required for each user or device accessed. The Windows Server 2012 related CALs provide entitlement to access and use Windows 2012 R2 functionality.

Both Standard and Datacenter editions provide the same set of features; the differentiator is the number of Virtual Operating System Environments (VOSE). A Standard edition license entitles up to two VOSEs on up to two processors (subject to the VOSE use rights outlined in the Product Terms document for Volume Licensing or End User License Agreement for other channels). A Datacenter edition license entitles an unlimited number of VOSEs on up to two processors.

There are a variety of new features in Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter and Standard editions. Here are just a few examples:

Enterprise-class virtual machine density, performance, and mobility with best-in-class performance and scale for Microsoft workloads
High-performance file-based storage on cost-effective, industry-standard hardware with inbox storage virtualization and tiering
Highly available, in-box hybrid networking for bridging physical and virtual networks in a multi-tenant environment and across premises
Protection and recovery of assets for all your workloads with simple and affordable disaster recovery options
Flexible remote access to corporate resources from virtually anywhere and on any device while helping to protect corporate information

Because there is feature parity between Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard and Datacenter editions, your decision will be based on your virtualization strategy, as virtualization rights are the only differentiator between the editions. If your strategy calls for a highly virtualized environment, Datacenter edition will provide you with optimum flexibility because it allows for unlimited virtualization. This edition gives you the elasticity to add and move virtual OSEs across Datacenter licensed servers without needing to track the virtual OSE count on that server. If you don’t plan to have a highly virtualized environment, Standard edition is the right product for your needs. If you purchase Standard edition today but find you need to expand the virtualization capacity of your licensed server, you can do one of the following:

Purchase additional Standard edition licenses and assign them to the same physical server, giving you the rights to run additional instances of Windows Server. The server must have the appropriate number of licenses assigned to it to ensure coverage of all of the virtual OSEs that are running at any given time.
Purchase a Software Assurance Step-up license to Datacenter edition, changing the license to a higher edition that allows unlimited virtual OSEs. To use this benefit, your underlying license must have Software Assurance.

With the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard edition licensing model, you can grow your virtualization environment by either buying a step-up license to Datacenter edition if you have Software Assurance, or by simply buying additional Standard edition licenses and assigning them to the same physical server. The server must have the appropriate number of licenses assigned to it to ensure coverage of all of the virtual OSEs that are running at any given time. For example, if you have a two-processor server and want to run a total of four VOSEs, you can purchase two Standard edition licenses and assign them to the same server. Additional examples are shown in the following table.

No. of Standard edition Total no. of VOSEs

licenses on single server

1 2

2 4

3 6

4 8

For answers to additional frequently asked questions, download the Windows Server 2012 R2 Licensing Guide (PDF, 257 KB).