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Pricing and Licensing

Licensing

Windows HPC Server 2008 is the successor to Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 and is comprised of two components. Both components can be licensed separately or combined as Windows HPC Server 2008.

  • Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition is the successor to Windows Server 2003 Compute Cluster Edition. This is a 64-bit Windows Server operating system provided for the purpose of running clustered HPC applications. HPC applications are high performance computing applications. Clustered HPC applications solve complex computational problems or a set of closely related computational problems in parallel, typically using several servers as a group (or cluster).

  • Microsoft HPC Pack 2008 is the successor to the Microsoft Compute Cluster Pack which provides additional software for job scheduling, management, and high-speed networking.

Windows HPC Server 2008 is licensed per server via original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and volume licensing channels and is available through Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA).

Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition follows a model similar to Windows Server 2008 Standard and allows for running one instance of the server software in a physical operating system environment plus one instance in a virtual operating system environment on a licensed server. If both instances are running at the same time, the instance in the physical operating system environment is limited. It can only be used to (1) run hardware virtualization software, (2) provide hardware virtualization services, or (3) run software to manage and service operating system environments on the licensed server.

A customer licensed with Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition now may run one instance of the server software in the physical operating system environment and one instance of the server software in a virtual operating system environment.

“Without Hyper-V” licenses

The new Hyper-V hypervisor technology is a key installation option for the Windows Server 2008 operating system. Microsoft will offer Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition without Hyper-V licenses in addition to the edition that includes Hyper-V. The licensing terms are exactly the same for each version, including the virtualization use rights.

Estimated Pricing

The Windows HPC Server 2008* licensing model consists of a Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition operating system license and a Windows HPC Pack 2008 license for each server in the cluster (commonly referred to as head nodes or compute nodes). Windows HPC Server 2008 consists of Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition and Microsoft HPC Pack 2008. Windows HPC Server 2008 is available through OEMs and the volume licensing channel, which includes academic and government programs.  Windows HPC Server 2008 is also available through SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement).

Recommended retail pricing for Windows HPC Server 2008 on Open License program is $475 USD per node. **

To download the 180 day trial version, please visit the TechNet Evaluation center.

* This product is only available through volume licensing programs and OEMs and SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement). It is not available via the retail channel. Contact your Windows Server System product reseller or OEM for more information on how to acquire the software.

** Prices on this page are stated in U.S. dollars and reflect pricing for purchases within the United States. The prices listed are estimated prices; reseller pricing may vary. To find the Microsoft Web site for your country/region, visit the Worldwide sites page.

How to Buy

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