• Chart: Standard and Enterprise MOM Workloads

The Operations Management License (OML) required for devices managed by Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) has been split into Standard and Enterprise Editions, and the cost of the base (now Standard) OML has been substantially reduced. In addition, a new System Center Standard Server Management License bundles device-management licenses for three of Microsoft's management servers.

Tweaking Management Licensing

The latest changes add to a lengthy history of price changes and new licensing models for MOM, which can monitor the health of the OS and applications on other services and provide status reports or alerts to data center staff.

While the first version of MOM (MOM 2000, which was based on a product that Microsoft acquired from NetIQ) had per-processor licensing, the next version (MOM 2005) switched to per-server licensing for MOM itself as well as for the application packs that ran on each managed server. The application packs (which are designed to monitor specific applications) were then made free, but Microsoft created OMLs to license MOM services on each device that MOM manages.

In Apr. 2006, Microsoft announced that the costly (approximately US$539 per managed device) MOM OML now comes in Standard and Enterprise Editions that license different types of server management. The US$100 Standard OML licenses management of basic server OS, file, print, and networking services (such as Domain Name Services), while the Enterprise OML is required to manage Microsoft server applications and "premium" workloads, such as databases, business applications, identity management, remote access, and terminal emulation. (For a list of the services that can be managed by each OML, see the chart "Standard and Enterprise MOM Workloads".)

The Enterprise OML continues at the original MOM OML price, and any OMLs that have already been purchased for MOM 2005 are automatically considered to be MOM Enterprise OMLs. The Enterprise OML is a superset of the Standard OML, so to manage all services—basic services, applications, and premium workloads—on a device only the Enterprise OML is required, not both the Standard and Enterprise OMLs.

Organizations can use the Standard OML to manage OS, file, print and networking services on a server that also runs server applications or premium workloads, but the organization may not manage those additional workloads with MOM unless they upgrade the OML on that server to an Enterprise Edition.

While MOM is rarely used to monitor workstations, the same rules apply: monitoring basic OS services requires the Standard OML, while application monitoring requires the Enterprise OML for each monitored workstation.

System Center Server Management License

One of the most dramatic changes planned for MOM was to combine it and Systems Management Server (SMS) into a single product called System Center. However, customers balked at that combination, preferring to keep the products separate, and Microsoft announced that System Center would be the name of a "family" of related management products, including MOM and SMS and more recent products, such as Data Protection Manager (DPM), which provides backup services for servers.

In Apr. 2006, the company released a new System Center Standard Server Management License (SML), which will nudge customers toward Microsoft's goal of ubiquitous use of MOM, SMS, and DPM.

Like MOM, SMS and DPM require licenses for both the server running the respective server application and for any devices that it manages or backs up. Thus, every device managed by SMS must have a SMS Configuration Management License, and every server that is backed up by DPM must have a Data Protection Management License.

The Systems Center Server Management License combines all three of these device licenses into a single bundle at a discounted price of about US$245, compared with prices of about US$150, US$100, and US$40 for the DPM, MOM, and SMS management licenses, respectively, when purchased separately.

The SML includes only the MOM Standard OML, so it is not an economical choice for devices running business applications and premium workloads. In that case, customers will have to purchase individual management licenses for each management service they want to use on the server.

The component management licenses in the SML must also all be used on one device; the three component management licenses cannot be split among two or three servers.

Part of a Trend

Not only has Microsoft split the OML into Standard and Enterprise Editions but it has also designated the SML as a Standard Edition, even though no Enterprise Edition exists. (Microsoft says one is under consideration.)

The division into Standard and Enterprise device licenses is part of a new trend at Microsoft to differentiate not only servers by Enterprise and Standard Editions (e.g., SQL Server 2005 Standard and Enterprise editions) but to also create Standard and Enterprise licenses for the devices that access them. In the case of the SML, these are called management licenses; in the case of SharePoint Server 2007, for which this licensing model has also been applied, they are called Standard and Enterprise Client Access Licenses (CALs).

However, the terms Standard and Enterprise are not used consistently across Microsoft's product lines, which will probably be a source of confusion. Buying the Enterprise Edition of a server does not mean that Enterprise CALs or management licenses are required to use it. Only one type of Windows CAL is required to use Windows Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter Editions, for example, and basic OS services on any of those server editions can be managed by the MOM Standard OML. On the other hand, Enterprise CALs or management licenses may be required for the Standard Edition of a server. For example, using MOM to manage either the Standard or Enterprise Edition of SQL Server requires the Enterprise OML.

This trend significantly increases the complexity of license management for customers and is likely to be difficult for operations centers to manage. In the case of the MOM Standard and Enterprise OMLs, for example, customers (and their system administrators) will need to know which services or workloads on their servers will trigger the requirement for the more expensive Enterprise OML, should they want to monitor those workloads with MOM.

Upgrade Paths

Users who purchased the original, undifferentiated MOM OML are automatically upgraded to the MOM Enterprise OML. However, only customers with Software Assurance (SA), Microsoft's upgrade rights program, will be able to upgrade OMLs as future versions of MOM are released. Customers without SA will have to purchase OMLs for new versions of MOM at full price.

In addition, customers who purchase a MOM Standard OML cannot upgrade it to the Enterprise OML unless they purchase SA when they acquire the Standard OML.

No current licenses will be automatically upgraded to the System Center Standard SML—not even for customers with SA on individual SML components. Customers who own any component licenses must still pay full price for the SML. Microsoft recommends that they redeploy their current management licenses on other machines and purchase the SML for devices with which they want to use DPM, MOM, and SMS.

Customers should consider SA when purchasing the SML, because it will ensure that if any of the component servers are upgraded, the respective device management license (which must be the same version as the server application) is also upgraded. For example, an organization that backs up a server with DPM can purchase an SML to license the backup service, but it will need an upgraded DPM device management license when the next version of DPM is released (because device management licenses must match the version of the server that provides the management). If the organization does not have SA on the server's SML, the server will no longer be licensed for the latest version of DPM and the organization will have to buy a new DPM device license or a new SML.

Stand-alone device management licenses (purchased outside of the SML) are unaffected by the changes. They can be upgraded if the customer purchased SA with the device management license; otherwise, the customer must buy matching device management licenses whenever they purchase a new management server version.

Further resources

Microsoft's plans for SMS are described in "Systems Management Server Roadmap" on page 3 of the May 2006 Update.

The MOM roadmap is detailed in "Management Product Roadmap Expanding" on page 11 of the June 2005 Update.

Two new management tools, Service Desk and Carmine, are described in "Two New Management Products Coming".

Data Protection Manager is described in "Data Protection Manager Ships" on page 10 of the Nov. 2005 Update.

Standard and Enterprise CALs were described in "Client Access Licenses Split Server Features" on page 3 of the Mar. 2006 Update.