Server-Side Licensing for Windows Server

Server-side licensing for Windows Server has changed substantially over the past five years, with major changes to the licensing model, edition lineup, and pricing established in Aug. 2012. The chart summarizes the server licensing model, use rights, pricing, and Software Assurance (SA) license grants for general purpose editions of Windows Server 2008 through Windows Server 2012 R2. Prices quoted (in U.S. dollars) are for licenses purchased without SA through the Open License program (No Level, or NL, pricing) and represent the highest price a U.S. customer would pay when purchasing through volume licensing during the time the particular version was current.

Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 were available in three general purpose editions: Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter. The Enterprise edition, which had the same technical features and capabilities as the Datacenter edition but inferior virtualization rights, was eliminated with Windows Server 2012.

The SA entitlement date indicates the month that (all editions of) each Windows Server version first became available to existing customers via download from Microsoft’s Volume License Service Center (VLSC) site. If, as of the SA entitlement date, a customer has active SA on an older equivalent perpetual license, they receive rights to use the more recent version in its place. The SA license grant is typically, but not always, a one-to-one exchange with a more recent version of the same edition.