Windows Server 2012 Licensed for Web

Windows Server 2012 ships without a discounted edition for running Web servers, but the use rights of the base OS have been loosened to cover that use. The move could raise license costs for some public Web sites on Windows Server, but probably not enough to change the competitive position of Windows Server versus Linux OS distributions.

No Client Licenses Needed for Public Web Sites

Windows Server 2012 eliminates Windows Web Server, an edition available with Windows Server 2008 R2 and some earlier versions. Web Server was intended to host public Web sites, a role where Open Source OSs such as Linux distributions have a strong following. It delivered limited technical capabilities compared to Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter, but offered lower licensing costs.

Formally, Windows Web Server was licensed to run what Microsoft called “Internet Web solutions,” which it defined as consisting “solely of web pages, websites, web applications, web services, and/or POP3 mail serving.” The licensed server was allowed to run specific types of software to support the Web solution, including database engines such as SQL Server. All content and applications had to be publicly accessible, and none could be limited to an organization’s employees. Among other things, the public access requirement prevented licensing extranets or paid subscription sites solely with Windows Web Server.