Configuration Manager Licenses More Costly, Restrictive

Configuration Manager 2007, the replacement for Systems Management Server (SMS), introduces multiple levels of licensing for managed systems and raises prices significantly for many licenses. It also changes product use rights to require separate management licenses for each virtual machine (VM) on a computer. Customers will find that costs are higher for all workloads, although a suite that combines Configuration Manager with other Microsoft management products provides a way to license many VMs at a discount.

Configuration Manager 2007 Licensing Overview

With Configuration Manager 2007, as with SMS, a server that is performing the management task requires a product license. Also, every computer that is being managed requires its own management license (ML).

As with its predecessor, Configuration Manager 2007 uses an instance of SQL Server (Standard Edition or higher; the free Express Edition will not work) to store site management data. Customers can purchase either a SQL Server license or a version of the management software—Configuration Manager Server 2007 with SQL Server Technology—that includes a license for an instance of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition that can be used only with Configuration Manager 2007.