Server Licensing Backs Consolidation

Server application licensing rules will be loosened to reduce costs for Microsoft customers who want to combine multiple applications onto a single server with partitioning technology to consolidate servers. The new licensing model should help customers make effective use of the more powerful Intel-architecture servers on the way and could boost Microsoft’s efforts to move customers to Windows Server 2003. However, it’s not clear what versions of that system will support the new model or how it will be enforced.

Licensing Made Partitioning Expensive

Although Windows Server 2003 is available in several editions, including, Web, Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter, only Enterprise and Datacenter Editions have the processor, clustering, and other advanced features needed for consolidation scenarios.

The new server licensing rules, introduced along with Windows Server 2003 in Apr. 2003, apply to all server applications that can be licensed per-processor, such as SQL Server, Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server, and BizTalk Server. The rules concern applications running on “partitioned” servers. Partitioning is a hardware and software technology that divides a server’s processors and other hardware resources into logically separate sections, each with its own OS and applications. Partitioning is possible today with Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Datacenter Server on specialized server hardware from vendors such as Stratus and Unisys. It’s also possible on conventional server hardware with software products such as the virtual server technology Microsoft acquired from Connectix (still in beta).