Server OS Rules Limit Virtualization Options

New licensing rules for moving virtual machines (VMs) that use Microsoft software could have an impact on how Microsoft shops configure their data centers. While the rules give customers a great deal of flexibility with server applications, server OSs are less mobile. Customers can reduce their licensing requirements and ease license management by selecting the right hardware and distinguishing between physical servers that are used for load balancing and optimizing hardware utilization and those used only for disaster recovery.

OS Licensing for Mobile VMs

Many organizations are moving to virtualization to exploit the mobility of VMs: VMs can be moved to a different physical server in the event that one physical server fails, requires maintenance, or becomes overloaded. In a variation, since VMs are stored as files, a VM that fails can be replaced more quickly by running a backup of the file on another machine than an organization could rebuild the OS, applications, and configuration of a physical machine that fails. VM mobility can thus reduce downtime and improve overall performance and server utilization.