Windows Feature Could Help with VM Licensing

• Software Inventory Logging can discover Windows Server, SQL Server, and System Center usage for license renewals and audit defense.
• It offers simpler configuration and reporting than other Microsoft alternatives.
• It does not cover most Microsoft server applications, so other tools will still be required.

Software Inventory Logging (SIL) is a feature built into Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer that can assist in auditing the use of Windows Server, SQL Server, and System Center software within an organization.

Overview of Software Inventory Logging

SIL is included in Windows Server, but disabled by default. It is designed to track key data points necessary to determine an organization’s use of Windows Server, System Center, and SQL Server software.

The SIL Aggregator (SILA), an additional piece of software, is available for free from Microsoft; can combine SIL data from individual hosts, VMs, and stand-alone Windows Server systems on a real-time basis; process it using SQL Server; and create Excel reports partitioned on a monthly basis. RSILA reports on the maximum number of hosts and VMs running Windows Server and managed by System Center during the review period (the “high-water mark”), and the specific System Center software in use. It also retrieves processor and core information from hosts and virtual processors (cores) available within each VM. (To view detailed information on the data gathered by SIL, see the chart “SIL-Logged Data“.)