This blog was originally written by Perumal Raja & Gobind Vijayakumar from DELL Windows Engineering Team.
Dell Supports Windows Server 2012 in our 11G and 12G servers. And with Windows Server 2012 Microsoft provides a more consistent licensing model and has more common features and reduced editions when compared with prior OS releases. Below are the editions in which Windows Server 2012 is offered -
Four editions -Standard Datacenter, Foundation and Essentials
Datacenter
The Datacenter edition license will be processor plus CAL; however, with the release of Windows Server 2012, the license will now cover up to two physical processors on a single server. Datacenter edition supports unlimited Virtual machines licenses.
Standard
The Standard edition licensing will be processor plus CAL, where each license will cover up to two physical processors on a single server. Standard Edition supports license for only two virtual machines.
Essentials
The Essentials license has not changed; it continues to be a server license for a two processor server that does not require CALs.
Foundation
The licensing for Foundation has not changed; it continues to be a server license for a one processor server that does not require CALs and is only sold through OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
For Microsoft HPC – High Performance Computing customers Microsoft is providing HPC as a different package which is available to download from Microsoft Download site. It can be used along with Standard/Datacenter editions. Also the SBS edition supported in previous OS releases has been replaced by Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Windows Server 2012 Essentials will support up to 25 users and 50 devices. Essentials are offered for 1 Socket CPU servers.
Please find the link below regarding the changes in Windows Server 2012 essentials from SBS 2011-
Comparison between Windows Server 2012 Editions
Edition | Ideal For | High Level Feature Comparison | Licensing Model |
Datacenter | Highly Virtualized Private and Hybrid Cloud Environment/Deployment | Full Windows Server Functionality and Unlimited Virtual Instances | Processor + CAL* |
Standard | Low Density and Non-Virtualized environment | Full Windows Server Functionality and two Virtual Instances | Processor + CAL* |
Essentials | Small and Medium business environments | Simpler interface , Pre-Configured connectivity to cloud based services; No Virtualization rights | Server (25 User Account limit) |
Foundation | Economical and General Purpose server | General Purpose server functionality ; No Virtualization rights | Server (15 User Account Limit) |
* CALS are required for every user/Device accessing the server. For more details contact Dell support
Dell Windows Server 2012 OEM Product Availability
Windows Server 2012 is offered from Dell through OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) channel where OS support will be provided by Dell, ROK (Retailer Option Kit) channel where support will be provided by Retailers, and S&P (Software & Peripherals) channels where OS support is provided by Microsoft. When you buy Windows Server 2012 through OEM channel, OS will be factory installed on the server which carries two processor licenses and comes pre-activated. If you plan to add more processors to the server then you need to buy additional licenses. Also, factory installed system comes with multilingual OS image which allows you to select the language of your choice. Note that this multilingual image doesn’t require any additional license.
Similarly, OS brought through retailer channel will also have the same licensing terms and multilingual image option.
Comments are welcome! To suggest a blog topic or make other comments, contact WinServerBlogs@dell.com.
For more information about WS2012, visit the Windows Server 2012 wiki on Dell TechCenter