Windows server licensing

[azev]

For the longest time I've been a loyal subscriber of Technet with Microsoft, but that days are now gone. For those who run windows servers at home for Lab, how do you guys handle licensing and what would be the most cost effective ways to stay legal and get enough license to build a decent size lab ?

Thanks

 

[markarr]

Microsoft Action Pack via MS Partner. It gives you 10 copies of the home oses and office. 2 copies of server with 10 core cals. 3 MSDN subscriptions, $100 a month azure credit.

It is significantly more than the technet was unfortunately. ~$450 a year

Microsoft Action Pack subscription

 

[PigLover]

Your Technet licenses are still valid - they survive the shutdown. Before your last day make sure you download and activate all three instances of the "datacenter" edition allowed (important because "datacenter" will auto-activate other windows or windows-server instances running as VMs inside it).

Even if your expiration date has already passed - if you already downloaded and saved your keys you can still activate additional nodes (subject to the key activation limits in the license). [Edit: I just confirmed that you can still log in to your technet account and still view your keys even after you expire - don't know how long that will last so save them ASAP].

Otherwise: Buy one license of "Standard" ($882 list, but discountable) so that you can run services like Active Directory and then run the rest of your lab as "Hyper-V Server" (the free server-core version).

its actually possible to run AD on Linux using Samba4 now but it is a royal PITA to get set up right.

Basically - without TechNet - Windows Server is really not cost effective for home labs.

 

[Mike]

Enlist as a student.

 

[TangoWhiskey9]

Microsoft Action Pack via MS Partner. It gives you 10 copies of the home oses and office. 2 copies of server with 10 core cals. 3 MSDN subscriptions, $100 a month azure credit.

It is significantly more than the technet was unfortunately. ~$450 a year

Microsoft Action Pack subscription

Great tip.With the 100/ mo Azure credit that's reasonable really. You can run a secondary cloud Azure AD server right?

 

[smithse79]

Enlist as a student.

Or do what I did, get a job at a university! Run out of dreamspark licenses? Create yourself another email alias!!!!! (No I don't do that)

 

[markarr]

Great tip.With the 100/ mo Azure credit that's reasonable really. You can run a secondary cloud Azure AD server right?

Yea you can run a vm for less than 100 a month. It wont be a very powerful one but a cloud ad would work just fine, azure pricing for the windows vms include the os licence so you don't have use your action pack ones in the cloud.

 

[azev]

thank for all the great info, I am going to look at getting the action pack subscription or possibly purchasing some license from one of the volume license reseller.
The student ID is great too, I need to check if any of my nieces or nephew goes to a college that participate in dreamspark

 

[gigatexal]

If I am reading the Azure pricing page right, I think AD on azure is free.

 

[nickscott18]

If I am reading the Azure pricing page right, I think AD on azure is free.

I think you'll find that "Azure AD" is free - but for traditional AD on Azure still requires a VM - and hence costs. Azure AD and AD are quite different beasts as far as I understand - someone feel free to correct me if this is wrong. Windows Azure Active Directory | Identity Management content from Windows IT Pro is worth a read as well.

 

[azev]

So I finally got 2 licenses for Windows 2012 R2 DC for my ESXi host. Supposedly this License covers unlimited VM within a host.
If I run Hyper-V looks like everything will be easy, but I cannot found solid information online on how to properly activate my windows VM using ESXi as host.
Does anyone know what is the proper way activating windows VM with ESXi as host ?

Thanks

 

[scobar]

KMS.

 

[mike.potts]

I am looking at purcasing the Micrososft action pack but am unsure exactly what software is included. Could someone that uses it chime in with what licensed software is included?

 

[markarr]

Here is the overview for the action pack.

Software and online services benefits

Boils down to "2" copies of server, most of the microsoft add on services (ex exchange, lync, etc) 10 cals, 10 os licences for the on premise stuff and quite a bit of cloud services as well.

 

[mike.potts]

So two server 2012, 10 windows 7 licenses. What are the 10 cals?

 

[markarr]

It will only let you download the latest version of windows, so 2012 R2 and 8.1 only.

The cals are for the window services. They are used for windows, exchange, lync, etc.

 

[TubaMT]

I've used Reddit in the past and had good luck. Their "softwareswap" subreddit used to sell Microsoft keys but now it seems like only their "microsoftsoftwareswap" subreddit does:
Marketplace for Microsoft Software

 

[snazy2000]

I've used Reddit in the past and had good luck. Their "softwareswap" subreddit used to sell Microsoft keys but now it seems like only their "microsoftsoftwareswap" subreddit does:
Marketplace for Microsoft Software

All them people have basically just registered for bizspark and are now selling msdn keys which is against there terms. If they got found out all keys would be revoked

 

[TubaMT]

All them people have basically just registered for bizspark and are now selling msdn keys which is against there terms. If they got found out all keys would be revoked

Dang, I didn't realize that :/ Thank you for the heads up!