Windows Server 2016 Core-based Licensing

License the physical server, not the VMs.

With other Microsoft server products (such as Exchange or SQL) you can assign a license to either a physical host or a VM.

But with Windows Server, the license is always assigned to the physical host.

Cover every core.

Every processor core inside your physical host needs to be covered by a core license.

Meet the minimum. There is a minimum number of core licenses you must purchase to license a physical host for Windows Server.

There is a 16-core minimum per server and an 8-core minimum per processor.

If you have more than 16 cores in you host, you need to purchase additional licenses.

Number of VMs

• Datacenter (unlimited VMs)
• Standard (two VMs)

“Standard Edition provides rights for up to two OSEs or Hyper-V containers when all physical cores in the server are licensed.

For every two additional VMs, all the cores in the server have to be licensed again.”

Core licenses are sold in packs of two.

1 two-core packs = 2 Core

=> 8 two-core packs will be the minimum required to license each physical server.