Technical white paper HP FAQ for Microsoft® OEM licensing—Windows® Server, SQL Server hp.
Welcome to HP’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document for Windows Server OEM operating system products and Microsoft OEM application solutions on HP ProLiant servers. This guide answers many of the questions our customers ask about licensing Windows Server products, along with Microsoft OEM applications, on their HP ProLiant server systems. The questions we encounter most center on three general categories—products, activation, and support— which we’ve used as the structure of this document.
5. How many CALs are included with each HP OEM Windows Server license? CALs per license type are as follows: • Windows Server 2012 Foundation Edition includes 15 user access rights • Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacenter Editions come with 0 CALs. • Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition comes with 5 CALs. • Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition offers either 10 or 25 CALs, depending on the kit. Look for “10 CAL” or ”25 CAL” in the description.
Windows Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on: • 1 COA that should be adhered to the server with 1 physical and 1 virtual key • 1 HP branded DVD (Blue and White) • 1 additional hologram DVD Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation Edition: • 1 COA that should be adhered to the server with 1 physical and 0 virtual keys • 1 HP branded x64 DVD (Blue and White) Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition: • 1 COA that should be adhered to the server with 1 physical/virtual key • 1 HP branded x64 DVD (Blue and White)
I’ve got an OEM license—now I need to know… 10. Where will I find the latest, beta, and older drivers? The HP ProLiant Windows matrix (hp.com/go/wincert) provides direct links to drivers and other downloadables. Just click on the server and you will be provided with the links. To find out more, visit the HP website. In addition, the Web pages for Microsoft on HP ProLiant servers listed here provide links to all documentation, downloads, and products: hp.com/go/ws2012 hp.com/go/ws2008r2 hp.com/go/sbs2011 11.
transfer, the other party must agree that this agreement applies to the transfer and use of the software. You may not retain any instances of the software unless you also retain another license for the software.” 17. If I “retire” a server with an OEM license on it, can I use that software on a new server? No. To put it simply, an OEM product is “married” to the original server on which it was installed.
Activation 21. How do I activate Windows Server 2012? To activate the current key installed into the OS: Right-click Computer. Click Properties. Click View details in Windows Activation. Click Activate.
To activate a different key (from COA label): Click Windows Server Manager in the bottom left-hand corner of screen. On the server manager dashboard, click local server. In the right-hand column, click on Not activated next to the product key. Type in the product key and click Activate.
22. How do I activate my HP OEM license with SmartStart? If you are installing HP branded media using SmartStart, choose the OS selection that has “(HP branded).” This will allow the OS installation to preactivate. If activation is still needed, then the key can be provided during the Microsoft activation process. The key will be the one attached to the server. For more information on HP SmartStart, visit this site: hp.com/go/foundation Reference this screen for SmartStart 8.7 and later.
Reference this screen for SmartStart 8.3 and earlier. 23. How do I activate my HP OEM license with Intelligent Provisioning? If you are installing HP branded media using HP Intelligent Provisioning, choose the OS system family that has “(HP branded).” This will allow the OS installation to preactivate. If activation is still needed, then the key can be provided during the Microsoft activation process. The key will be the one attached to the server.
24. If the appropriate HP installation aid (SmartStart, Intelligent Provisioning, or Easy Set-up, depending on the server model) was not used to preactivate my OEM operating system, then how do I activate it using the product’s user interface? Windows Server 2008 R2: To get to the Windows activation screen, right-click Computer. Then click Properties. Depending on the OS version, the screens you then see will resemble these: Click Activate Windows now. This brings up the Windows activation screen.
Type in your product key and follow the prompts. Your license should then be activated. Windows Server 2012 • Open Windows Server Manager by clicking the icon in the bottom left-had corner of the taskbar. • On the Windows Server Manager screen click local server. • In the right-hand column click on Not activated next to the product key.
In the Windows activation box, type in the product key. (This is found on the COA label that should be adhered to your server.) Then click Activate. 25. What is my password set to for Windows Server 2008 R2 and/or Windows Server 2012? If you purchased Windows Server 2008 R2 and/or Windows Server 2012 preinstalled, you will be required to provide a password during the initial interview process.
28. What do I do if I am having trouble activating my OS installation? Make sure the product you are trying to activate is the same product as what is listed on the COA label. If the product being activated is the same as what is on the COA label, then follow the steps below to manually inject the product key and proceed through the activation process again. Note: Internet connection is recommended. i. ii. iii. iv. Either use the run selection from the start programs menu or open a command window.
Initial setup support does NOT include assistance with: • Generation or diagnosis of user-generated programs or source codes • Installation of non-HP products • System optimization, customization, and network configuration HP ProLiant Global Limited Warranty & Technical Support Terms can be found at: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/platforms/warranty/index.html 32.
39. If my server running Windows Server 2008 R2 is covered under Microsoft Software Assurance, do I have to pay for Windows Server 2012? No. As part of Software Assurance benefits, you will receive the rights to upgrade your Windows Server license to a successor version released during the term of your Software Assurance license. Software Assurance licensees should access the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) for full details of their Software Assurance benefits. 40.
44. What is HP’s policy on support for downgrade assistance? While the end-user license terms may allow customers to downgrade their Windows Server operating system, the HP server must be certified to support the older operating system. The OS support matrix should be used to determine certification status (hp.com/go/wincert).
The following table lists the number of instances per license that you can run at the same time in a virtual operating system environment within a physical server. Windows Server 2008 Virtual operating system environment instances Standard 1 Enterprise 4 Datacenter Any number Itanium® Any number 48.
50. Can I downgrade from Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Edition to Small Business Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition? • No. Downgrade rights, if available, only apply to previous versions of the same product. Upgrade rights 51.
58. Can you use Citrix XenServer with a HP OEM license for Windows Server? Yes. You can use Citrix XenServer with an HP OEM license according to the Citrix documentation, pages 11–12: Installing a VM from Reseller Option Kit (BIOS-locked) media To allow installation of Reseller Option Kit (BIOS-locked) OEM versions of Windows, onto a VM running on a XenServer host, the BIOS strings of the VM will need to be copied from the host with which the ROK media was supplied.
60. Can I buy two HP OEM Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard edition licenses for one physical server, with the intention of running them each in a virtual machine (non-Microsoft VM)? Yes. Microsoft licensing (FPP, OEM, and VL) allows this. Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition 61. Is there any difference in the code between Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacenter Editions? No. They are identical. It’s the licensing that’s different. 62.
68. What is the maximum CPU support that Windows Server Datacenter Edition has? The Hyper-V hypervisor in Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Edition can support up to 32 virtual processors per VM. 69. Does Windows Server Datacenter Edition come with CALs? No. Customers must purchase CALs separately. Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter Edition 70. Are Windows Server Datacenter Edition licenses required per installed processor or per socket present in the server? Licenses are required per installed processor. 71.
77. What management capabilities deliver Windows Server 2012? Windows Server 2012 delivers new and more powerful management capabilities—such as Share Nothing Live Migration and Inbox Replication (Hyper-V Replica)—that make it easier to manage and maintain the IT infrastructure while delivering great customer value. Windows Small Business Server 2011 78.
• A new Small Business Server customer needs to run an ISV application on their Small Business Server, which is currently only supported on Windows Server 2008, not Windows Server 2008 R2. This customer should purchase Open License Small Business Server 2011, and obtain downgrade Small Business Server 2008 media and a key via VLSC. 83. Can you get Remote Desktop Services for Small Business Server 2011? Yes. When using the Premium Add-on, you can use RDS on this edition.
Client access licenses (CALs) 90. What is a client access license (CAL)? A client access license (CAL) is a license granting access to certain Microsoft server software. CALs are used in conjunction with Microsoft server software licenses to allow users and devices to access and utilize the services of that server software. For instance, a company looking to use Windows Server would acquire a Windows Server license in order to install and run the Windows Server software on the physical server itself.
98. Do I need to upgrade my Windows Server CALs in order to access future releases of Windows Server? All future releases of Windows Server will require Windows Server CALs of the same version for the customer’s internal users and devices accessing the Windows software. Customers can either acquire new Windows Server CALs when the new version is released, or maintain software assurance on their prior-version CALs, which gives the rights to the next version. 99. I have software assurance for my CALs.
Remote Desktop Services CALs (RDS CALs) 107. What is the difference between a Windows CAL and RDS CALs? A Windows CAL is required when a user or device is directly or indirectly accessing a Windows Server. An RDS CAL is also required if the user or device is accessing or using the terminal server functionality of Windows Server Standard, Datacenter, and Enterprise Editions.
vii. viii. Note: A client that received a TS-CAL from the previous license server will continue normal operation until its TS-CAL expires. When the previously issued TS-CAL expires, the terminal server will request a new TS-CAL from the new license server on behalf of the client. After you have confirmed that the terminal servers in your environment can discover (contact) the new license server, deactivate the previous license server.
113. I’m a reseller. I’ve heard about a training site from HP and Microsoft called Coffee Coaching—what is it? HP Microsoft Coffee Coaching is a community where resellers can learn and interact with Microsoft and HP subject-matter experts to become more knowledgeable on key technologies to help you better serve your customers. Become a follower on the following social media sites: • facebook.com/CoffeeCoaching • youtube.com/CoffeeCoaching • twitter.com/CoffeeCoaching 114. I’m a reseller.
