I'm trying to get a better understanding of the Windows Server environment I've inherited, particularly with how licensing works because it seems quite complicated. Essentially, I'm looking for some verification on the number of Windows Server VMs we're licensed for. We have two ESXi hosts, each equipped with dual 12-core CPUs (totaling 48 physical cores), and as far as I can tell, the only Windows Server licensing we have is 48 units of the Windows Server 2022 Standard - 2 Core License Pack.
From my read of Microsoft's licensing guide, I think we've got the 48 cores fully licensed, which translates to 4 VMs per host, giving us a total of 8 Windows Server VMs across our setup. Is that correct?
For context, I got this information from our managed service provider, who set up the environment, but their explanation has left me a bit confused about our actual limits.
5 Answers
You’re on the right track! You can run 4 Windows Server VMs per host based on your licensing, but that's only if the hosts aren’t clustered. Each host is licensed for 24 cores, so you only get rights to 2 VMs per 24 cores under Standard Edition. So yes, 8 VMs total. Forget about the 26 VMs you were told, that's not accurate at all!
Just to clarify, your MSP seems to have made a mistake. You’re definitely licensed for 4 VMs per host with Standard Edition. If I were you, I’d double-check everything they’ve advised — seems like they might be missing some basics!
Believe me, I'm doing everything I can to build a case against them. It’s tough since they’ve been with the company for so long.
It sounds like you're licensed properly. Just to confirm, with dual 12-core CPUs per host, you're licensed for 48 cores in total. So you're correctly licensed to run one set of 4 VMs under your current setup. Don’t let your MSP confuse you further!
Yeah, I was under the impression that having 48 '2 Core License Packs' meant a total of 96 cores would be licensed, or 48 cores twice over. What a mess!
Your best bet would have been to purchase the 24-core license for each host, which can stack up and cover everything nicely. With your current setup, it seems your MSP didn’t handle the licensing efficiently — it’s all quite convoluted!
Overall, you're definitely right — 4 VMs per host with Standard Edition is the accurate calculation. That 26 VMs number from the MSP is just plain wrong!
Perfect, that’s what I thought! I can't wrap my head around how they calculated 26 VMs per host.