Hey folks! I need some insights on licensing compliance—specifically the risks involved when running Windows Server VMs. I have a setup with two ESXi hosts in a cluster, but only one of them is licensed with Windows Server 2025 Datacenter Edition for 16 cores. The licensed host runs several Windows Server 2022/2025 VMs. During maintenance, I used vMotion to temporarily move these VMs to the second ESXi host, which isn't licensed. They ran without issues, and the Windows Admin Center shows the licenses are activated. I clone these VMs from templates that already have the license key embedded and re-activate them as needed. My questions are:
- Am I breaching any licensing terms by running these VMs on the unlicensed host, even temporarily?
- Will Microsoft care about this when it comes to audits?
- Is this a real risk, or is it mostly theoretical unless audited?
- Has anyone been audited and required to show which ESXi host the VMs were running on?
- Is there any leeway for short-term migrations like this, or does every host need to be licensed in advance? I'm just looking for genuine experiences and insights, not judgments. Thanks!
1 Answer
It’s risky to run VMs on an unlicensed host, even if it’s just for a maintenance window. Technically, yes, you’re breaking the license agreement. But the likelihood of Microsoft coming after you for this? It’s probably low, unless you get audited. They tend to focus on bigger issues unless there’s a specific reason to scrutinize your setup.
That makes sense! But how does licensing work during migrations? If I move the VMs to the unlicensed host, do I need to re-activate them there? And when I move them back, do I reactivate again with the original host's license?