Access important files from anywhereMicrosoft relaxes virtual-machine rules
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a change in its licensing policy to make it easier for businesses that want the ability to shift server software that is running in a virtual machine from one physical machine to another.
The licensing shift, which had been expected, lifts a cap that had limited the ability to switch software from one physical machine to another within a server farm. Under the prior rules, such shifts could me made only once every 90 days. That's a problem because software from VMware and others aims to allow such transfers to be made dynamically in response to changing demand.
"Businesses are taking steps to make their IT operations more dynamic and are delving into virtualization as a cornerstone strategy," Microsoft Senior Director Zane Adam said in a statement. "Microsoft recognizes this and is innovating its licensing policies, product support, and a wide range of IT solutions to help customers get virtual now."
The change applies to 41 server titles, Microsoft said, including the enterprise version of SQL Server 2008, the standard and enterprise versions of Exchange Server 2007, as well as the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft System Center products.
Microsoft also plans to offer better support for businesses that are running its software inside other companies' virtualization engines. Under the changes, Microsoft will support its software running inside virtual machines from VMware, Cisco Systems, Citrix, Novell, Sun Microsystems, and Virtual Iron as if it were being run in nonvirtual environments.
In the past, many customers with problems running Microsoft software in VMware, for example, had to reproduce the problem outside of VMware in order to get technical support from Microsoft.
For some time now, Microsoft has been trying to shift its pricing policies to reflect a new world in which server software often runs inside virtual machines.
Microsoft is going to have more to say on the virtualization front at a September 8 event in the Seattle area.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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Now if other vendors will follow suit, virtualization costs will drop dramatically encouraging adoption.
An excellent example of Microsoft innovation!
Why is it that MS fans are consistently ignorant?
"More options to buy MS products which all of them exist to lock in customers!
Why is it that MS fans are consistently ignorant?"
And your comment here displays very well your basic ignorance of the entire IT industry.
I can't believe MS pays you to post here.
MS products are all used as lock in tools. No different then say Cisco.
In fact, this change came about because they gave in. So many people went right on and use the technology anyway that Microsoft would've had to pretty much sue them all to enforce the old license agreement.
see:
www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/aug08/08-19EasyPathPR.mspx
and
windowsservercatalog.com/svvp
Am I missing something? VMWare seems absent from the lists Microsoft provides. Is there any source that confirms VMWare will be supported?
Xen is free, as both in beer and in source code. I wonder if Microsoft will follow suit? ;)
Also, VMWare's VMotion has to allow a VM to run on two machines in order to work, so yes it already has that ability. And, ESXi is free and can run on multiple machines without license worries (save for the fake license 'keys' you generate for free, if VMWare Server is any indication).
IOW, Microsoft is actually catching up to everyone else, not the other way 'round. ;)
@Seaspray:
Prolly a patch.
@mchinsky:
bulldoggk is correct, though so are you as per the reasons why they did it.
Re: Xen being free:
"And sure companies could move to open source products to solve licencing issues to but I would suspect that these same companies would have done so already. "
Re: IOW, Microsoft is actually catching up to everyone else, not the other way 'round
Ah, read the article next time. It was about Microsoft changing the licensing of their APPLICATIONS allowing you to run them on failover VMs not about virtural server software being free. Now if you comments mention licensing of APPLICATIONS that run in VMs that would make more sense but of course coming from you what can we expect...
PS: Nice way to take something out of context, kiddo (I never said that MSFT is catching up by making anything free - I was bringing up a large an obvious counter-point to your clueless insinuation that MSFT was some kind of market leader. ;)
VMWARE statement http://www.vmware.com/solutions/whitepapers/msoft_policies_wp.html
Microsoft announced their intent to provide a cooperative technical support mechanism to all customers running Windows Server on qualified hypervisor platforms in November, 2007 through the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP). This program was launched in June, 2008.
VMware believes the SVVP to be a positive step toward more comprehensive customer support, although it fails to address support for all Microsoft Server products. VMware is working with Microsoft to resolve technical and commercial elements of the program, and hopes that this will lead to VMware participation.
What the big corporations want is no rules for them, while they waste small investors money and semi slave rules for us working folk!
It is time to pass laws that protect consumers from companies that lie when they claim the system is stable, and remotely disable our computers if we change out hardware! I will eat glass before I ever use a Microsoft product again!
Mark Heinemann
I know, I know, they have a GUI. But as I talk to the experts, they all say "to be an expert, you MUST know linux command line" They are always "telnetting" and recompiling kernals.
We run a 'pure" Microsoft LAN/WAN in Manhattan and almost every piece of software is Microsoft, and the few that arent are WIndows Vista 32 bit logo certified. We havent had a crash or blue screen since Windows 98. Do they still use a blue screen?
We have 8 virtual servers, and this new licensing model really doesnt make much difference to us. I dont move them around too much, and if I did, I certainly wouldnt have followed the "90 day rule" anyways.
I get around alot in Manhattan, and still have NEVER seen linux in a business. I know it will happen someday, and no, I dont visit alot of dotcoms.
Our Vista rollout went flawless, yet all I see around is XP and Leopard in other businesses. (of course we waited for SP1, before we rolled it out)
maybe they all believe those mac commercials with the "PC guy" . I guess they'd be good candidates for the http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/ LOL
in any case, I dont know anyone who follows the 90 day rule. As long as its a legit copy of Win2008, or Vista, who cares if you move the virtual PC to another server. I'd never run it both places at once, but to move it? no big deal
and to MSRules, I wish WE could go pure Microsoft also, but you know the biggest showstopper, that damned acrobat. never mind Microsoft buying Yahoo, Microsoft should buy Adobe!
Maybe then Adobe would follow Microsoft programming standards and make their apps Windows logo compliant.
We run Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2, with around 40 virtual machines, and we dont have linucks either. I have seen it on youtube, but never in real life.
We run Vista Business and I have found the registry hack to get dreamscenes working!
All our users have dreamscenes running, and find it very relaxing. One guy even made a dream of his back yard, with a HD video cam! All the processing offloaded to the GPU and the PC running at 5% utilization. The best dream is a premium dream called "good night Earth" but the free dream called "wasser" is also cool.
sorry I went off topic, but the idea of a "PURE" Microsoft LAN got me all excited. You should email me dude, so we can talk offline.
and to Mark Heinneman, maybe if you used logo compliant apps, and up to date hardware, your Vista would be stable. And they dont "disable your computer" It's just an annoying startup warning called WGA warning, and you can click past it. People were imaging the OS, and rolling it out to thousands of PC's, its called piracy, and is illegal.
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by no_arab_president
August 22, 2008 5:22 AM PDT
- oh, btw MSRules, We have leopard running in VMWARE (on Vista), and yes, we bought a Leopard license.
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