Microsoft Tweaks Virtualization License
Saying it wants to "enable customers to begin realizing the promise of self-managing dynamic systems," Microsoft on Monday announced changes to its licensing structure in order to accommodate the increasing popularity of virtualized computing through a project called the Dynamic Systems Initiative.
Such systems allow IT departments to virtualize computing resources in order to make them more nimble and responsive to a company's specific requirements. The new license structure would no longer require customers purchase a Windows license for each virtual server until the virtual server is actually used.
For example, if a company had five actual servers and 500 stored virtual images, it would only pay for the five Windows Server licenses, and then pay per virtual server when each begins running.
Brent Callinicos, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Worldwide Licensing and Pricing, explained the advantage of virtualized computing. "There are several benefits to virtual-machine technology. There is a reduction in total cost of ownership by hardware utilization and consolidating workloads on fewer servers," he said.
"We wanted our licensing to allow customers to embrace virtualization benefits and eliminate any potential barriers. As a result, we have devised licensing policies that we feel best reflects how our customers want to use this virtualization technology."
Several device manufacturers also expressed their support for the initiative, including AMD, Dell, IBM, Intel, and Unisys.
"Dell is committed to innovating with strategic partners such as Microsoft to develop technologies that leverage our companies' hardware and software virtualization expertise and create for our customers a more dynamic and manageable computing environment," Peter Morowski, vice president of software in the enterprise systems group at Dell, said in a statement.
The licensing changes will go into effect with the launch of Windows Server 2003 R2 later this year.
Microsoft also announced that it would license out its Virtual Hard Disk Format, which is used within Virtual Server 2005, royalty-free to encourage adoption.