If you purchase a Windows VPS from us, you will automatically receive a license for Windows Server. We are able to offer you that license because we are a Microsoft SPLA partner.
In this article, we explain how Windows Server licenses work within this SPLA model, and what has been changed in this field for Windows Server 2008 and 2012 licenses.
What is SPLA?
SPLA stands for Service Provider License Agreement and gives a party (e.g. TransIP) the right to offer certain Microsoft licenses.
The SPLA program is aimed at service providers and independent software providers who want to offer Microsoft OSs and software to end-users.
Windows Server licenses
Within the SPLA model, the license costs for Windows Server are calculated monthly based on the number of cores of a server. This is called the 'per core' model.
With a 'per core' model, a license is required for every CPU core / thread on a server. TransIP uses Windows Server licenses, which look at the total number of physical cores / threads on the underlying hypervisor. It does not matter how many virtual machines (VPSs) are on the hypervisor.
The number of VPSs on a hypervisor can differ. In case of Windows Server, we therefore look at the average number of VPSs hosted on a hypervisor, in relation to the number of cores of our hypervisors. Based on this, an average rate has been calculated for the entire platform.
The changes in Windows Server 2008 and 2012 licensing
In the past, Windows Server licenses were not licensed per core, but per processor. Licensing per processor looks at the number of physical processors on a server, regardless of the number of cores / threads.
A few years ago, Microsoft switched to a per core model for Windows Server licenses. The reasons for this as stated by Microsoft are that it offers more consistent and linear licensing per core model:
- It provides a more precise measurement of the power of a server. The number of cores can vary considerably per processor. By measuring per core instead of per CPU, this offers a fairer calculation.
- The model offers a single standard that can be used for physical servers and virtual / cloud environments.
Nowadays, CPUs have more cores than in the past, which means that the prices of licenses are higher in the per core model.
In 2016, we were able to sign a contract with Microsoft in which Windows Server 2008 and 2012 were licensed via the old and cheaper 'per processor' model. Windows Server 2016 and 2019 have always used the 'per core' model.
The 'per processor' model for Windows Server no longer exists. With the renewal of our contract with Microsoft in 2019, we therefore had to switch to the 'Per core' model for 2008 and 2012. From that moment on, Windows Server 2008 and 2012 are calculated in the same way as Windows Server 2016 and 2019.
Should you have any questions left regarding this article, do not hesitate to contact our support department. You can reach them via the ‘Contact Us’ button at the bottom of this page.
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