Microsoft is changing its per-processor server licensing
model from 1 April, and enterprises running high-end servers could
benefit significantly.
Analyst firm Gartner said organisations that use partitioning to
segregate different applications running on the same multiprocessor
server would benefit from the change. Analyst Alvin Park said some
Microsoft customers had complained that the company's current
licensing scheme requires them to pay for every processor on a
server, even though the software may not be running on all of the
chips.
The issue has become more acute as organisations have sought to
consolidate single- or dual-processor servers onto larger systems
as a way of cutting hardware and systems management costs, he
said.
From next month, Microsoft will introduce new per-processor
tariffs, whereby businesses pay only for the processors that the
software actually runs on.
Rebecca la Brunerie, head of Microsoft's licensing programme, said
the new system would be "a lot more fair and logical" for customers
who use partitioning.
Microsoft will not refund customers that have already paid for
software running on partitioned servers, but they will be able to
reuse licenses freed up by the new system.
Using partitioning to cut licensing costs can be complex from a
technology standpoint, but the new model offers the potential for
big savings for some users, said Park.