Cấp phép Windows Server Licensing (So sánh 2019, 2016, 2012)

Licensing requirements for Microsoft Windows Server are based on two primary metrics:

  • # of Processors/ Cores
  • # of Users or Devices that will be accessing the server

Most users will opt for Windows Server Standard, as this is the most flexible option. The Standard edition accounts for scalability while being cost effective.

Let’s go over some of the key differences between the versions and edition types —

WINDOWS SERVER 2019 & 2016

Server Editions Processing Power CALs VM Support
Essentials 1-2 CPU N/a N/a
Standard 16/24 Cores Per User/Device 2 (per 16-core)
Datacenter 16/24 Cores Per User/Device Unlimited
Features Essentials Standard Datacenter
Core functionality of WS
OSEs / Hyper V Containers
x2

Unlimited
Windows Server Containers
Unlimited

Unlimited
Host Guardian Service
Nano Server
Storage features including Storage Spaces Direct and Storage Replica
Shielded Virtual Machines
Networking stack

WINDOWS SERVER 2012

Server Editions Processing Power CALs VM Support
Essentials 1-2 CPU N/a N/a
Standard 16/24 Cores Per User/Device 2 (per 16-core)
Datacenter 16/24 Cores Per User/Device Unlimited
Server Role Essentials Standard/Datacenter
AD Certificate Services Full Limited
AD Domain Services Full Limited
Application Server Full Full
DHCP Server Full Full
DNS Server Full Limited
File Services Full Limited
Hyper-V Full Full
Network Policy & Access Servers Full Limited
Remote Desktop Access Full Limited

Windows Server 2008

Server 2008/R2 Editions Processing Power CALs VM Support
Standard 2 CPU, Max 4 CPU Per User/Device 1
Enterprise Full Per User/Device Unlimited

Standard and Datacenter 2008/ R2 have identical features. The main reason for upgrading to Datacenter would be to take advantage of the unlimited Virtual Machine and processor support.