Microsoft Outlines Pricing, Packaging and Licensing for Windows Server 2008, Including the New Microsoft Hyper-V Server Product

At Microsoft TechEd IT Forum 2007, Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of Infrastructure Server Marketing at Microsoft Corp., updated an audience of more than 5,000 IT professionals on the development of Windows Server 2008 and a new virtualization offering.

As Microsoft nears the final stages of Windows Server 2008 development and the Feb. 27, 2008, worldwide launch event, Kelly announced detailed packaging, pricing and licensing information for Windows Server 2008. This includes Microsoft’s server virtualization technology, Hyper-V, previously code-named “Viridian.” Kelly also announced the stand-alone virtualization server named Microsoft Hyper-V Server. Finally, Kelly outlined a complementary program, called the Server Virtualization Validation Program that allows virtual machine vendors to validate their solutions with Windows Server operating systems.

“Windows Server 2008 redefines what a server operating system delivers to customers,” Kelly said. “With more than 1 million downloads and evaluation copies, we’ve built Windows Server 2008 based on a solid foundation of customer feedback, which is reflected in the product’s ease of management, security enhancements and overall reliability. The unprecedented range of customer choices and the virtualization enhancements will help customers tailor solutions built to fit virtually any business need.”

“As the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz’ IT department, it is a priority for us to keep students and staff connected. Accordingly, we are looking forward to Windows Server 2008 features, such as advances in Terminal Services and the Hyper-V technology, to help us do that while maximizing resources,” said Carsten Allendoerfer, director of the Computing Center System Group at the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.

Windows Server 2008 Packaging, Pricing and Licensing

Windows Server 2008 is available in eight versions, three of which include Hyper-V:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard. This version has built-in, enhanced Web and virtualization capabilities, powerful tools that give customers greater control over their servers and streamline configuration and management tasks, and enhanced security features that work to harden the operating system to help protect their data and network and provide a solid, highly-dependable foundation for businesses. With Windows Server 2008 Standard edition, customers get one virtual instance per license.

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise has the same features as Windows Server 2008 Standard, but with Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition, customers get four virtual instances per license.

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter. Windows Server 2008 Datacenter delivers an enterprise-class platform for deploying business-critical applications. It helps customers improve availability and security features, and reduce infrastructure costs, by consolidating applications with virtualization licensing rights. And with Windows Server 2008 Datacenter edition, customers receive unlimited virtual instances per license.


Two versions offered without Hyper-V are targeted at specific workloads:

• Windows Web Server 2008. Designed to be used as a single-purpose Web server, Windows Web Server 2008 delivers a rock-solid foundation of Web infrastructure capabilities in the next-generation Windows Server 2008. Integrated with the newly re-architected Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, ASP.NET, and the Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Web Server 2008 helps enable any organization rapidly deploy Web pages, Web sites, Web applications and Web services.

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems. Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems is optimized for large databases, and line-of-business and custom applications, providing high availability and scalability up to 64 processors to meet the needs of the most demanding and mission-critical solutions. Support for Itanium-based systems will now be offered through the new Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems edition, targeted at customers using the Intel Itanium platform and designed for these specific workloads.


Microsoft will also offer a range of versions of Windows Server 2008 without Hyper-V:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V



All will be available in 32-bit or 64-bit versions, with the exception of Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems, which will only be available as a 64-bit version. Other changes include the availability of Windows Web Server 2008, a 64-bit edition of Web server. The Hyper-V feature will only be available with 64-bit editions of Windows Server 2008.

Pricing for all Windows Server 2008 products will be increasing by approximately 1 percent for all distribution channels. Estimated MSRP* are listed by each version below:

• Windows Server 2008 Standard: $999 (with five Client Access Licenses, or CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise: $3,999 (with 25 CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter: $2,999 (per processor)

• Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems: $2,999 (per processor)

• Windows Web Server 2008: $469

• Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V: $971 (with five CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V: $3,971 (with 25 CALs)

• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V: $2,971 (per processor)


Microsoft Hyper-V Server

Microsoft Hyper-V Server, a hypervisor-based server virtualization product, complements the Hyper-V technology within Windows Server 2008, allowing customers to consolidate workloads onto a single physical server. In addition, Microsoft Hyper-V Server will increase original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners’ ability to offer customers simplified, reliable and cost-effective virtualization solutions that can easily plug in to their existing infrastructure. Partners including Dell Inc., Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., HP, IBM Corp., Lenovo, NEC Corp. and Unisys are already committed to working with Microsoft to offer solutions based on Microsoft Hyper-V Server once it is available. The estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for Microsoft Hyper-V Server is $28 (U.S.).

“Microsoft and Dell are continuing to work together to provide virtualization solutions and by offering Microsoft Hyper-V Server across a wide variety of Dell servers,” said Rick Becker, vice president of Software and Solutions at Dell. “Our joint customers can continue to leverage their expertise with Microsoft technologies to rapidly provision new services and better manage and simplify their IT environment.”

“The combination of Microsoft Hyper-V Server, industry-leading HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, and our comprehensive services portfolio provides customers with an adaptive infrastructure that is simple to operate, reliable and cost effective,” said Scott Farrand, vice president of Industry Standard Server Software at HP. “HP plans to support customers in the adoption of Microsoft Hyper-V Server by delivering solutions that help them realize the benefits of a virtualized environment.”

Server Virtualization Validation Program

In response to industry and customer demands for more comprehensive technical support of virtual machines, Kelly also announced the Server Virtualization Validation Program. Beginning in June 2008, vendors will be able to self-test and validate certain technical requirements of their server virtualization software running Windows Server 2008 and prior versions. The program will enable Microsoft to offer cooperative technical support to customers running Windows Server on validated, non-Windows server virtualization software.

“Microsoft has worked with industry partners to create a technical support model that will meet customers’ growing demands,” Kelly said. “As more customers deploy and virtualize Windows-based applications on Windows Server 2008 or other server virtualization software, this program will help ensure that customers receive a joint support experience for their physical and virtual infrastructure deployments.”

“Technical support of virtualized images is an industrywide challenge,” said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions for Novell. “Our relationship with Microsoft provides us with a jointly supported solution today. Novell and Microsoft continue to collaborate to optimize bidirectional virtualization between Windows and SUSE Linux Enterprise with Xen. Microsoft’s server virtualization validation program provides customers with additional peace of mind when they run Windows as a guest in a validated environment such as SUSE Linux Enterprise.”

About Microsoft TechEd Europe

In its 14th year in Europe, TechEd is Microsoft’s definitive European conference for building, deploying, securing and managing connected solutions. With a strong mix of developer, infrastructure and messaging content, Microsoft TechEd Europe is Microsoft’s premier technical training conference for a wide range of technology professionals. TechEd Europe, held this year in the Centre Convencions Internacional (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain, encompasses both TechEd Developers (Nov. 5–9) and TechEd IT Forum (Nov.12–16).