Windows Server 2016 editions have been streamlined to better support today’s changing business requirements. Windows Server 2016 is the cloud-ready operating system that supports your current workloads while introducing new technologies that make it easy to transition to the cloud.
The new Windows Server 2016 licensing model
The Windows Server 2016 licensing model includes both Cores and Client Access Licenses. Each user and/or device accessing a licensed Windows Server Standard, Datacenter requires a Windows Server CAL or a Windows Server and a Remote Desktop Services CAL. A Windows Server CAL gives a user or device the right to access any edition of Windows Server of the same or earlier version. Each Window Server CAL allows access to multiple licenses of Windows Server. With Windows Server 2016, the business model for Standard and Datacenter editions will transition from processor-based to core-based licensing. Core-based licensing provides a more consistent licensing metric across multi-cloud environments, improves workload portability for Windows Server.
Core based licensing: Windows Server 2016 Standard and Datacenter
• All physical cores in the server must be licensed. Servers are licensed based on
the number of processor cores in the physical server.
• A minimum of 16 core licenses is required for each server.
• A minimum of 8 core licenses is required for each physical processor.
• Core licenses will be sold in packs of two.
• Eight 2-core packs will be the minimum required to license each physical server.
The 2-core pack for each edition is one-eighth the price of a 2-processor
license for corresponding Windows Server 2012 R2 editions.
• Standard Edition provides rights for up to two OSEs or Hyper-V containers
when all physical cores in the server are licensed. For every two additional
VMs, all the cores in the server have to be licensed again.
• The price of 16-core licenses of Windows Server 2016 Datacenter and Standard
edition will be the same price as the 2-processor license of the corresponding
editions of the Windows Server 2012 R2 version.
