Posts made by BRRABill

@scottalanmiller said:

@BRRABill needs to post more questions. Still pretty new around here and already has two threads in the all time most popular list!

Oh, I have some more coming, don't you worry.

You'll rue the day you invited me here.

@MattSpeller

Off-topic:
LOL every time I see you post, I think it's your icon posting.

@scottalanmiller said:

Not sure what you mean by not running Windows Server 2012 R2, no physical server should run Windows. Windows should always be a VM on top of a hypervisor. So the Unitrends box, which runs KVM, is absolutely identical to any other potential server that might run your Windows VMs.

What I mean is:
Let's say I have one Server 2012 R2 STandard and it is hosting a 2012 R2 VM. I am using some backup product to do image backups of this VM. Something on the backup product (whether it be a device or straight software) allows you to spin up a virtual instance of the backup image of that VM located on another machine. The backup box is running linux or whatever they use to do the backups, etc. But the virtual VM is running Server 2012, and thus needs a license.

Or ... let's say I export the backup image from the backup box. I spin that up in VirtualBox to test it. I need ANOTHER license for Server 2012 to do that, correct?

@scottalanmiller said:

You can move any VM there or to another DC licensed machine anything you want.

That's the part in my single server, Standard edition I was missing. Me gets it now.

I thought the VMs were tied to the physical server they were licensed for. I guess I am still unclear on that. Like you can move VMs between two DC licensed servers, but BOTH servers need the DC license.

I thought that if you bought a copy of 2012R2, you couldn't install a VM on that, and a VM on a separate machine. Both VMs had to stay with the original server.

Or I guess the better case here would be...I have two servers. One has 2012R2 on it. Now, I can move an instance of a VM to the second server, but that server has to also have a license with a free VM slot available.

Like you can't split the 2 VMs from 1 Standard license onto 2 servers. Both servers need a license. (Thus giving you 4 possible VMs, 2 on each server.)

So in theory you are saying something like a Unitrends box, you'd need to purchase a second license specifically for the Unitrends box, even though the box itself isn't running it 2012R2, but the virtual instance on it is.

I'm going to go back in time and forget I ever saw this thread. Or better yet even started it. Muuuuuuuuuuuch easier.

LOL. (JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!)

@brianlittlejohn said:

I believe you will need a license for your test device as well.

And you can apply multiple Standard Licenses to machines, you get two vms for each license.

Hence why I think the 1:1 "test anytime" selling features of these packages, even at the server level, could be out of EULA.

So back to the scenario.

I have a server with Server 2012R2 Standard on it. 1 license, running 2 VMs. (The max?)

Can I take the backup images of one of those servers and virtual boot it on another device to test it?

Seems like I cannot since my license for Standard only allows me to run 2 VMs and that is what I am running.

@brianlittlejohn said:

You are. If you purchas a VL they give you a MAK key to activate machines.

Right.

I'm used to retail activation.

@scottalanmiller said:

Of course. Everything needs to be licensed, all of it. You license the platform you are on for the capacity that you need. Same with VDI.

I think my words are confusing activation and licensing.

@brianlittlejohn said:

Yes, you have to use a license on the machine holding virtualbox (bad idea never put a server on there except to test)

I think where you may be getting confused is that you don't physically install a license on the machine. You just have to have enough licenses to cover your use scenario to be legal.

Yes, that was just a (bad) example.

OK. As you may know from my other thread, I am a little new to the VM thing. I figured they all still needed to be activated and whatnot.

@scottalanmiller said:

Because that with DC licensing you license capacity, not VMs. The idea that you have a "server licensed" doesn't exist.

But I can't just run a Windows Server in VirtualBox. It has to be licensed somehow, right?

@brianlittlejohn said:

Without DC you are still licensing capacity and not VMs, So If I had 2 WIndows Server VMs that could run on 3 hosts in event of a failure, I would have to have 3 Standard Server 2012 Licenses, one for each host, even though i only have two vms.

That's the scenario I would be in. 1 host that allows 2 VMs.

And even if you are running the Hyper-V Server with 1 VM, doesn't that need to be licensed somehow?

BTW: do you want me to move this to another topic since we've drifted so far?

What is "DC licensing"?

Poor giraffe.

I mean that...

I have a server licensed, whether it is physical or virtual. How could I possibly boot up another copy of that server (the virtualboot of the backup image to test the backup) while the original is still running?

I know there are "cold boot" rights, which this would seem to fall under, but you need SA for those.

Also, it was mentioned earlier that to test it you'd have to perform a BMR. But wouldn't that ALSO be a violation, since the same server and license are active in two places?

The other pages are easy enough to get to.

Is it customizable per user?

LOL, not to beat a dead horse here, but I still don't get why this would be kosher in a server environment.

But I still question the testing use of spinning up the image to test. You'd have that license live TWICE. Is that legal? Can you VDI the same license as much as you want?

(I'm unfamiliar with VDI licenses.)

None taken.

It's more informative at this point.

I have an idea what to do with the OP.