FAQ: Purchasing, Licensing, & Availability of Windows HPC Server 2008

  • Article

Applies To: Windows HPC Server 2008

In this section:

  • How is Windows HPC Server 2008 licensed?

  • Do I require Client Access Licenses (CALs) to use Windows HPC Server 2008?

  • Can I buy the components separately?

How is Windows HPC Server 2008 licensed?

Windows® HPC Server 2008 is licensed per server. The software is licensed based on the number of instances of server software that you run. You may run, at any one time, one instance of the server software in one physical operating system environment and one instance in one virtual operating system environment on the licensed server.

If you run both permitted instances at the same time, the instance of the server software that is running in the physical operating system environment may only be used to:

  • Run hardware virtualization software

  • Provide hardware virtualization services

  • Run software to manage and service operating system environments on the licensed server

Do I require Client Access Licenses (CALs) to use Windows HPC Server 2008?

Windows Server® 2008 HPC Edition, which comes as part of Windows HPC Server 2008, is licensed per server and does not require CALs. If you are using the Microsoft® HPC Pack 2008 with a different edition of Windows Server® 2008 you will need to comply with the licensing programs for that edition.

Can I buy the components separately?

You can purchase Windows HPC Server 2008, or you can purchase the individual components separately: Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition, or Microsoft® HPC Pack 2008.

For purchasing information about Windows HPC Server 2008, see the Windows HPC Server 2008 Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=85562).