B r i e f

Licensing Windows 7 for Use with Virtual Machines October 2011

Microsoft Volume Licensing Programs

SummaryThis licensing brief is an overview of the Microsoft volume license use rights for the Windows 7 operating system when running within virtual machines.

The licensing covered in this licensing brief is described in the context of Windows 7 Software Assurance, Windows Intune, and Windows 7 Virtual Desktop Access (VDA) under Microsoft Volume Licensing. For use rights provided with purchases through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and full packaged products (FPPs), please review the license terms that accompany those products.

What’s New in this Brief This brief replaces a previous version published in March 2010 Changes in this new version include:

o Updated references to include virtualization rights provided with Windows Intuneo Updated references to VDA (formerly VECD)

Details

Licensing the Windows Desktop Operating System

For Windows operating system software licensed through retail (FPP) or preinstalled on a PC (OEM), Windows use rights are outlined in the Software License Terms that accompany the software. These license terms provide use rights to run Windows locally on the licensed device in a virtual operating system environment (OSE); however they do not provide use rights for accessing Windows running remotely in a virtual OSE from the licensed device, and are limited in other ways when compared to virtualization use rights provided with Windows Software Assurance, Windows Intune, and Windows VDA licenses acquired through Microsoft Volume Licensing. For example, neither FPP nor OEM licenses permit remote access to a Windows virtual machine (VM) running in a datacenter. For this, a license obtained through Microsoft Volume Licensing is required.

Note: Software License Terms for FPP or OEM can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualProperty/UseTerms/Default.aspx

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This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. This information is provided to help guide your authorized use of products you license; it is not your agreement. Your use of products licensed under your volume license agreement is governed by the terms and conditions of that agreement. In the case of any conflict between this information and your agreement, the terms and conditions of your agreement control. Prices for licenses acquired through Microsoft resellers are determined by the reseller.

Microsoft Volume Licensing Rights for Running Windows Desktop within Virtual Machines

There are three licensing vehicles with Windows virtualization use rights which allow for a licensed device to access virtual desktops either remotely and/or locally depending upon the licensing vehicle being used.

1. For Windows Software Assurance licensed devices virtualization use rights are included 2. For Windows Intune licensed devices virtualization use rights are included 3. For devices which do not have a qualifying operating system (e.g., thin client) and therefore

cannot be licensed with Software Assurance or Windows Intune, a separate standalone Windows VDA subscription license is available.

Note: The “licensed device” is the device to which the license is assigned and from which virtualization

use rights will be used. In the case of Windows SA, it is the device to which the underlying Windows license has been assigned.

VDA is the license replacing what was formerly VECD VECD for SA has been retired as these rights are now included with Windows SA A list of Qualifying Operating Systems can be found at:

http://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/DocumentSearch.aspx?Mode=3&DocumentTypeId=3

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Comparing the Virtualization Rights in Windows SA, Windows Intune, and Windows VDA

There are a few differences between the virtualization rights granted depending on the licensing vehicle being used (Windows SA / Windows Intune / Windows VDA).

*For Windows VDA licensed devices with a separate underlying Windows 7 Professional license this right to run up to 4 instances of Windows in a local virtual OSE applies.

Running Instances of the SoftwareFor each license you assign, at any one time, you may either:

Remotely access up to four instances of the software running in virtual OSEs (only one instance per virtual OSE) on your servers (e.g., on up to four different servers in your datacenter) from the licensed device.

Remotely access one instance of the software running in one physical OSE on one of your servers (e.g., in your datacenter) from the licensed device.

For Windows Intune licensed devices and Windows licensed devices with active Software Assurance coverage:

At any one time, on the licensed device you may also run up to four instances of the software in virtual OSEs (only one instance per virtual OSE) and one instance of the software in one physical OSE. If you run all five permitted instances at the same time, the instance running in the physical OSE must be used solely to run:

The hardware virtualization software, and Software to manage and service OSEs on the licensed device.

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Alternatively, for each license, you may run on the licensed device at any one time two instances of the software in the physical OSE. If you choose this option, you may not run the software in any virtual OSEs on the licensed device

For Windows VDA:

You may not run the software in the physical OSE on the licensed device under a Windows VDA license.

Roaming Use RightsThe single primary user of the Windows Intune licensed device, Windows VDA licensed device or Windows licensed device with active Software Assurance coverage (work device) may:

at any one time remotely access one or more of the permitted instances running on your servers (e.g., in your datacenter) from a third party device, and

at any one time run one instance of the software in a virtual OSE on a qualifying third party device

When the primary user is on your or your affiliates’ company premises, Roaming Use Rights are not applicable.

These Virtualization Use Rights and the corresponding Roaming Use Rights are non-perpetual and are only active as long as the underlying Software Assurance, Intune, or VDA subscription is active.

Editions: Customers may use Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise or a prior version for any permitted instance running in a virtual machine. Likewise, customers electing the alternative right to run a second copy in a hard-drive partition on a Windows SA or Windows Intune licensed device, may use prior versions in place of a permitted copy or copies. (Please refer to your agreement and Product List for full information on prior version rights for Windows)

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Scenarios (Scenarios are focused on Windows 7, VDA, and Windows Intune. They do not necessarily specify all licenses needed for the scenario. For example, some scenarios may require Windows Server CALs or Office Professional Plus licenses. For simplicity, those separate licensing requirements are not always included.)

The following business scenarios have been put together to help the reader understand how the Windows Client OS can be licensed in your environments:

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) desktopso Description: The Windows Client OS runs within Virtual Machines (VMs) in the datacenter

on a hypervisor platform (such as Hyper-V). These virtual desktops are accessed from either PCs, thin clients or other devices.

o Licensing solution: Since the devices are accessing Windows Client OS running within VMs, they would need either active Software Assurance, VDA or Windows Intune licenses, depending on the device type. Additionally, roaming use rights would also apply, depending on the scenario and user.

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Terminal Services Session Virtualization “desktops”o Description: A Windows Server OS (such as Windows Server 2008 R2) is shared across

multiple users via terminal sessions running applications like Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. These sessions are accessed from either PCs, thin clients or other devices.

o Licensing solution: Since the devices are accessing a Windows server OS, they do not need any additional licensing for Windows Client. However, the devices / users would need to be licensed for the Session technology (e.g., Windows Server CALs and RDS-CALs). The devices accessing the sessions would also need licenses for Office Professional Plus.

Mixed VDI and Session desktopso Description: Some users access VDI desktops, and some users access session based

desktops or applications. In some cases, a particular device may need to access both at the same time (e. g., a user logs into a VDI desktop, and then accesses a remote application or desktop through a session).

o Licensing solution: Only the devices accessing the VDI desktops would need to be licensed for Windows Client through SA, VDA, or Windows Intune. Every device accessing a session desktop would need to be licensed with the corresponding server licenses (e.g., Windows Server CALs and RDS-CALs).

Roaming VDI userso Description: A user is the primary user of a thin client at work that has been licensed for

VDI. The user also needs the flexibility to access their VDI desktops from home or while travelling using their personal tablet device.

o Licensing solution: The thin client device needs a VDA license to allow it to access up to 4 concurrent Windows Client VMs running in a datacenter. Since the user is a primary user of a thin client device licensed for VDA, roaming use applies, and the user does not need any additional VDA licenses for his iPAD (or any other non-company device outside the company.)

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)o Description: Organization A decides to let users bring their own devices to work, and sets

up VDI desktops for all users. Devices do not have a qualifying OS (e.g., they may be licensed for Windows 7 Home Premium). These users do not have access to any other devices.

o Licensing solution: Organization A needs a VDA license for every personal device that the user decides to bring in to the corporate environment.

Contractor PCso Description: Organization A contracts some work to organization B, and allows

organization B’s employees to access organization A’s VDI desktops through organization B’s PCs. Devices have a qualifying OS (i.e. Windows 7 Professional).

o Licensing solution: Organization A will need to license every device that organization B’s employees use to access organization A’s VDI desktops with either Windows Intune or Windows VDA license. Note: If devices do not have a qualifying OS, they must be licensed with a Windows VDA license.

Local Windows VMs using client hypervisorso Description: 2 Windows Client OS running within Virtual Machines (VMs) on the local PC

using a type I client hypervisor technology.

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o Licensing solution: The PC needs active SA coverage. Windows Client SA allows the device to run up to 4 VMs concurrently.

For Frequently Asked Questions see the Windows VDA FAQ at http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/0/5/5059CBF7-F736-4D1E-BF90-C28DADA181C5/Microsoft%20VDI%20and%20Windows%20VDA%20FAQ%20v2%200.pdf

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Definitions

Device: A device is a physical hardware system. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate physical hardware system and, therefore, is a separate device.

Assigning a license: To assign a license means simply to designate that license to one device. The purpose of this designation is to avoid sharing a license across multiple devices at the same time.

Figure D1: Assigning a license

Operating system environment: An operating system environment is one instance of an operating system and instances of applications, if any, configured to run on that operating system instance. The two types of operating system environments are physical and virtual. A physical operating system environment is configured to run directly on a physical hardware system. A virtual operating system environment is configured to run on a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system. A physical hardware system can have either or both of the following:

One physical operating system environment One or more virtual operating system environments

Figure D2: Different types of operating system environments on a PC

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