Licensing issues
Software virtualization throws up questions related to licensing, especially with regard to Microsoft's licensing and support policies.
In Microsoft's volume licensing, customers can install a second copy of Windows on a PC at no extra charge, while other licensing programs require users to buy the second OS separately at potentially higher retail prices. Also, a Windows license is tied to the first physical machine on which the OS is installed, which means virtual machines cannot be moved between users.
Gartner pointed out in its report that Microsoft usually does not support virtual machine installations of Windows, which creates less incentive for businesses to deploy virtual machines. Given the potential benefits that virtualization could offer with migrations to Windows Vista, Microsoft should address these issues, said the analyst firm.
Souter, however, contended that licensing should not be a problem, as long as companies have site licenses that allow them to use the application as many times as they want.
So far, Microsoft has thrown virtualization its support, specifically in its licenses for the upcoming Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, which will allow businesses to run up to four virtual instances on one physical server at no additional cost. By doing so, Microsoft is extending the savings that customers can realize through server consolidation on the Windows Server platform. Licenses for the Datacenter Edition of the version of Windows Longhorn Server will give businesses the right to run an unlimited number of virtual instances on one physical server.
Additionally, companies can also move active instances from one licensed server box to another without limitation, as long as the physical server is licensed for the Windows Server System product.
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