In an anticipated PressPass release Microsoft yesterday announced new licensing rules, virtualization readiness events and extended support policies, targeted at its new Hyper-V virtualization family of products and its dreams of the 'dynamic data center'.

Licensing flexibility

Quoting from the release:

Beginning Sept. 1, 2008, customers will be able to move any of 41 Microsoft server applications between servers within a server farm as often as necessary without paying additional licensing fees, and they can take advantage of expanded specialized technical support.

This new licensing flexibility allows both licenses and software to move more freely across servers in a server farm. According to the TechNet Virtualization Blog however it only applies to up to two data centers each physically located in a time zone that is within four hours, or within European Union (EU) and/or European Free Trade Association (EFTA), don't apply to OEM licenses and don't apply to Windows licenses.

The Microsoft products enjoying these new licensing rules are:

• Microsoft Connected Services Framework Server 3.0
• Connected Services Framework SBE Server Billing 3.0
• Connected Services Framework SBE Server Order Handling 3.0
• Microsoft Customer Care Framework 2008
• Microsoft Duet for Microsoft Office and SAP
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Enterprise Server
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Professional Server
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Enterprise Edition
• Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Forefront Client Security (Management Console)
• Forefront Client Security with SQL Server 2005 Technology (Management Console)
• Forefront Server Security Management Console
• Microsoft Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007
• Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Enterprise Edition
• Office Communications Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007
• Office Forms Server 2007 for Internet sites
• Microsoft Office Groove Server 2007
• Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007
• Microsoft Office Project Portfolio Server
• Microsoft Office Project Server 2007
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
• Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Internet sites
• Microsoft Search Server 2008
• SQL Server 2008 Enterprise (Server/CAL)
• Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007
• System Center Configuration Manager 2007 with SQL Server 2005 Technology
• Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007
• Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007
• System Center Essentials 2007 with SQL Server 2005 Technology
• Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008
• System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 with SQL Server 2005 Technology
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007
• System Center Operations Manager 2007 with SQL Server 2005 Technology
• Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server with SQL Server 2005 Technology
• Visual Studio Team System 2008 Test Load Agent

Extended support policies

Another big change is extended support for Microsoft products running on non-Microsoft Hardware virtualization products. According to an update to what seems to be the most quoted Microsoft Knowledgebase article on virtualization blogs, no longer a Premier-level is required to lift the requirement to reproduce any specific problems on physical hardware: A Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) passed hardware virtualization solution on "Designed for" and "Certified for" hardware will suffice. Vendors like Citrix, Novell, Sun, Virtual Iron get mentioned on the webpage of the program, but Cisco and VMWare also seem to be on board.

The following Microsoft product enjoy the new extended support policies:

• Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) version 4.5 (and later versions)
• Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009 (both server and client) (and later versions)
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2009 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Forefront Client Security
• Microsoft Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007 Service Pack 2 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange (FSE) *
• Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint (FSP) *
• Microsoft Host Integration Server 2006 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server
• Microsoft Office Groove Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 2 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Service Pack 1 (agents only) **
• Microsoft Search Server 2008 (and later versions)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (and later versions) ***
• Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (both server and agents) (and later versions)
• Microsoft Systems Center Data Protection Manager 2007 ****
• Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 (and later versions)
• Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 (both server and agents) (and later versions)
• Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (both server and agents) (and later versions)
• Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (agents only)
• Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 (and later versions)
• Microsoft Windows HPC Server 2008 (and later versions)
• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition with Service Pack 2
• Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.1 (and later versions)
• Windows Web Server 2008

      * intended for availability in the third quarter of 2008
** More information here
*** except as documented in the "SQL Server 2008 Books Online" publication
**** only for agent-side backup.

Readiness events

Microsoft will host a load of worldwide events in the coming months under the "Get Virtual Now" moniker. On the Get Virtual Now website you can register to get started on Microsoft Hyper-V, Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.5 and the implications these disruptive technologies have on security, management, flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

The series of more than 100 events started on August 3 in South Africa during Tech∙Ed South Africa in Durban. (Africa's Zulu Kingdom's bewitching seaside playground) The series continues September 8 with a U.S. kickoff event and is slated to cover more than 50 countries. The U.S. "Get Virtual Now" event will feature Microsoft executives Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business; Kevin Turner, chief operating officer; and Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of infrastructure server marketing within the Server and Tools Business.

Coming soon to a venue near you!

Concluding

Microsoft seems to finally have the tools to successfully virtualize our workloads.
I still have a couple of questions regarding Microsoft's virtualization strategy, but I guess I'll just ask these later…

Further reading

New Microsoft Licensing and Support Eases Path to Virtualization
Thoughts on today's virtualization licensing and support news
Microsoft server software and supported virtualization environments
Support policy for Microsoft software running in non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software
[DOC] Licensing Microsoft Server Products in Virtual Environments
Welcome to the Windows Server Virtualization Validation Program
Virtualization: Licensing and support changes
New Microsoft Licensing and Support Eases Path to Virtualization
New Microsoft Licensing and Support Eases Path to Virtualization
Microsoft Virtualization and Licensing Announcements
Microsoft Support Policies and Recommendations for Exchange Servers in Hardware Virtualization Environments
Exchange Server 2007 now supported in Hyper-V… and others!
Announced: Virtualization support for Exchange Server 2007
Microsoft Revamps Virtualization Licensing and Support Policies; VMware Joins SVVP
Microsoft formally lifts licensing restriction on virtual server mobility
Why Cisco is a member of the Microsoft Server Virtualization Validation Program?
Cisco, VMware sign the Microsoft Virtualization Validation Program
Microsoft removes limit on virtual machines migration
Interpreting Microsoft's Revised Virtualization Licensing Policy
Microsoft's 90-Day Sleight of Hand
Microsoft Support Policies and Recommendations for Exchange Servers in Hardware Virtualization Environments
Vmware does sign the Microsoft Virtualization Validation Program
A New Microsoft License Lets Hosters Change Their Stripes