While the Datacenter and Standard Editions have both full GUI and core modes (and full GUI is easier to manage especially in small companies), free Microsoft Hyper-V Server works only in the core mode, meaning it can be managed locally only through PowerShell or command line. These three editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 differ not only in virtualization rights but also in the management approach.
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 allows you to create almost an unlimited number of VMs, but none of them will have a licensed guest OS. If you plan to run 8 – 10 Hyper-V VMs, maybe it’s more economically to consider purchasing one Datacenter Edition license.If you plan to run a couple of Hyper-V VMs, several licenses of the Standard Edition might be enough.The Standard Edition is cheaper than the Datacenter Edition, but you need to carefully estimate how many VMs will be deployed.
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As for the others, you will need to either to buy additional licenses or install another guest OS such as Linux. Of course you can, however, only two of all of the VMs will have the licensed guest OS. When I say the Standard Edition allows you to create up to two VMs, it doesn’t mean that you can’t create more VMs. Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition allows the sysadmin to create up to two Hyper-V VMs, each of which will have the licensed guest OS (Windows Server 2012 R2).The Datacenter Edition is the most expensive, but it removes many possible questions. Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter Edition allows the sysadmin to create unlimited number of VMs, where each of them will have the licensed guest OS (Windows Server 2012 R2).Since we narrowed the list of available options to three editions of Windows Server 2012 R2, the next step for the company is to understand the differences between them and select the most appropriate edition.įrom a technical point of view, there are almost no differences between these editions of Windows Server 2012 R2, meaning you can build a large virtual environment using even the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server. What’s the difference between Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Editions, Datacenter Edition and Microsoft Hyper-V Server? The other editions of Windows Server 2012 R2 make no sense for virtualization admins. Jumping ahead a bit, when I say Veeam Backup & Replication fully supports Windows Server 2012 R2, I mean only the Standard Edition, Datacenter Edition and free Microsoft Hyper-V Server where Hyper-V VMs can be created. In Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation and Essentials Editions, the Hyper-V role isn’t available, so let’s leave those two editions alone for now. When a small company decides to virtualize its servers on the basis of Microsoft Hyper-V and consolidate them on fewer physical machines, one of the first questions is, “Which edition of Windows Server 2012 R2 is best for us?”ĭespite the availability of a wide range of editions of Windows Server 2012 R2, from the licensing point of view, it’s best to discuss only three of them: Standard, Datacenter and the free Microsoft Hyper-V Server, because only these three editions offer virtualization. Let’s also don’t forget about the completely free Microsoft Hyper-V Server. Today, Windows Server 2012 R2 is offered in four editions: Microsoft made Windows Server 2012 R2 “generally available” in October, 2013.
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