Microsoft offers free Windows Server 2016 licenses to VMware switchers

[FN-GM]

Microsoft offers free Windows Server 2016 licenses to VMware switchers | ZDNet

[3s-gtech]

Hmmm, not sure this applies to vSphere Free! I like having one ESXi host that isn't tied to the domain at all, so it'll be staying, but I was always too tight to use a paid for version. WS Datacentre licensing is pretty cheap as a school though.

[pete]

Eligibility's a bit unclear.

 

Step 3: Provide your account executive proof of eligibility. (Offer applicable to customers migrating from VMware to Microsoft).

 

How do I prove an absence (or presence) of VMware? Screenshots?

 

I've got a couple of VMware workloads I've been pondering moving to Hyper-V. Time to bug the sales guys (I suspect I'll get a "We don't know, Microsoft never tell us nuffin. Give me a couple of days to poke Microsoft").

[sparkeh]

Eh?

The fine print of the offer also stipulates that customers who switch workloads to Hyper-V only qualify for free Windows Server 2016 Datacenter licenses when they buy Windows Server Datacenter plus its Software Assurance volume-licensing plan -- meaning customers still have to buy Software Assurance to get the free license to Datacenter Server.

Eh?

[Davit2005]

Unless Hyper-V is an orgniastional decision I'm happy to stick to VMWare with all the short comings of it's Web Based interface :-) .

 

IMO, Hyper-V Manager is too basic, setting up replication/management of core/nano based Hyper-V servers too complex and SCVMM almost rediculously complex to install compared to vCenter.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Davit2005

[FN-GM]

Unless Hyper-V is an orgniastional decision I'm happy to stick to VMWare with all the short comings of it's Web Based interface :-) .

 

IMO, Hyper-V Manager is too basic, setting up replication/management of core/nano based Hyper-V servers too complex and SCVMM almost rediculously complex to install compared to vCenter.

 

I have recently switched from Vmware to Hyper-V due to the cost. SCVMM doesn't do much that the standard Hyper-V clustering can do.

[mullet_man]

Is EES classed as software assurance?

 

Got some aging VMware servers which are due to be replaced next year and the plan was to move to Hyper v.

 

Would be interested to know if we could get these via EES.

[FN-GM]

Is EES classed as software assurance?

 

Got some aging VMware servers which are due to be replaced next year and the plan was to move to Hyper v.

 

Would be interested to know if we could get these via EES.

 

It does. We did our conversion just before before the offer and Microsoft are honoring it

[mullet_man]

That's great news thanks for the clarification.

 

That's good they are honouring the offer for you too [emoji106]

[FN-GM]

That's great news thanks for the clarification.

 

That's good they are honouring the offer for you too [emoji106]

 

It is good news, sent a cheeky email and it paid off

[mullet_man]

@FN-GM out of interest how much does this add onto your EES? We already pay like £8000+ a year.

 

I've just started the ball rolling with this, with the EES agreement if we add the licenses on this year then we don't start paying for them until next year if we've already paid for this years agreement?

[FN-GM]

@FN-GM out of interest how much does this add onto your EES? We already pay like £8000+ a year.

 

I've just started the ball rolling with this, with the EES agreement if we add the licenses on this year then we don't start paying for them until next year if we've already paid for this years agreement?

 

Switching to Hyper-V added nothing as I already had datacenter licences for my guest operating systems. I saved money by not having to pay Vmware.

[mullet_man]

Ah OK. No worries I'll make sure I get prices.