How to buy a Windows Server 2012 R2 License?

[Sean Risley]

I recently bought a Dell CS24 SC Server to use as a gaming server. I installed Windows Server 2012 R2 and started running a Minecraft server on it. I liked the OS and decided to go look for a license key to buy it. Only to be met with a myriad of strange terms and different types of licenses, like user CALs and something about buying a license for each processor. I am but a simple desktop gamer, and I still need to head off to college to learn about servers. So my question is, how the heck am I supposed to buy this OS? And furthermore, SHOULD I buy it, or look for a different OS?

 

[Damon Holmes]

I would not use Server 2012 if you are just using it to host a gaycraft server. I would just buy a copy of Windows Home Server 2011 as it is a lot like Windows 7 but is more server friendly and comes with all of the software you need to host a server. It is also a huge amount cheaper than Windows Server 2012.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Not exactly short, but here's the licensing/pricing FAQ: http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/D/B/4DB352D1-C610-466A-9AAF-EEF4F4CFFF27/WS2012_Licensing-Pricing_FAQ.pdf

Still reading it.

A desktop windows license should be fine though, unless you specifically need server features.

 

[Sean Risley]

I would not use Server 2012 if you are just using it to host a gaycraft server. I would just buy a copy of Windows Home Server 2011 as it is a lot like Windows 7 but is more server friendly and comes with all of the software you need to host a server. It is also a huge amount cheaper than Windows Server 2012.

Well i do plan to use it to host more intensive servers, and more than one at a time as well. Are there really any features 2012 R2 has that would help with that at all?

 

[Someone Somewhere]

I doubt it. Most of the reasons for running server are:

• ■More CPUs and more memory allowed than a normal desktop OS.
  ■Less bloatware to start with (but you can remove this from a desktop OS)
  ■Stuff like Active Directory, SQL Server, ASP.net, IIS (MS web server), DNS servers etc. run on it.
  ■Virtualistation
  ■Better support
  ■Easier to manage remotely and in multiple.

Not much of that will apply to you, at a guess.

 

[Ijack]

Even some of those features that you mention are available by default on the consumer OSs (SQL Server, ASP.net, IIS, Virtualization). Active Directory, allowing efficient control and management of thousands of users and workstations, is the main difference. A retail version of Windows 7 or 8 will contain no bloatware.

There is absolutely no need to run Server 2012 for this purpose.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The source I was reading implied that bloatware was more along the lines of unnecessary services - probably things like Homegroup, Windows Store etc.

 

[Ijack]

Not the normal interpretation of "bloatware". Both of those are useful components of the OS and I don't think they consume significant resources; of course you don't have to use them if you don't want to.

You can use Windows Store on 2012 server, but I'm not sure about homegroups (I've never really been interested enough to look into homegroups).

 

[Someone Somewhere]

You could argue that plenty of manufacturer-provided bloatware is 'useful'. I'm guessing here; I can't read the mind of the person that I read that from.

Certain versions of Server can also be installed as CLI-only, which may apply.

There would almost certainly be some services not useful on server OSs, but I can't say what they are.