Windows Server Standard or Datacenter: What the Price Difference Gets You
The surcharge for Datacenter buys you almost no features, but virtualization rights. When this pays off, which two additional functions are truly exclusive, and the fallacy in the word unlimited.
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Short answer: Standard and Datacenter are functionally almost identical. The crucial difference lies in the virtualization rights: Standard allows two virtual instances per license, Datacenter an unlimited number on the licensed hardware. If you operate a maximum of two virtual machines, Standard is more cost-effective.
What both editions can do
Active Directory, file services, print services, DNS, DHCP, Hyper-V, IIS: all of this is included in both editions. If you operate a classic file, print, or application server, you will not find a single function in Datacenter that would be missing in everyday use.
This is important to know because otherwise, the price difference would seem difficult to comprehend. With Datacenter, you don't pay for more functions, but almost exclusively for virtualization rights.
The real difference
A Standard license covers two virtual instances of Windows Server on the licensed hardware. If you need a third, you have to license the server completely a second time. After that, you have four. And so on, always in steps of two.
Datacenter covers an unlimited number of virtual instances on the same hardware. Once licensed, you can have any number of virtual machines.
From this, a simple decision rule follows: there is a point at which repeated Standard licensing becomes more expensive than a single Datacenter license. Where this point lies depends on the current price ratio. Calculate both options for your planned number of virtual machines before you order.
"We were recommended Datacenter, even though we only operate two virtual servers – only a second opinion saved us from paying unnecessarily." An IT manager describes how he realistically calculated the virtualization requirements before opting for the significantly cheaper Standard edition.
Two additional features that only Datacenter has
- Storage Spaces Direct. Bundles local disks of multiple servers into a shared, fault-tolerant storage. Relevant for clusters, irrelevant for single servers.
- Software-Defined Networking. Define and manage network infrastructure via software. A data center topic.
Both functions are practically never a reason to buy in small and medium-sized environments. If someone tries to sell you Datacenter with these two arguments, even though you operate three virtual machines, caution is advised.
What remains the same in both cases
Two things do not change with the choice of edition:
- Both editions cover 16 cores. If your server has more, core packs are added in both cases.
- Both require access licenses. There is no edition that makes CALs superfluous.
The second point, in particular, regularly leads to mislicensing because Datacenter, through the word "unlimited," gives the impression that everything is covered. Unlimited refers exclusively to virtual instances, not to accesses.
How to decide in two minutes
- Count the virtual machines that are to run on the host, today and realistically in two years.
- If there are a maximum of two, take Standard.
- If there are more, calculate both options: multiple Standard licenses versus a single Datacenter license.
- Independently check the number of cores of the machine.
The available editions can be found under Windows Server. The appropriate access licenses are calculated by the CAL configurator, all basics are in the Server guide.
