Microsoft Windows Server Optimization Report Example Use Case

FlexNet Manager Suite 2022 R2 (On-Premises)

This example use case illustrates three different approaches, and how each approach counts consumption from a single cluster (Cluster 1), covering the use of Microsoft Windows Server Standard and Microsoft Windows Server Datacenter. The example also covers the associated bundle license for Microsoft Windows Server Standard, Core Infrastructure Standard (CIS). The CIS license is a bundle license that allows the Software Asset Manager (SAM Manager) to license Windows Server Standard and all related System Center agents by means of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (previously Microsoft SCCM).

Host by host, the movements of non-exempted Windows Server VMs are assessed to determine the 90 day peak for each host. After the report is run, the SAM Manager will be advised to either purchase a Standard license or Datacenter license based on their chosen assessment option: Worst case, 90 day peak or Highest VMs # in Cluster.

The Optimal license calculations performed by the report for each of the three approaches are explained below. The logic remains the same and consists of counting the total number of VMs per host. There is a VM number threshold based on cost that can be used to identify the Optimal license:

• If there are 14 VMs or more on the host, then Windows Server Datacenter is the cheaper option and Optimal license
• If there are less than 14 VMs on the host, then Windows Server Standard is the cheaper option and Optimal license

  For CIS bundle licenses:

• If there are 10 VMs or more on the host, then CIS Datacenter is the cheaper option and Optimal license
• If there are less than 10 VMs on the host, then CIS Standard is the cheaper option and Optimal license.

The architecture below reflects the cluster status at the time the report is run by the SAM Manager:

Note: The 90 day peak VMs section specifies the VMs (running any edition of Windows Server) that where on the host when they reached the 90 day peak. 90 day peaks can happen at any time for any host. For the purposes of this example use case, when the peak was reached for VMHost1, VM1 - VM13 were running on VMHost1.

• In Cluster 1, there are three VM hosts: VMHost1, VMHost2 and VMHost3
• VMHost1 hosts 9 VMs with 16 cores and 2 processors. Conjectural Windows Server Datacenter Consumption: 16 cores (this host meets the minimum of 8 cores per processor and 16 cores per host requirements):
  • VM1 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM2 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM3 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM4 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM5 (Windows Server Dtctr, Production)
  • VM6 (Windows Server Std, Development)
  • VM7 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM8 (Windows Server, Not Inventoried)
  • VM9 (Windows Server, Not Inventoried).
• VMHost2 hosts 4 VMs with 12 cores and 4 processors. Conjectural Windows Server Datacenter Consumption: 32 cores (minimum number of 8 cores per processor has to be applied):
  • VM10 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM11 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM12 (Windows Server Std, Production)
    • Installed with System Center agent
  • VM13 (Windows Server Dtctr, Development).
• VMHost3 hosts 6 VMs with 8 cores and 1 processor. Conjectural Windows Server Datacenter Consumption: 16 cores (this host meets the minimum of 8 cores per processor but not the 16 cores per host minimum, the minimum of 16 cores is applied):
  • VM14 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM15 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM16 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM17 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM18 (Windows Server Std, Production)
  • VM19 (Windows Server, Not Inventoried).

90 days peak VMs: VMs 8, 9 and 19 are not monitored for peaks as they are not inventoried.

• VMHost1: VM1 - VM13, VM5 (Windows Server Datacenter edition) moved to this host within the last 90 days
• VMHost2: VM10 - VM14, VM5 (Windows Server Datacenter edition) moved to this host within the last 90 days
• VMHost3: VM10 - VM18.

Note: Consumption for the cluster architecture depicted above is calculated differently for each approach based on the inputs chosen by the SAM Manager such as scope of licenses, risk approach and assessment metric.

Approach 1

Chosen inputs / existing exemptions:

• Scope of licenses: Windows Server & CIS
• Risk approach: Less Safe
• Assessment metric: Worst Case
• The largest (the highest number of licenses purchased that are active) maintained Windows Server or CIS license in FlexNet Manager Suite with "Development" marked as an exempt role. Note: "Development" non-production servers (VM6, VM13) are exempted and will not contribute to the license consumption.

Impact of inputs:

• The licenses purchased include the Windows Server standalone license and also the CIS bundle. VM12 will influence all recommendations to be CIS, as any VM installed with the System Center agent requires CIS licenses to cover the full cluster.
• "Less Safe" means that even though a VM was deployed with Datacenter edition, this will not influence the counts. Only the number of VMs is taken into consideration.
• "Worst case" takes into account that any of the Windows Server VMs can move to any of the hosts. 19 VMs should be counted. However, because "Development" is exempted from the license, VM6 and VM13 are excluded from the counts. The result is 14 inventoried VMs (excluding VM6 and VM13 in the development role) + 3 “to inventory” VMs in cluster = 17 VMs are counted against each host.

Optimal licenses and license consumption calculated by the report for approach 1:

• VMHost1 (17 VMs, one with System Center) recommendation is CIS Dtctr, 16 cores consumed
• VMHost2 (17 VMs, one with System Center) recommendation is CIS Dtctr, 32 cores consumed
• VMHost3 (17 VMs, one with System Center) recommendation is CIS Dtctr, 16 cores consumed.

Approach 2

Chosen inputs / existing exemptions:

• Scope of licenses: Windows Server
• Risk approach: Safe
• Assessment metric: 90 Day peak
• No exempted role for the largest (the highest number of licenses purchased that are active) maintained Windows Server or CIS License in FlexNet Manager Suite.

Impact of inputs:

• Windows Server is the only license purchased. Therefore, the threshold is 14 VMs for deciding if Windows Server Datacenter is cheaper.
• “90 day peak” means that the report calculates what is the actual peak and uses this number for assessing the Optimal license. The current number of VMs awaiting inventory is added to the peak.
• “Safe” is selected by the SAM Manager to cover any VM running Datacenter edition with a Datacenter edition license. In this precise case of 90 day peak, the report checks if any Datacenter edition VM transited to any host over the last 90 days. If that's the case, then regardless of the peak number of VMs, the calculated Optimal license will always be Windows Server Datacenter edition.

Optimal licenses and license consumption calculated by the report for approach 2:

• VMHost1 (10 inventoried VMs at peak + 2 VMs awaiting inventory) recommendation is Windows Server Dtctr, 16 cores consumed.
  • The number of 12 VMs is below the threshold of 14, but VM5 (Windows Server Datacenter edition) is reported to have moved to this host within the last 90 days.
• VMHost2 (4 VMs at peak) recommendation is Windows Server Dtctr, 32 cores consumed.
  • The number of 4 VMs is below the threshold of 14, but VM 5 (Windows Server Datacenter edition) is reported to have moved to this host within the last 90 days.
• VMHost3 (8 inventoried VMs at peak + 1 to inventory) recommendation is Windows Server Std: 16 cores * round up (9 / 2) (= 5) = 80 cores.

Approach 3

Chosen inputs / existing exemptions:

• Scope of licenses: Windows Server & CIS
• Risk approach: Less Safe
• Assessment metric: Highest VMs # in Cluster
• No exempted role for the largest (the highest number of licenses purchased that are active) maintained Windows Server or CIS License in FlexNet Manager Suite.

Impact of inputs:

• The licenses considered include the Windows Server standalone license and also the CIS bundle. VM12 will influence all recommendations to be CIS, as any VM installed with the System Center agent requires CIS licenses to cover the full cluster.
• "Less Safe" means that even though a VM was deployed with Datacenter edition, this will not influence the counts. Only the number of VMs is taken into consideration.
• Host 1 has the highest number of VMs, with 7 inventoried VMs at the time the report is run.

Optimal licenses and license consumption calculated by the report for approach 3:

• VMHost1 (7 VMs + 2 to inventory) recommendation is CIS Std: 16 * round up (9 / 2) (= 5) = 80 cores consumed
• VMHost2 (7 VMs) recommendation is CIS Std: 32 * round up (7 / 2) (= 4) = 128 cores consumed
• VMHost3 (7 VMs + 1 to inventory) recommendation is CIS Std: 16 core * round up (8 / 2) (= 4) = 64 cores.