Licensing guide

STACKIT offers customers two options for licensing their Windows Server. The customer can choose the variant that best suits his needs.

As part of our services, the customers can either use predefined Windows Server Standard images provided by STACKIT in the STACKIT Cloud Portal or via the STACKIT API or use their own customized images to create Windows Servers.

STACKIT does not provide preconfigured “Bring Your Own License” images, but offers the customers the option to upload and use their own customized images via Openstack (see OpenStack Docs: Upload image into glance).
However in this case the customers are fully responsible for the proper licensing of the operating system and the installed software on the Windows Server.

STACKIT Windows Server Standard images

When customers start a Windows Server from a STACKIT provided Standard Image (i.e. Windows Server 2022 Standard), all required licenses to use the Windows Server as an operating system are included. Windows Server Client Access Licenses (CALs) are not required, but according to latest Service Provider User Rights, for each end user who is authorized to access a Windows Server, regardless of the purposes of this access, a Remote Desktop Service User Subscriber Access License (SAL) is required. STACKIT will monitor the number of required licenses for each customer and will charge them accordingly.

Customer provided Windows Server images

When customers upload an own customized image to Openstack and start a Windows Server from it, STACKIT does not provide any licenses for Windows Server as an operating system. Customers are fully responsible to have their environment properly licensed. They need to follow the License Mobility through Software Assurance process to bring their own licenses. The process is described in more details below (License Mobility through Software Assurance (Application Software/ Additional Software).

What is included (System Software/Operating System)

If a customer uses a STACKIT Windows Server Standard Image (SPLA):

• Schwarz IT KG („STACKIT“) provides the customer licensed Microsoft Windows Servers as Virtual Machines.
• If a customer uses a STACKIT Windows Server Standard image, the Service Offerings are licensed under the Microsoft Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA) by STACKIT.
• The customer receives dedicated Virtual Machines which are hosted on shared physical Servers (Hybrid Hosting).
• STACKIT will monitor the number of required Remote Desktop Service User Subscriber Access License (SAL) for each customer and will charge them accordingly.

Comparison of available Windows Server License Types: SPLA licensed vs. customer licensed process:

	Windows Server started from STACKIT Standard Image (licensed with SPLA)	Windows Server started from customer provided image (without license)
OS Licensing	STACKIT is responsible for the customers operating system licenses.	Customers are responsible for their operating system licenses.
Remote Desktop Service User Licenses	STACKIT will charge an additional Remote Desktop Service User Subscriber Access License (SAL) per calendar month for each of the customers Windows users with technical access to the Windows Server.	Customers are responsible for properly licensing their Windows users with appropriate licenses.
Environment	Shared environment	Shared environment
License Monitoring	STACKIT provides a scanning agent in the image, which scans the installed Microsoft products once a day.	Customers are responsible to monitor for installed Microsoft products. Scanning agent is not installed in the image.
License Mobility Process	Customers need to follow the license mobility process for using Microsoft products other than the operating system.	Customers need to follow the license mobility process for the operating system and all other used Microsoft products.

Licensing Requirements

Responsibilities and Licensing

• STACKIT is only responsible for the licensing of the Microsoft Windows Servers operating system under their Microsoft SPLA contract when STACKIT Windows Server Standard Images are used.
• Customers are responsible for the licensing of all applications that are installed on these Windows Servers according their own licensing contracts for all publishers.
• Customers are responsible for the licensing of the Microsoft Windows Servers operating system if they bring their own customized image.

For the licensing of Microsoft products under own contracts, two scenarios may apply:

• Customers can install and license eligible Microsoft products under their eligible Microsoft Volume Licensing contracts.
• Customers can use their Microsoft Remote Desktop Service (RDS) Client Access Licenses User (CAL) with Software Assurance under their eligible Microsoft Volume Licensing contracts.

License Mobility through Software Assurance (Application Software/additional Software)

Overview

• If a customer wants to install Microsoft products on the Virtual Machine, he can use eligible Microsoft licenses from his eligible Microsoft contract if these licenses are under Software Assurance (SA).
• The customer must follow a license verification process if he wants to use his existing Microsoft licenses, otherwise Microsoft will not accept it in an audit.

Eligibility Requirements

• License Mobility through Software Assurance gives Microsoft Volume Licensing customers the flexibility to install eligible server products with active Software Assurance on STACKIT.
• With this Software Assurance benefit, there is no need to purchase new licenses and no associated mobility fees and the customer can install his licenses on STACKIT.
• The following eligibility requirements must be checked by the customer:
  1. Eligibility of the Microsoft Volume Licensing program of customer contract.
  2. Eligibility of products according the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product Use Rights (PUR).
  3. Active Software Assurance (SA) coverage is required on licenses.
  4. Customer must follow the license verification process within 10 days of deployment.
  5. Customer needs to maintain the licenses on STACKIT for a minimum period of 90 days according the Microsoft licensing rules. After the 90-day period, the customer can move the licensed software back to his premise.

Eligibility Assessment of the Microsoft Volume Licensing program

• If a customer uses Microsoft Volume Licensing with eligible server licenses that are covered by active Software Assurance, he is allowed to use License Mobility through Software Assurance
• The eligible Microsoft Volume Licensing contracts are the following:
  1. Enterprise Agreement (EA)
  2. Enterprise Subscription Agreement (EAS)
  3. Microsoft Open Value Agreement where Software Assurance is included
  4. Other Volume Licensing programs where Software Assurance is an option, such as the Microsoft Open License Agreement, Select Plus Agreement or Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA)
• This list of eligible Microsoft Volume Licensing contracts is subject to change. To assess the eligible contracts, the customer should work with his licensing procurement team, Microsoft representative, or preferred Volume Licensing reseller to understand their license position.

Eligibility Assessment of the Microsoft Products

• The licenses a customer wants to deploy with STACKIT must be eligible as identified in the current product terms, see: Microsoft product terms
• The licenses a customer wants to deploy with STACKIT must have active Software Assurance coverage
• Assessment example for Exchange Server2 (see Tutorials):
  • Select a Program i.e. Enterprise Agreement
  • Find correct product i.e. Office Servers – Exchange Server
  • Check Software Assurance Benefit – License Mobility

1. STACKIT, as subsidiary of Schwarz IT KG, is Authorized Mobility Partner, see: Authorized Mobility Partners
2. The product terms are subject to change, the example was created on: 14.02.2022

Remote Desktop Services Licensing

This section is only applicable if a customer uses a STACKIT Windows Server Standard Image (SPLA).

If a customer uses his own customized image, the customer is fully responsible for Remote Desktop Services Licensing

Overview

• According to latest Service Provider User Rights, for each end user who is authorized to access to a Windows Server regardless of the purposes of this access a Remote Desktop Service User Subscriber Access License (SAL) is required. STACKIT will monitor the number of required licenses for each customer and will charge them accordingly.
• A customer can use his existing Remote Desktop Service (RDS) Client Access Licenses per User (CALs), but not the per Device CALs, for the access to the Virtual Machine from their existing Microsoft contract, if the licenses are under Software Assurance (SA). In order to do this he has to follow the License Verification Process.

Eligibility Assessment

• Customer (owner of the RDS User CALs under it’s Microsoft contract) can use its existing RDS User CALs with Software Assurance for the licensing of the RDS access to the Windows Server provided by STACKIT.
• The Operating System Environments (OSEs), the Windows Server, must be dedicated for it’s internal use.
• With his own RDS licenses a customer cannot grant any other party RDS access to the Windows Server. Only users that are licensed under own customer Microsoft contract can access the Windows Server through RDS, no other party.
• A customer needs to complete the verification process and submit the verification form to Microsoft and STACKIT.
• If a customer stops using the RDS licenses for the access to the Windows Server provided by STACKIT, he can later uses the licenses again for the RDS access of Windows Servers in his own premise i.e. if he moves back the Windows Server to his environment.
• A customer needs to wait 90 days until he is allowed to reassign the licenses for the RDS access in his own premise.

RDS Licensing Rules

• For each end user who is authorized to access to a Windows Server regardless of the purposes of this access a Remote Desktop Service User Subscriber Access License (SAL) is required from STACKIT or he can bring his own RDS User Client Access license (CAL) with SA, see description above.
• The access to the Windows Server must be licensed for a named user, a single person i.e. Peter Sample (This is equivalent i.e. to the Active Directory User Object First Name “Peter” and AD User Object Last name “Sample”).
• “Peter Sample” can use the license for all RDS accesses to all Windows Servers, subject to the following conditions:
  • If a customer licenses RDS SALs through STACKIT, he can use the license for the access of Windows Servers provided to him by STACKIT (and only by STACKIT) under their SPLA contract.
  • If customer wants to be able to use the RDS license for the Windows Server in his own premise and for the Windows Servers provided by STACKIT, he would license the RDS access as RDS User CALs with Software Assurance under his own Microsoft contract and complete the Verification Process, see tutorials (A customer can use the RDS CALs with SA for his premise and STACKIT, but not for an additional third party. For additional RDS accesses on other hoster than STACKIT, he would need additional RDS SAL licenses).
• A customer needs to license the potential access, not only the effective access. If “Peter Sample” is authorized to access the server, the customer needs to assign a license whether he accesses the server or not.
• A customer must technically ensure that no users can access the server that is not licensed for RDS, otherwise Microsoft will charge him for all potential user accesses i.e. all users in the Active Directory (Usually, the RDS role of the Windows Server is activated per default. If it is technically possible to access the server through RDS by any user, he would need to license all the user that potentially could access the Windows Server. In a Software Compliance audit he would need to technically prove that the users cannot access the Windows Server through RDS i.e. through access management in Active Directory groups. The auditor counts all user for the full duration of the access. This can be assessed through the AD User object properties “creation date” and “last log on date”).
• If a customer uses any technology with multiplexing functionality, he needs to count the users at the front end, not only the service account user of the used multiplexing technology.
• Generic user accounts i.e. office@acme.com or invoice@acme.com are not allowed, a customer must be able to prove that these accounts are assigned to a named user, a single person, for example “Peter Sample” with a RDS license.

License verification process

Overview

After the assessment of the eligibility of the products under your Microsoft contract, the following steps need to be followed:

• The customer must verify his licenses with Microsoft – within 10 days of deployment, complete the license verification form and provide it to your Microsoft representative or preferred reseller partner representative, so it can submit the customers form to Microsoft.

There are three times the customer should complete and submit a license verification form:

• When he deploys eligible licenses with STACKIT. A new form is required each time you deploy additional licenses.
• When he renews his Software Assurance.
• When he renews his Volume Licensing Agreement.

The form can include multiple enrollments or license numbers under a single agreement, if they are supported by the same channel partner. However, the customer should complete a License Verification form for each agreement under which he is using License Mobility and contact the respective channel partner.

Software compliance audit

Audit rules

• If Microsoft believes in good faith that a customer is not complying with the terms of License Mobility through Software Assurance, as described in the Product Terms, a customer must cooperate in good faith with Microsoft to investigate and remedy any potential non-compliance.
• Microsoft may require that STACKIT will provide the following information:
  • the number of Windows Virtual Machine instances provided on behalf of the potentially noncompliant customer.
  • a list of Products run in such Windows Virtual Machine instances.
• In the event of an audit of STACKIT pursuant to the Agreement, or pursuant to Microsoft’s compliance review of the customer, Microsoft may also request STACKIT to provide all copies of your validated Mobility Verification Forms.
• If Microsoft determines that an customer is non-compliant with the program requirements for License Mobility through Software Assurance, STACKIT will need to cooperate with Microsoft to terminate hosting of those licenses applicable to the customer.