A Windows Vista Virtualization FAQ

Virtualization, on the Windows platform, has been in the news a lot lately, and for good reasons.

One of these reasons is the ability to use it as a dynamic test platform for the testing and migration of software. However, without a thorough perusal of the EULA, and adequate knowledge of rights and restrictions, one could very quickly run afoul of the covenants in that EULA.

James Senior, a UK-based Microsoft technical specialist, has a detailed FAQ on Windows Vista™ and licensing rights.

From the FAQ:

Q. What are the business scenarios of four additional operating systems per user?

A. Business scenarios include:

· Application compatibility remains a valuable scenario for companies with vital legacy applications during migration to Windows Vista

· Development and testing – Running several operating systems in virtual machines improves efficiency and cost for testing and developing applications that run on various operating systems

· Training scenarios – Companies can preset various training scenarios on a variety of operating systems

· Help Desk scenarios- Help desks will now require only 1 physical machine to solve multiple OS and application issues

[…]

Q. What are the requirements for using the licensing rights to 4 virtual operating systems benefit?

A. Requirements are as follows:

· Customers may run any prior version of Vista Business (XP Pro, 2KPro, or Win98) or even WinFLP on the same PC at the same time

· The licensed device may only be used by 1 user at a time; the guest virtual machines may not be accessed remotely by another user.

· You may not play or access content or use applications protected by any Microsoft digital, information or enterprise rights management technology or other Microsoft rights management services or use BitLocker in a virtualized environment.

· Additionally, Microsoft advises against playing or accessing content or using applications protected by other digital, information or enterprise rights management technology or other rights management services or using full volume disk drive encryption in a virtualized environment.

· You may use Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, Vista Ultimate or any prior version in any of the 4 virtualized environments

· Only Vista Enterprise, Ultimate, or third-party product may be used to run the hardware virtualization software and to service the virtual hardware systems

[…]

Q. Do customers need to deploy Windows Vista Enterprise to take advantage of this new right?

A. The four operating system right is uniquely available to customers who deploy either Windows Vista Enterprise or non-Windows virtualization stacks. For example, this right is not available to customers who deploy Windows XP or Vista Business as the host operating system.

[...]

Q. Can I use the new 4 VM licensing for multiple users?

A. No. This technology only applies to a single user on a single physical device per Windows Vista license. Window Server is suited for that scenario.

It is clear the this is available only to licensees of Windows Vista™ Enterprise and Windows Vista™ Ultimate editions. Nonetheless, it is not restricted to users of Microsoft’s virtualization software; you can bring your personal fav to the test.

Virtualization is a functional part of business for us right now.

Do you virtualize on Windows Vista™? Chime in here or email me at John.Obeto@AbsoluteVista.com

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