System Center 2016 Licensing Datasheet

System Center 2016 Product Overview

System Center 2016 brings cloud learnings to the datacenter, enabling seamless management of complex environments. With comprehensive monitoring, hardware and virtual machine provisioning, robust automation, and configuration management, System Center 2016 offers a simplified datacenter management experience. Stay in control of your IT resources across the datacenter and the cloud.

Datacenter and Standard Editions Overview

Datacenter Edition for managing highly virtualized servers.
Standard Edition for managing non-virtualized or lightly virtualized servers.

OSE: Operating System Environment
*Standard Edition licensing permits management of up to 2 operating system environments (OSE). Multiple Standard Edition licenses can be assigned to the server under management to increase the number of OSEs to be managed.
**2-year pricing for Open (NL) L&SA ERP for 16 core licenses. Actual customer prices may vary.

System Center 2016 Standard and Datacenter Editions Licensing Models

The System Center 2016 licensing model for Standard and Datacenter will be the same as 2012 R2 with server and client management licenses. As with System Center 2012 R2, the 2016 editions will be differentiated by virtualization rights only. Licenses are required only for the endpoints being managed. No additional licenses are needed for the management server or SQL Server runtime.
The server management licensing of System Center 2016 will move to be based on physical cores. The core based licensing will align with Windows Server 2016 model to provide a consistent licensing metric for managed VMs.

Server Management Licenses + Client Management Licenses (CML)

Server MLs are required for managed devices that run server operating system environments (OSEs). System Center 2016 server MLs will be core based. To license the OSEs under management, all physical cores must be licensed in the server being managed.
⚑ A minimum of 8 core licenses is required for each physical processor in the server and a minimum of 16 core licenses required for each server.
⚑ Standard Edition provides rights to manage up to 2 OSEs when all physical cores in the server are licensed. Multiple licenses can be assigned to the same cores to manage additional OSEs.

System Center 2016 brings cloud learnings to the datacenter, enabling seamless management of complex environments. With comprehensive monitoring, hardware and virtual machine provisioning, robust automation, and configuration management, System Center 2016 offers a simplified datacenter management experience. Stay in control of your IT resources across the datacenter and the cloud.

⚑ The price of 16 core licenses of System Center 2016 will be same price as the 2 proc license for the corresponding editions of System Center 2012 R2.
CMLS: Client Management Licenses (CML) are required for managed devices that run non server OSEs. CMLs are available on a per OSE or per user basis. Configuration Manager, Endpoint Protection, and the Client Management Suite are sold as CMLs and server MLs.

to the same cores to manage additional OSEs.

How to license System Center 2016 server management licenses by physical cores

⚑ License all the physical cores in the server being managed
⚑ Minimum of 8 core licenses required for each proc
Minimum of 16 core licenses required for each server
⚑ Core licenses will be sold in packs of two*

*8 two-core packs will be the minimum required to license each physical server under management. The two-core pack for each edition is 1/8th the price of 16 cores for the 2016 editions.

Move to Core-based Licensing

⚑ Customers with processor licenses with Software Assurance (SA) can upgrade to System Center 2016 at no additional cost. At end of the SA term, processor licenses will be exchanged for core licenses and customers can renew their SA on core licenses.
⚑ System Center 2-proc licenses with SA will be exchanged for a minimum of 8 two-core pack licenses (16 core licenses) or the actual number of physical cores in use on the server under management.
⚑ At the end of agreement term, customers should do a self-inventory to document the number of physical cores in each processor in use that are licensed with System Center processor licenses with SA. This will enable customers to receive the appropriate number of core licenses to continue deployments.
⚑ Standard Edition licenses with SA assigned to four proc servers managing more than 2 OSEs will receive license grants to cover the additional OSEs. If no inventory is done, grants of 16 core licenses (8 two-core packs) will be provided for each 2-proc license with SA.
⚑ Customers in existing Microsoft license agreements, such as an Enterprise Agreement, will be able to continue to purchase processor licenses through the end of the term of the agreement.
⚑ Customers can do self-inventory using the Microsoft Assessment Planning Toolkit, the Microsoft Software Inventory Logging Aggregator (new tool) or other inventory tools and processes to achieve a time/date stamped inventory of hardware.

Hybrid management with Software Assurance

All System Center 2016 server management licenses with active Software Assurance qualify for License Mobility through the Software Assurance benefits. Server MLs can be assigned to manage OSEs running in public cloud infrastructure. SA on a Standard Edition license permits management of 2 OSEs and SA on a Datacenter Edition licenses permits management of 10 OSEs in the cloud. Licenses for 16 physical cores will be required for the license mobility SA benefit.

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