SQL Server License for a Test Server
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We are currenlty running SQL Server 2k Standard Edition (SP3) on Windows 2003. We would like to set up a Test SQL Server. I wanted to know Microsoft License Requirements for installing SQL Server on a Test Server. Are there any websites that may answer this question or do you think I may have to call Microsoft.
Thanks in advance, Kevin
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They will be more than happy to lincense SQL Sever 2000 Developers Edition (about $40-$60) or MSDN. No matter your best bet is to call and ask MS to be sure what they will or can do for you and your organization.
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Developer Edition is a license for a single user. If multiple users will be testing against the test server, they each will need a Dev Edition license.
There is no distinction in the licenses between "test use" and "production use", with the exception of Developer Edition, which is licensed per head.
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/default.mspx
That page details licensing info for SQL Server 2005, you can no longer buy SQL Server 2000 licenses. Basically, you pay for the 2005 license and use 2000 instead (called "downgrade rights" or something like that). That's explained in the whitepaper.
The MSDN license is also per developer:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/faq/default.aspx
"The MSDN End User License Agreement (EULA) allows each person with an MSDN license to use all of the software that is included in the subscription for development, test, and demonstration purposes only.
MSDN subscriptions are single-user licensed; everyone who uses the products within an MSDN subscription must have an MSDN Subscriptions license. In other words, one license must be purchased for each user."
If you have many different testers (note: one developer license is a single named person for an unlimited number of test/dev/demo connections, not an unlimited number of users sharing a single connection), you will need to look at licensing as if it were a production server, by balancing server-plus-CAL vs. per-processor.
-Eddie
Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL -
why not use the eval version? If it's not a permanent test environment and will not go for more than 120 days, this should work. it's a full-featured AND it's free... but it's not supported. but it's free. but it expires after 120 days. but it's free...
hope that helps...
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The eval version is not licensed for any purpose other than evaluation of the product. If you are testing your code before it moves to a production SQL Server, then you have moved past evaluating the product.
Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL -
that's a good point... if you're setting up this test server as a pre-production or development server, then the eval edition isn't the way to go. thanks for pointing that out.
on the other hand, if this server will be used to determine whether sql server and an application will play well together, i don't see any reason why the eval edition can't be used. you're evaluating whether or not sql server works for your purposes.
please enlighten me if i'm mistaken...
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If the purpose of this test server will be to decide if SQL Server will be used at all, then SQL Server is being evaluated, and the eval edition is appropriate.
However, if the choice to use SQL Server has already been made, and the test server will be used to test/evaluate something else, then the eval version of SQL is not appropriate.
From the original post: "We are currenlty running SQL Server 2k Standard Edition (SP3) on Windows 2003. We would like to set up a Test SQL Server."
In this case, the decision to use SQL Server has been made.
Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL -
>From the original post: "We are currenlty running SQL Server 2k Standard Edition (SP3) on Windows 2003. We would like to set up a Test SQL Server."
>In this case, the decision to use SQL Server has been made.
i disagree... it was never specified whether this server would be used as a development server for whatever the 2ksp3 server was used for. and it was also never specified if the test server would be used to test something else entirely.
i mean, if i was evaluating whether an app would run on sql, i wouldn't want to do it on one of my production servers. but that's beside the point of this thread.
what i'm curious about is if microsoft's evaluation license covers whether or not an application will run on sql. as i mentioned in my previous post, i don't see any reason why the eval couldn't be used in this instance, but i could be wrong.
but once again, this is probably going off the original track of this post, so i'll stop...
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