Sono state rese note le versioni in cui sarà reso disponibile Windows Server 2012 ovvero:
- Foundation (versione economica)
Disponibile solo tramite il canale OEM limitata a 15 utenti e senza diritti di virtualizzazione - Essentials (versione per ambienti Small Business)
Disponibile con prezzo a partire da 425$ limitata a 25 utenti e senza diritti di virtualizzazione - Standard (versione per ambienti a bassa densità o non virtualizzati)
Disponibile con prezzo a partire da 882$ con modello di licensing a processore + CAL, comprende tutte le funzionalità e due istanze virtuali su due processori - Datacenter (versione per ambienti ad alta densità di virtualizzazione)
Disponibile con prezzo a partire da 4.809$ con modello di licensing a processore + CAL, comprende tutte le funzionalità e illimitate istanze virtuali su due processori
E’ stato invece cancellata le versione Small Business e nelle Windows Server 2012 Licensing & Pricing FAQ vengono elencate le motivazioni e gli scenari per i clienti che utilizzano i prodotti SBS:
Q33. Will there be a next version of Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard?
No. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, which includes Exchange Server and Windows server component products, will be the final such Windows Server offering. This change is in response to small business market trends and behavior. The small business computing trends are moving in the direction of cloud computing for applications and services such as email, online back-up and line-of-business tools.
Q34. Will there be a next version of Windows Small Business 2011 Premium Add-on?
No. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on, which includes SQL Server and Windows Server as component products, will be the final such Windows Server offering
Q35. If I have Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials with Software Assurance when Windows Server 2012 is released, which edition will I be entitled to receive?
If you have Software Assurance on Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, you will receive one Windows Server 2012 Essentials license.
This grant will be reflected upon your agreement renewal; however you are entitled to use the granted product upon availability.
Q36. If I have Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard edition with Software Assurance when Windows Server 2012 is released, which edition will I be entitled to receive?
If you have Software Assurance on Small Business Server 2011 Standard edition, you will receive one Windows Server 2012 Standard edition license and one Exchange Server Standard 2010 license.
This grant will be reflected upon your agreement renewal; however you are entitled to use the granted product upon availability.
Q37. If I have Windows Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on with Software Assurance when Windows Server 2012 is released, which edition will I be entitled to receive?
If you have Software Assurance on Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on edition, you will receive one Windows Server 2012 Standard edition license and one SQL Server 2012 Standard edition license.
This grant will be reflected upon your agreement renewal; however you are entitled to use the granted product upon its availability.
Anche la versione Windows Home Server è stata cancellata come indicato nelle Windows Server 2012 Essentials Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Will there be a next version of Windows Home Server?
A: No. Windows Home Server has seen its greatest success in small office/home office (SOHO) environments and among the technology enthusiast community. For this reason, Microsoft is combining the features that were previously only found in Windows Home Server, such as support for DLNA-compliant devices and media streaming, into Windows Server 2012 Essentials and focusing our efforts into making Windows Server 2012 Essentials the ideal first server operating system for both small business and home use—offering an intuitive administration experience, elastic and resilient storage features with Storage Spaces, and robust data protection for the server and client computers.
Q: How long will customers be able to purchase Windows Home Server 2011?
A: Windows Home Server 2011 will remain available as an OEM embedded product until December 31, 2025, and will remain available in all other current channels until December 31, 2013.
Non è più disponibile neanche la versione Web Edition, ma l’utilizzo di Windows Server 2012 tramite web workloads non richiederà CAL.
Q16. Is Web Server going away as part of Windows Server 2012 and why?
Yes. The Web Server product was designed primarily for end customers and service providers that wanted to host web sites. However, consistent feedback from these customers and partners has been that they prefer to use an edition of Windows Server that does not restrict usage to running web workloads.
Despite the removal of Web Server edition, web workloads running on a Windows Server 2012 edition will continue to receive the “CAL waiver” that is in effect for these workloads today. Windows Server CALs will not be required to access the licensed server if it is only being used to run web workloads.
Per ulteriori informazioni si vedano: