Windows Server 2016 Licensing with VM's

[FluxZA]

Google seems to confuse me with information overload, seems to be more comlicated than it should be.
can someone please assist with how i should put together licensing for a windows server 2016 system.

want to run a barebones hyper-v or esxi and would like to run 4 VM's (all WS2016) on a server.
Server will possibly be a 10 core 20 thread, 32GB ram. there will be 2 physical servers with 4 VM's each.

1) can I still just buy the WS 2016 standard license to cover all the VM instances(stacking however much I need)?
2) seems that the Standard WS2016 covers use of 2 VM's per license is this correct?
3) would running 4 VM's require WS data centre? or when would one use WS data centre?

let me know if I missed any details.

 

[swakop_toe]

On Server Datacentre with Hyper-V, none of your Windows server VMs require a license
/cost.

You activate it using AVMA

PowerEdge: How to Activate Virtual Machines Using Automatic Virtual Machine Activation | Dell South Africa

 

[swakop_toe]

Little known fact.
If you run any flavour of LinUX as a VM in Hyper-V, you are liable to pay a license fee equal to a standalone Windows Server licenses x # of Cores assigned.

 

[Mal1ce]

You need to licence a minimum of 16 cores (8 packs of 2 core licences) per server, this will cover you for two processors per server with 8 cores each. Or in your case, a single CPU with 10 cores.

You'll be entitled to 2 VOSE (two W2K16 VM's per server). For another 2 Windows Server 2016 guests per server you stack another 16 core licences (8 packs of 2) per server. This will licence you for 4 Windows Server 2016 guests per host.

Calculator here: https://www.serversplus.com/server_2016_calculator

Don't even consider Datacentre until you're running 13 or more Windows Server guests per host, unless you have $$$ to waste.

 

[FluxZA]

You need to licence a minimum of 16 cores (8 packs of 2 core licences) per server, this will cover you for two processors per server with 8 cores each. Or in your case, a single CPU with 10 cores.

You'll be entitled to 2 VOSE (two W2K16 VM's per server). For another 2 Windows Server 2016 guests per server you stack another 16 core licences (8 packs of 2) per server. This will licence you for 4 Windows Server 2016 guests per host.

Calculator here: https://www.serversplus.com/server_2016_calculator

Don't even consider Datacentre until you're running 13 or more Windows Server guests per host, unless you have $$$ to waste.

Thanks a lot for the explanation, this is what I was looking for!
its pretty straight forward now.