JeVirtualise

End of sales for Windows Server 2003 R2 by any OEM ended on Dec. 31^st, 2009.  End of certification of any new server for Windows Server 2003 R2 was ended by Microsoft on July 13, 2010. Therefore, if your customer believes they need the older OS by exercising their downgrade rights, make sure expectations are being set appropriately about Hardware support.  Also if a customer believes they need 32 bit, the downgraded version isn’t the only way they must go – check out the recently updated  information”X64 computing Web site for full details and a technical drill down on the MSDN site – the article is called “Running 32-bit applications”.

Let’s look at how to exercise rights for the downgrade of WS08 R2 to WS03 or WS2000.

Option 2  Provide HP with a customer custom image to preload.  This “custom” image can include the downgrade image a customer has received from Microsoft’s Windows Server Fulfillment website.

Remember to check the HP hardware certification pages at www.hp.com/go/wincert  to confirm if the desired HP hardware can support these older edition OSes.

Please see Microsoft’s site for rules and regulations. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/downgrade-rights.aspx

For an HP OEM licensed customer, to exercise rights for the downgrade from Windows Server 2008 R2 to Windows Server 2008 here are the following options.

Option 1  A customer can buy the downgrade kit at the time of purchase of the new HP OEM WS 2008 R2 product.  The downgrade kit part numbers are available for all of our HP license options – Preinstall, Non-Preinstall and the R-O-K Reseller Option kit.  The requirements are that your customer must purchase a new HP Server, a New HP OEM Windows Server 2008 R2 license and a new HP Windows Server 2008 downgrade kit on the same order. The keys for the Windows Server 2008 downgrade kit must be obtained by following the HP process.  In the downgrade kit there are instructions on how to obtain the keys from HP. There is a Read Me First Card and a Blue license envelope that will need  to be completed.  Remember the Windows Server 2008 R2 keys will not activate the Windows Server 2008 downgrade kit.  Please request your keys by email, on the web or by fax.  HP will send you both the physical and virtual keys.

Option 1 is available from HP for Standard  and Enterprise edition customers only. Web and DC customers from HP must follow Option 2.  For large volume orders, please work with your HP representative.  The HP kit is available WW for a small fee.

Option 2is an option to purchase the downgrade kit after the  purchase  of Windows Server 2008 R2 edition and the new HP ProLiant.   The downgrade kit in Option 2 may be obtained by going to the Windows Server Fulfillment website  .  The Microsoft web site is located here http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/downgrade-TC.aspx.  Microsoft in order to fulfill a request will need the 5×5 Physical Windows Server 2008 R2 Licensing Key found on the COA. There is a small fee for the kit and shipping.

Option 3 is to go to the HP website located here: www.hp.com/go/wsdowngrade to obtain the downgrade kit. The HP kit requires a customer to provide one of the following items to show that the kit is an HP OEM license – a photo of the HP COA showing the 5×5 Physical Windows Server 2008 R2 or a copy of a customers’ invoice with the HP Windows Server 2008 R2 product on the order. HP requires a small fee only payable by credit card for the kit and shipping.  At this time, all OEM’s have been given the rights to offer recovery and downgrade media kits for Windows server 2008 until Dec. 31^st, 2011.

For Windows Server 2008 R2 DataCenter editions please go to the Microsoft site. There is a 3/19/08 Microsoft Knowledge Base article #949748 titled “Description of the changes that were made to the product activation process for Windows Server 2008 in a virtual operating system environment”. This article includes the following:

The virtual key lets you activate multiple instances of Windows Server 2008 in virtual environments. This provides better support for the license terms that enable you to perform the following functions:

· Create and store any number of instances of Windows Server 2008 (depending on the edition)

· Run multiple instances of Windows Server 2008 in a virtual operating system environment at the same time

The following table lists the number of instances per license that you can run at the same time in a virtual operating system environment.