1 Rookie
•
61 Posts
0
8126
New Dell servers with Microsoft Licenses
WINSVR20195TD ADLIC (16 CORE) NOKEYPOS
We ordered 5 servers with VMware 7 and the Dell Digital Locker has 5 licenses for Windows Server 2019 and I'm guessing/hoping that there is a sticker on each of the 5 servers for those as the Dell Digital Locker will not list a product key for them. We also bought 3 more Windows Server 2019 licenses for extra VMs that we need to run. We received 3 cards with a red Microsoft COA like sticker with "Dell EMC" printed on them. There is no product key only a serial number and a tracking ID. How do I get a installation product key for these? Are they some kind of volume license or are they some kind of honer system license where you get no key (NOKEYPOS) and are to you an existing product key like the one stuck on the servers?
Tanquen1
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
61 Posts
1
January 19th, 2022 08:00
The servers were already shipped.
It turns out that the servers each have a red Server 2019 Microsoft COA sticker with "Dell EMC" printed on them. They have a full product key with a scratch off section. This is the only place that the key can be found. These are the secondary license from the order. It would be nice if it was in the Dell Digital Locker or it had a link to a portal of some kind to keep track of them and so physical access to the servers would not be needed.
The 3 cards with a red Server 2019 Microsoft COA sticker with "Dell EMC" printed on them are the extra Windows Server OS licenses that we ordered. They only have a Tracking ID and no key. They are attached/linked to the red Microsoft COA sticker on the one server and it's product key. So they are all technically linked to the one server but we needed them on three different of the five servers ordered. There is nothing on our end to let you know what server they are attached to and unfortunately they along with the 2 Server User CALs and the 2 RDS CALs are not listed at all in the Dell Digital Locker, if you lose the cards you are SOL.
DELL-Marco B
Moderator
Moderator
•
3.6K Posts
0
January 18th, 2022 04:00
Hello,
i need more information about your order, but normally you can contact the customer care to know more about what should arrive with the server.
Are the server already shipped?
Thanks
Marco
UTEL-Chris
2 Posts
0
April 12th, 2022 07:00
Hi,
We have run into a similar issue, where we have received x3 servers with x3 product keys on them and then about x5 extra of the tracking ID stickers separately per server.
Is there any further information on how this works in practice please? As we are using in a vmware/vmotion scenario.
Do we have to keep track of what physical key was used on a vm and make sure the vm stays on that host? (which defeats the point of what we were trying to do with vmotion flexibility)
Is there an actual guide anywhere that details how this licensing process works?
Questions aren't necessarily aimed at original poster unless they happen to have some more insight into it now.
Just thought Dell rep might be able to reply and didn't want start another post when have the same issue.
This is the only relevant search result that comes up when Googling the issue.
Tanquen1
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
61 Posts
1
April 12th, 2022 08:00
As best I can tell, its on the honor system. We have always just configured one VM activated it and used it as a template for all the VMs running on all the hosts. You just want to make sure you have all the licenses needed if you ever get audited. You may need to use another key if you activate too many VMs on one key but just keep track of all the licenses you have. The MS add on licenses don't even have an activation key.
It was said there could be an issue if you order all the license on one server and then run the VMs on others. LIke we did but with a simple install of 5 servers and having enough licenses to cover all the VMs being run, it's tough to emagin MS trying to sue us because we have enough license to run 10 VMs and we are running less then 10 VMs but on 5 different servers not the one.
That is just a random example, you need to check the licensing guides for VMware and MS to see how many licenses you need for the number of CPUs you have and all that fun stuff.
UTEL-Chris
2 Posts
0
April 14th, 2022 01:00
Thanks for taking the time to reply and appreciate your thoughts on this.
It does make sense the way you described it with the honor system.
Just find it strange that the supplier we bought from and Dell themselves seem to not be able to explain it, would feel better to have some documentation to fall back on from a company as big as Dell.
We have got enough licensing to cover our VMware requirements so I guess we will take a similar approach that you described.
Tanquen1
1 Rookie
1 Rookie
•
61 Posts
0
April 14th, 2022 08:00
You have to get the right guy. I spoke with someone at Dell after the fact and he told me how it all worked but there is no easy way to move the keys to the correct server. It's also seems crazy that the add-on MS licenses are not attached to your Dell Digital account or otherwise. If you lose those add on cards you are SOL. They did say the one time that happened they were able to help out the customer. First thing, get all the licenses logged and filed away, don't wait 6 months when you go to put them in production and can't find the licenses.
Folks that do this kind of stuff every day just know but there is not a lot of info on how this works if you just Google.