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Warning: Virtualization Can Be Bad for Software Licensing Health

By Mae Kowalke, TMCnet Contributor

Virtualization gets a lot of hype these days, but it does come with some potential pitfalls, depending on where it’s being applied. For example, proper software licensing can be quite challenging in virtual environments.

For sure, virtualization can complicate software licensing, and without an appropriate strategy it is easy to fall out of compliance and get into trouble.  When applications are run in a virtual environment, administrators must be careful to be sure the organization purchased required licenses.

One reason why software licensing gets complicated with virtualization is that a variety of different license types may be required, making decisions and administration more involved.  Some of those types might include licenses for hypervisors, management servers, guest OS servers, and applications.

Also, software licensing in a virtualized environment is inherently dynamic; what works in one instance or at one time might not work elsewhere. For example, licensing might go out of compliance if a guest OS is created on a particular host server but then moved to a different host. Virtual machines are easy to create anytime.

Further, consider that it’s typical for virtualization management servers to require a license for each managed server.

Following a general set of guidelines for licensing can also cause problems, since each software vendor has its own requirements. The best strategy is one that handles licensing on a case-by-case basis. Check the requirements carefully to determine what types of licensing are required.

To avoid licensing noncompliance in a virtualized environment, follow these tips:

• Pay attention to socket-specific license requirements.
• Assume that licensing requirement for applications don’t change just because they run on a virtual server—but check carefully to be sure this is the case.
• Check with each vendor to see if they offer the choice of purchasing client access licenses on a per-user or per-device basis. Compare options to find the best pricing.
• Assume that each guest OS on a virtual machine must be licensed—but again, check with each vendor.

With care, it is possible to run software in a virtualized environment without falling out of compliance. It just requires extra diligence.