New Pricing Model with Virtual Server 2005 R2
In response to our valued customers who are excited about the prospects of virtualizing workloads, we are doing even more to reduce the barriers to adopting Microsoft Virtual Server. The new pricing takes effect December 1st, 2005. Please feel free to share this news!
https://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/nov05/11-15ITForum05UmbrellaPR.mspx
As part of its broad strategy to help customers realize the benefits of virtualization and progress toward self-managing dynamic systems, Microsoft has released to manufacturing (RTM) Virtual Server 2005 R2, which will be available in volume licensing and retail the first week of December. Virtual Server 2005 R2 delivers improved performance, availability and scalability for server consolidation, legacy application migration, disaster recovery, and software testing and development. Microsoft will be offering Virtual Server R2 Standard Edition for $99 (U.S.) estimated retail price and Virtual Server R2 Enterprise Edition for $199 (U.S.) estimated retail price. This new pricing represents Microsoft’s commitment to making server virtualization more accessible to customers at the lowest price point.
https://www.infoworld.com/article/05/11/15/HNms64bitplans_1.html
Muglia's speech heralded two products, both of which are interim upgrades: Windows Server 2003 R2 and Virtual Server 2005 R2. Virtual Server 2005 R2 has gone to manufacturing and will be released in December. Windows Server 2003 R2 will be released to manufacturing before the end of the year and available early next year.
Microsoft has priced the Standard Edition of Virtual Server 2005 R2 at $99, Muglia said. It was previously $499.
Muglia reiterated the company's intent to alter its licensing model from one focused solely on software installs, which he said no longer makes sense in a virtualized environment. For the Enterprise Edition of Virtual Server 2005 R2, "your license applies to a device," Muglia said. Microsoft has reduced the price for that from $999 to $199. The new pricing takes effect Dec. 1.
The company also recently changed the licensing for Windows Server. Now, for example, those who are running Virtual Server 2005 R2 can run four virtual instances of Windows Server at no additional license cost.