If you downgrade your SBS 2008 Premium to SBS 2003 R2, do you still get the second Windows Server license right?

A Partner submitted the following question to me regarding downgrading SBS 2008 Premium, so I thought I would share it with all of you along with the answer. Here was the question:

“SBS 2008 Premium includes a second server license (Server 2008) for running SQL 2008. If I downgrade the suite to SBS 2003 Premium R2, do I retain the right to use a second server (Server 2003
running SQL 2005)?”

Here is the answer: “No the downgrade is to SBS 2003 R2 Premium, which includes SQL 2005 Workgroup Edition. (not Windows Server 2003 + SQL 2005 rights) As such, you would not have the second Windows Server license right when downgrading to SBS 2003 R2.”

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Global Partner Experience Lead
Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

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