Windows Server 2012 Foundation Edition

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Windows Server 2012 R2 will continue to have the same licensing model as Windows Server 2012, with two editions available in volume licensing: Standard edition and Datacenter edition. Editions are differentiated by virtualization rights only (two OSEs for Standard, and unlimited OSEs for Datacenter). Aside from the lack of Hyper-V, Foundation is your basic starter version of Windows Server 2012. That’s both good and bad: It features the same obtuse management tools (the sometimes awful new Server Manager, for example) as the mainstream editions.

Windows Server 2012 R2 will continue to have the same licensing model as Windows Server 2012, with two editions available in volume licensing: Standard edition and Datacenter edition. Editions are differentiated by virtualization rights only (two OSEs for Standard, and unlimited OSEs for Datacenter). A single license covers up to two physical processors.
Client Access Licenses (CALs) are required for each user or device accessed. The Windows Server 2012 related CALs provide entitlement to access and use Windows 2012 R2 functionality.
Both Standard and Datacenter editions provide the same set of features; the differentiator is the number of Virtual Operating System Environments (VOSE). A Standard edition license entitles up to two VOSEs on up to two processors (subject to the VOSE use rights outlined in the Product Terms document for Volume Licensing or End User License Agreement for other channels). A Datacenter edition license entitles an unlimited number of VOSEs on up to two processors.
There are a variety of new features in Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter and Standard editions. Here are just a few examples:
  • Enterprise-class virtual machine density, performance, and mobility with best-in-class performance and scale for Microsoft workloads
  • High-performance file-based storage on cost-effective, industry-standard hardware with inbox storage virtualization and tiering
  • Highly available, in-box hybrid networking for bridging physical and virtual networks in a multi-tenant environment and across premises
  • Protection and recovery of assets for all your workloads with simple and affordable disaster recovery options
  • Flexible remote access to corporate resources from virtually anywhere and on any device while helping to protect corporate information
Because there is feature parity between Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard and Datacenter editions, your decision will be based on your virtualization strategy, as virtualization rights are the only differentiator between the editions. If your strategy calls for a highly virtualized environment, Datacenter edition will provide you with optimum flexibility because it allows for unlimited virtualization. This edition gives you the elasticity to add and move virtual OSEs across Datacenter licensed servers without needing to track the virtual OSE count on that server. If you don’t plan to have a highly virtualized environment, Standard edition is the right product for your needs. If you purchase Standard edition today but find you need to expand the virtualization capacity of your licensed server, you can do one of the following:
  • Purchase additional Standard edition licenses and assign them to the same physical server, giving you the rights to run additional instances of Windows Server. The server must have the appropriate number of licenses assigned to it to ensure coverage of all of the virtual OSEs that are running at any given time.
  • Purchase a Software Assurance Step-up license to Datacenter edition, changing the license to a higher edition that allows unlimited virtual OSEs. To use this benefit, your underlying license must have Software Assurance.
With the Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard edition licensing model, you can grow your virtualization environment by either buying a step-up license to Datacenter edition if you have Software Assurance, or by simply buying additional Standard edition licenses and assigning them to the same physical server. The server must have the appropriate number of licenses assigned to it to ensure coverage of all of the virtual OSEs that are running at any given time. For example, if you have a two-processor server and want to run a total of four VOSEs, you can purchase two Standard edition licenses and assign them to the same server. Additional examples are shown in the following table.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation Edition Download

2012
No. of Standard edition Total no. of VOSEs

I am not a Windows Server guy but spotted this handy comparison chart Windows Server 2012 R2 Products and Editions Comparison Express invoice software.

Server 2012 Foundation Edition

Windows server 2012 foundation

“This chart illustrates the differences among the various Windows Server 2012 R2 products and editions, including the various editions of Windows Server, Microsoft Hyper-V Server, Storage Server, and MultiPoint Server. The chart includes information about locks and limits (such as the maximum number of connections of various kinds, domain-joining capability, and CPU and RAM limits), which server roles are supported, and which server features are available.”

Windows Server 2012 Editions List

Rob