Microsoft Windows Server licensing has moved to a (Windows Server 2016 and later), requiring licenses for each physical core in a server, with a minimum of 8 core licenses per processor and 16 core licenses per server. Dell customers often deploy Windows Server on Dell PowerEdge rack, tower, or blade servers. The Dell Windows Server License Calculator refers to a set of resources—including Dell’s online licensing configurators, SKU recommendation engines, and Excel-based templates—that map a server’s hardware configuration (CPU model, core count, socket count) to the exact number of Microsoft licenses needed.
Every single physical core in the server must be licensed. Hyper-threading (SMT) does not count as additional physical cores for licensing purposes. Licensing Editions Comparison dell windows server license calculator
Every physical server requires a minimum of 16 core licenses , even if the total core count is lower. Microsoft Windows Server licensing has moved to a