FAQ about Microsoft licenses


When you use Microsoft software, you are responsible for understanding and complying with any licensing agreements that you might have with Microsoft. Google provides this documentation only to describe the licensing options that are available to you on Google Cloud. For detailed information about your licenses or software rights, work with your legal team, license vendor, or consult the Microsoft Licensing Guide for Google Cloud (PDF download).

This document provides answers to frequently asked questions about Windows Server licensing, containers and virtualization, and SQL Server licensing.

For general information about how Compute Engine supports licensing Microsoft software on Google Cloud, see Microsoft licenses.

Windows Server FAQ

Licensing options FAQ

What licensing options are available on Compute Engine?

Which licensing option do I use with my operating system?

Consult your licensing terms to determine whether Compute Engine supports your requirements, and then, to determine the most appropriate licensing option, see Microsoft licenses.

On-demand licenses FAQ

How are on-demand Windows Server instances licensed?

When you create an on-demand Windows Server instance on Compute Engine, Google includes the cost of the license with the cost of the instance. You do not need to purchase a license separately.

How does Windows Server licensing work if I create an on-demand instance from my own Windows Server image?

When you create an on-demand instance from your own Windows Server image, Google includes the cost of the license with the cost of the instance.

Do I need to purchase user Client Access Licenses (CALs) when I use an on-demand Windows Server or SQL Server image?

No. The CALs and their cost are included with the operating system image. You do not need to purchase user CALs.

Also, Active Directory domain controller VMs running in a Managed Microsoft Active Directory domain or any Windows VMs that are domain-joined to such a domain do not require any additional CALs. For more information, see Managed Service for Microsoft Active Directory documentation.

Are Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Client Access Licenses (CALs) required for on-demand VM instances?

RDS CALs are not required unless you need more than two concurrent remote desktop sessions for administration purposes. If you need more than two concurrent remote desktop sessions, you must purchase additional RDS CALs. For more information, see License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs).

Outsourcing Software Management (BYOL) FAQ

Does Outsourcing Software Management let me use my Windows Server licenses on Compute Engine?

You can only use rights from the Outsourcing Software Management clause with dedicated servers such as sole-tenant nodes. Microsoft does not let you use Outsourcing Software Management rights in a multi-tenant environment.

License Mobility FAQ

Can I use a newly purchased Windows Server Volume License on a sole-tenant node?

Generally, you can't use Windows Server Volume Licenses purchased on or after October 1, 2019 on sole-tenant nodes. For more information, see Updated Microsoft licensing terms for dedicated hosted cloud services.

If the Windows Server version was released before October 1, 2019, you can, subject to the terms of the licensing agreement, use Windows Server licenses acquired before this date on sole-tenant nodes.

Use rights on Google Cloud are provided for Windows Server licenses that meet the following conditions:

Do I need a Software Assurance agreement from Microsoft to bring my own licenses to sole-tenant nodes?

No. You do not need a Software Assurance agreement from Microsoft when using your Outsourcing Software Management rights to bring your own licenses to sole-tenant nodes. Such an agreement might be beneficial though because it might include rights for new versions.

What am I responsible for if I bring my own license?

If you bring your own licenses to Compute Engine, you are responsible for ensuring compliance with Microsoft. For more information, see Bring your own licenses to sole-tenant nodes.

If I bring my own licenses, do I need Client Access Licenses (CALs)?

Yes. If you supply the Windows Server license, you are responsible for purchasing any required CALs. Depending on how you configure and use Windows Server, you might need additional CALs for RDP or Rights Management Services. For more information, see License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs).

For which versions of Windows operating systems can I bring my own license on sole-tenant nodes?

For information about the versions of the Windows operating system you can bring your own license for, see OS details.

For information about how to bring your own license, see Bringing your own licenses.

If I bring my own license to Compute Engine, how do I activate it?

If you import an image to Compute Engine that requires an existing license, you are responsible for activating the license. For more information, see Bringing your own licenses.

If you use a premium image, Google manages the license for you.

End of support FAQ

My VM is running an end of support version of Windows Server. Can I configure this VM to receive Extended Security Updates (ESUs) provided by Microsoft?

Yes. You will need to purchase the ESUs from Microsoft, but once purchased you can configure your Windows VMs to receive ESUs to protect them against critical security vulnerabilities.

Image import FAQ

Can I customize the image import workflows?

Yes. You can customize the image import workflow. The image import workflows are available on GitHub.

Can I import images that are already running?

Yes. You can import images from VMs that are online and running.

After I import my BYOL image, can I share it?

Yes. After importing your BYOL image, you can share it with users outside your project or organization. Then, they can access the shared images from their project. For more information, see Managing access to custom images.

Sole-tenancy FAQ

What are sole-tenant nodes?

Sole-tenant nodes are physical Compute Engine servers that are dedicated exclusively for your use. No other customer VMs will be scheduled on these dedicated servers.

What if I am eligible to run an earlier version of Windows Server on sole-tenant nodes, but later upgrade to a version of Windows Server that was released after October 1, 2019?

When you upgrade to a version of Windows Server that was released after October 1, 2019, you are subject to Microsoft's licensing terms for that version. Under these conditions, you can't use the Windows Server Volume Licenses on sole-tenant nodes.

Are VM licenses altered when updating the tenancy of a VM?

When you modify the tenancy of a VM, Compute Engine does not alter its license.

How does pricing work on sole-tenant nodes?

When you reserve a sole-tenant node, it is dedicated for your use and you are billed for all of the vCPU and memory resources on the node, plus a 10% sole-tenancy premium. Because the node is dedicated for your use, you can place as many or as few VMs on the node without incurring any additional costs, and there is no additional cost to support BYOL scenarios. For more information, see Sole-tenant node pricing.

Keep in mind that licensing and billing are determined by which operating system option you choose during the image import process, so if you use a Compute Engine public image as an image source, Google attaches on-demand licenses, and after you attach a license, you cannot change the licensing option for that VM.

SQL Server FAQ

What are the options for running SQL Server on Compute Engine?

You can run SQL Server in a VM instance on a multi-tenant host or on sole-tenant nodes. Other options for running SQL Server include Cloud SQL and Google Cloud VMware Engine.

How do I license SQL Server when it is running in a VM instance?

You can license a SQL Server using an on-demand license provided by Google, or deploy your own license to Google Cloud using License Mobility through Software Assurance.

Can I use my own SQL Server image in a virtual machine with an on-demand license?

Google provides pre-built SQL Server images for use in Windows Server virtual machines. You can also bring your own SQL Server image and use it on Windows Server or Linux by adding a SQL Server license string. In either case, the cost of the on-demand SQL Server license is billed while the VM is running.

Can I use License Mobility to run SQL Server on Compute Engine?

If you have License Mobility through Software Assurance, you can assign a SQL Server license to virtual machines running on multi-tenant hosts or on sole-tenant nodes.

Can I bring my own SQL Server licenses to sole-tenant nodes?

You can use Outsourcing Software Management rights to bring your own SQL Server licenses and images to sole-tenant nodes as long as you acquired the licenses before October 1, 2019. If licenses are covered by Software Assurance, consider using License Mobility through Software Assurance instead.

Can I bring my own SQL Server licenses to sole-tenant nodes if I do not have Software Assurance?

You can use Outsourcing Software Management rights to bring your own SQL Server licenses to sole-tenant nodes under the following conditions:

  • You acquired the SQL Server license before October 1, 2019
  • Acquired after October 1, 2019 under Microsoft's Enterprise Agreement True-up (PDF download) ordering process on an enrollment with an effective date before October 1, 2019
  • Your licensed version of SQL Server was released before October 1, 2019
  • Your licensing terms do not expressly forbid you

Can I upgrade to a later version of SQL Server?

If you use your Outsourcing Software Management rights to bring your own SQL Server licenses to sole-tenant nodes, you can't upgrade to a version released after October 1, 2019.

If you use License Mobility through Software Assurance to assign a SQL Server license to a VM on Google Cloud, there are no upgrade restrictions.

What licensing models are supported for SQL Server deployments running on sole-tenant nodes?

If you use your Outsourcing Software Management rights to assign licenses to sole-tenant nodes, they can be licensed as follows:

  • Per-core
  • Per-processor
  • Per-server

If I run SQL Server on sole-tenant nodes, are Client Access Licenses (CALs) required?

Yes, you must supply the required number of CALs.

What's next