{"product_id":"microsoft-windows-server-2012-datacenter-retail-5-pc","title":"Microsoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Retail [5 PC]","description":"\u003ch2\u003eWindows Server 2012 Datacenter: Unlimited Virtualization for the Software-Defined Datacenter\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-datacenter-retail-5-pc\"\u003eMicrosoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter\u003c\/a\u003e is the high-end edition of Microsoft's 2012 server platform, designed for highly virtualized, software-defined datacenters and mission-critical application hosting. Released as a 64-bit-only operating system, it ships with Hyper-V 3.0, Storage Spaces, and the Active Directory improvements that defined the modern \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2016-datacenter-retail-2-pc\"\u003eWindows Server\u003c\/a\u003e platform. Your key is delivered to your account dashboard within seconds of payment clearing, ready to paste into the activation dialog on a clean or upgraded install. If the key fails to activate for any reason within 7 days, you get a one-to-one replacement key or a full refund — your choice, no questions asked. Activate on a clean install or upgrade in place, and bring your datacenter services online within minutes. 🖥️⚙️\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat Is Included and How Activation Works\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen your order is confirmed, you receive a 25-character \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-essentials-retail-2-pc\"\u003eWindows Server 2012 Essentials\u003c\/a\u003e Datacenter product key delivered to your account dashboard and your order email. The key is a genuine, unused Microsoft activation key for the Datacenter edition, and it is licensed under the Processor + CAL model. One Datacenter license is required for each physical processor in the server, with a 5-processor minimum per server for the typical licensing pattern, and a Windows Server CAL is required for each user or device that accesses the server. The license is perpetual: it is valid for the lifetime of the server hardware, and you can reinstall and reactivate the same hardware after a clean rebuild without losing the license.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe standard activation flow takes about ten minutes on a server with internet access:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInstall \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-r2-essentials-retail-5-pc\"\u003eWindows Server 2012 R2 Essentials\u003c\/a\u003e Datacenter from official Microsoft media or a clean ISO.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSign in to the server with administrator rights.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen the \u003cstrong\u003eSystem Properties\u003c\/strong\u003e panel or the new \u003cstrong\u003eThis PC\u003c\/strong\u003e properties page and choose \u003cstrong\u003eChange product key\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnter the 25-character key from your order email and confirm.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWait for the activation server to confirm the license, then configure server roles and features as required.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor air-gapped servers, activation can be completed by phone through the Microsoft Activation Center. Because Datacenter is licensed by physical processor, the server's processor count determines the number of Datacenter licenses required. Downgrading to an earlier Windows Server release is not included with this retail key.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features and Capabilities\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnlimited Hyper-V virtualization rights.\u003c\/strong\u003e Run one Windows Server instance in the physical OSE plus an unlimited number of instances in virtual OSEs on the same licensed host. This is the edition's defining capability and the reason it is the right choice for large virtualization farms and private cloud.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHyper-V 3.0 with shared VHDX files.\u003c\/strong\u003e Share VHDX files between multiple virtual machines for cluster scenarios, with SMB-based remote storage and the Hyper-V extensible switch for advanced networking. SMB storage and network virtualization are both first-class features of the 2012 release.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStorage Spaces with tiered storage and deduplication.\u003c\/strong\u003e Build software-defined storage across multiple disks, with automatic tiering between SSDs and HDDs, inline deduplication for NTFS volumes, and cluster-aware updating for rolling upgrades.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eActive Directory improvements.\u003c\/strong\u003e Active Directory Domain Services with the Active Directory Recycle Bin, Fine-Grained Password Policies, and Claims-based authentication. The 2012 release modernizes the identity and policy tools and adds the foundation for the Active Directory management improvements of later releases.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDirectAccess and BranchCache.\u003c\/strong\u003e Give remote users a secure, always-on connection to the corporate network without a traditional VPN, and cache frequently accessed files and web content at branch offices. Both features require Windows 8 Enterprise clients.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFailover Clustering with up to 64 nodes.\u003c\/strong\u003e Build large failover clusters with cluster-aware updating, which performs rolling upgrades of the cluster without service interruption. The 2012 release is the first to support cluster shared volumes and the modern cluster validation tooling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eModern management tools.\u003c\/strong\u003e The new Server Manager, PowerShell 3.0, and the Modern UI-style management tools are introduced with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-r2-standard-retail-5-pc\"\u003eWindows Server 2012,\u003c\/a\u003e alongside the traditional MMC-based administrative consoles.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge-system scale.\u003c\/strong\u003e Up to 64 physical processors and 4 TB of physical memory per server, which at the time of release was the maximum supported by any Windows Server edition.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProcessor + CAL licensing.\u003c\/strong\u003e One Datacenter license per physical processor, with a 5-processor minimum per server, plus a Windows Server CAL for every user or device that accesses the server. CALs are sold separately in User or Device form.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e64-bit only.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-standard-retail-5-pc\"\u003eWindows Server 2012\u003c\/a\u003e is a 64-bit-only release. The 32-bit edition was discontinued with the 2008 R2 release.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWho This Edition Is For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-r2-rds-device-cal-50-cal\"\u003eServer 2012 R2 RDS Device CAL\u003c\/a\u003e Datacenter is the right edition for large and demanding Windows Server deployments. The personas below describe the most common buyers of the Datacenter license.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge virtualization hosts and private clouds.\u003c\/strong\u003e If you operate a Hyper-V cluster with many virtual machines on each host, the unlimited virtualization rights of Datacenter are the most cost-effective way to license the workload. The break-even against multiple Standard licenses is reached quickly.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoftware-defined datacenters.\u003c\/strong\u003e Storage Spaces, network virtualization, and SMB-based remote storage make 2012 Datacenter the right edition for the software-defined datacenter pattern that Microsoft introduced with this release.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLine-of-business database and messaging servers.\u003c\/strong\u003e SQL Server and Exchange Server farms benefit from the 64-processor and 4 TB memory ceiling, the 64-node Failover Clustering, and the cluster-aware updating that 2012 Datacenter supports.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrganizations consolidating older hardware.\u003c\/strong\u003e If you are consolidating a fleet of older servers onto a single large virtualization host, the Datacenter license is the simplest way to license the consolidated workload.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSystem Requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-r2-rds-user-cal-50-cal\"\u003eServer 2012 R2 RDS User CAL\u003c\/a\u003e is a 64-bit-only release. The minimum hardware baseline is modest for a server operating system of this era, but production deployments should follow Microsoft's \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-rds-device-cal-50-cal\"\u003eWindows Server 2012 RDS Device CAL\u003c\/a\u003e certification program for guaranteed compatibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eComponent\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eMinimum\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eRecommended\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eProcessor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.4 GHz 64-bit (x64), with NX and DEP support\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMulti-core 64-bit server CPU at 2 GHz or higher\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePhysical processors\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2 to 4 sockets for typical Datacenter hosts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRAM\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e512 MB minimum; 2 GB for Server with Desktop Experience\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e16 GB or more for production hosts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStorage\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e32 GB system partition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRAID-protected array with 100 GB or more free\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNetwork\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGigabit Ethernet adapter\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMultiple Gigabit Ethernet adapters or 10 GbE for cluster nodes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOptical drive\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDVD-ROM (if installing from physical media)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNetwork boot is also supported\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum supported scale\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e32-bit not supported\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eUp to 4 TB RAM and 64 physical processors\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMicrosoft's Windows Server Catalog is the authoritative list of hardware certified for \u003ca href=\"\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-rds-user-cal-50-cal\"\u003eWindows Server 2012.\u003c\/a\u003e For production Datacenter deployments, certified server hardware from major OEMs is strongly recommended; non-certified hardware may not receive driver updates and may not support all of the high-availability features such as cluster-aware updating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eActivation and Licensing Notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour Windows Server 2012 Datacenter digital license is a perpetual, one-server license tied to the physical server hardware on which it is first activated. A few details worth knowing up front:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProcessor + CAL model.\u003c\/strong\u003e One Datacenter license per physical processor, with a 5-processor minimum per server. A two-socket server requires two Datacenter licenses; the 5PC pack covers the typical 2-socket or 4-socket host with a single key.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCALs are required for users and devices.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every user or device that accesses the server requires a Windows Server CAL. CALs are sold separately in User or Device form.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnlimited virtualization.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Datacenter license entitles the host to run one physical instance and an unlimited number of virtual instances of Windows Server.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVolume Licensing downgrade rights are not included.\u003c\/strong\u003e This retail key activates the 2012 edition only. For downgrade rights to earlier Windows Server releases, a Microsoft Volume Licensing agreement is the right path.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReinstalls are supported on the same hardware.\u003c\/strong\u003e Format the storage, replace failed disks, or rebuild the server from scratch: reactivate using the same product key on the same hardware. The activation server re-recognizes the entitlement.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMicrosoft has ended mainstream support for Windows Server 2012.\u003c\/strong\u003e Extended support ended in October 2023. The operating system remains functional but no longer receives security updates; this is a key consideration for any long-running deployment.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eGet Started With Windows Server 2012 Datacenter\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuying a Windows Server 2012 Datacenter digital license is the simplest way to put a fully activated, enterprise-class virtualization platform on a physical server. Once the order is confirmed, the key is in your inbox, the activation steps are above, and the server is ready to host Hyper-V, Storage Spaces, and clustering workloads in one short session. If you have any questions about whether Datacenter is the right edition for your hardware, your workload, or your licensing model, our support team is on hand before and after the purchase.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMicrosoft Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Alternatives\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree credible alternatives cover most server workloads depending on your requirements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLinux Server (Ubuntu LTS or RHEL)\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree or low-cost, runs most modern web, container, and database workloads, and is widely supported by cloud providers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWindows Server on Azure \/ AWS \/ GCP\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eManaged cloud versions of Windows Server with pay-as-you-go licensing. Removes the need for an on-premises licence key.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWindows Server LTSC container images\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMicrosoft-published container images for development and CI\/CD scenarios. Free for development but require a licence for production use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to choose:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stay on Windows Server if you run Active Directory, SQL Server, Exchange, or .NET Framework line-of-business apps. Move to Linux server for new web and container workloads. Move to cloud-managed Windows Server to remove licence management overhead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eWhat is the difference between Datacenter, Standard, and Essentials?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStandard is licensed under the Processor + CAL model and entitles the host to run one physical instance and up to two virtual instances of Windows Server. Datacenter is also Processor + CAL and entitles the host to one physical and an unlimited number of virtual instances, with the largest processor, memory, and high-availability footprint. Essentials is licensed per server with no CALs required, with a 25-user \/ 50-device limit, no virtualization, a 2-processor ceiling, and a 64 GB memory ceiling. Standard is the mainstream edition for most small and mid-size deployments; Datacenter is the right choice for large virtualization hosts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eHow many Datacenter licenses do I need for a two-processor server?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne Datacenter license per physical processor. A two-socket server requires two Datacenter licenses. Microsoft treats multicore and hyperthreaded processors as a single processor, regardless of the number of cores or threads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eDo I need a CAL for every user that opens a file on the server?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. A Windows Server CAL is required for every user or device that accesses server services such as file services, print services, or Active Directory authentication. The user-or-device choice is yours: User CALs are the more cost-effective model when one user connects from many devices; Device CALs are the more cost-effective model when many users share a small number of devices.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eCan I run Linux virtual machines on the same Datacenter host?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 supports Linux guest operating systems, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and Ubuntu. Linux virtual machines on Hyper-V do not require a Windows Server license for the guest, but the host still needs a Windows Server Datacenter license for the unlimited virtualization rights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eDoes this include SQL Server or Exchange Server?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo. Windows Server 2012 Datacenter is the server operating system only. SQL Server, Exchange Server, and other Microsoft server products are sold and licensed separately.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\u003cdetails\u003e\n\u003csummary\u003eHow long does delivery take?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe product key is delivered to your account dashboard and order confirmation email immediately after payment is confirmed, typically within seconds. The installation and activation flow on the target server takes about ten minutes on a modern server with a broadband connection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/details\u003e\n\n","brand":"Microsoft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59850921476177,"sku":"MS-134-MICROSOFT-WINDOWS-SERVER-2012-DATACENTER","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1059\/0191\/6241\/files\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-datacenter-retail-5-pc.webp?v=1784725651","url":"https:\/\/dotkeys.net\/products\/microsoft-windows-server-2012-datacenter-retail-5-pc","provider":"DotKeys","version":"1.0","type":"link"}