Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence
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Hi.
I need to buy two Windows 2012 R2 licence.
Can I buy two Windows 2016 licence and use them to activate two Windows 2012 R2?
Thanks.
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It depends on the use rights for whatever channel you use to get the Server 2016 licenses. I know volume license agreement licenses usually come with downgrade rights.
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Yes, potentially. How do you intend to buy them? If you buy via VL, which is the only way that I would buy, then yes.
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Thanks a lot.
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@scottalanmiller said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
Yes, potentially. How do you intend to buy them? If you buy via VL, which is the only way that I would buy, then yes.
Does it matter how you buy them?
I think even OEM licenses allow downgrade rights.
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@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
Does it matter how you buy them?
I think even OEM licenses allow downgrade rights.
I think with OEM you have to downgrade through the supplier of the hardware that the OEM was bought with, could be a pain.
VL I think you just use the portal.
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@hobbit666 said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
Does it matter how you buy them?
I think even OEM licenses allow downgrade rights.
I think with OEM you have to downgrade through the supplier of the hardware that the OEM was bought with, could be a pain.
VL I think you just use the portal.
WHAT? I don't follow.
If I buy an HP laptop with Windows 10 Pro, I can downgrade it myself (Pro is the only desktop version with downgrade rights). MS without saying as much makes you acquire media and CD Key on your own. You can use an OEM key from another machine you might have and when you call to activate you explain that you are using downgrade rights and they activate you.
I would assume the same to be true for server. Of course if you don't have access to the media or a CD Key, I'm not sure how you're suppose to get those things. This, I believe, is the primary reason that Scott recommends VL. With VL you get access to the old media and keys.
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I never mentioned Laptop or PRO version.
He asked about SERVER as from my knowledge since I've never had to downgrade an OS
If you want to downgrade a Server bought from say DELL with Server 2012/2016 OEM to say 2008 you needed to contact DELL and ask for the key that will work as the OEM key will not work with OEM 2008 media? BUT I may be wrong as I've never done it myself.
With a Volume License i'm sure when I last looked into downgrades it mentioned requesting it through the VL portal to get the new key that will work.
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@hobbit666 said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I never mentioned Laptop or PRO version.
He asked about SERVER as from my knowledge since I've never had to downgrade an OS
If you want to downgrade a Server bought from say DELL with Server 2012/2016 OEM to say 2008 you needed to contact DELL and ask for the key that will work as the OEM key will not work with OEM 2008 media? BUT I may be wrong as I've never done it myself.
With a Volume License i'm sure when I last looked into downgrades it mentioned requesting it through the VL portal to get the new key that will work.
Dell/HP doesn't have spare keys to give you for a server any more than they do for a workstation. Dell/HP have to pay for those keys, and if they handed them out for something like this, either a) they'd have to pay for them, or b) they'd be in violation of their agreement with MS.
Downgrading has, to the best of my knowledge, worked the same for servers as it does for workstations. I've downgraded server licenses before, and when doing so, I just used another key I had lying around. When I called in due to activation issue, I told them I was downgrading, gave them the higher level CD key and they authorized my use of the lower one.
I guess I've been lucky in so much as I've always had a key for the older OS I could use, so solving a problem where you're greenfield and need an older key and don't have VL, yeah I don't know what you're suppose to do, or how you get around it.
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@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I guess I've been lucky in so much as I've always had a key for the older OS I could use, so solving a problem where you're greenfield and need an older key and don't have VL, yeah I don't know what you're suppose to do, or how you get around it.
That's kind of what I was getting at, If you don't have keys spare to use how do you get them, there must be a procedure to follow. in my eyes if I bought a server with OEM and wanted to downgrade then the supplier should assist me in getting said key as there are responsible for support (as I believe M$ see it as it's OEM licensed)
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Well, to wind up in this situation, you'd have to break a pretty huge best practice situation - buy an OEM server license. I've never done that, so I have no idea.
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@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I would assume the same to be true for server.
That's the gap. What works for a desktop does not apply to a server.
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@StrongBad said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I would assume the same to be true for server.
That's the gap. What works for a desktop does not apply to a server.
What gap is that? I am very confident that it does work the same for both. I won't put a bet on it because I'm not 100%, but I'd say I'm 90% confident that you have to provide your media and Key to downgrade server OSs, just like workstation ones. But it will take someone calling their vendor and Microsoft to see what they are told. Sadly, as we all know, even those people know the legalities of it in reality.
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@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@StrongBad said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I would assume the same to be true for server.
That's the gap. What works for a desktop does not apply to a server.
What gap is that? I am very confident that it does work the same for both. I won't put a bet on it because I'm not 100%, but I'd say I'm 90% confident that you have to provide your media and Key to downgrade server OSs, just like workstation ones. But it will take someone calling their vendor and Microsoft to see what they are told. Sadly, as we all know, even those people know the legalities of it in reality.
Looks like Server OEM does include the rights...
https://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/Pages/downgrade_rights.aspx#fbid=SkhyGkCOpHB
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I never doubted the rights. What I'm unsure of is "how someone in a greenfield situation is suppose to install a downgraded version?" I'm 90% positive if you buy a Dell server with an OEM license for 2016, they will not provide you with 2012 media or key.
What I don't know is... if you call MS will they provide you one? Somehow I doubt they will either (I doubt it because of what I know about the workstation side, i.e. bring your own old key) -
@Dashrender I'm pretty sure that you have to bring your own for that.
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@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I never doubted the rights. What I'm unsure of is "how someone in a greenfield situation is suppose to install a downgraded version?" I'm 90% positive if you buy a Dell server with an OEM license for 2016, they will not provide you with 2012 media or key.
What I don't know is... if you call MS will they provide you one? Somehow I doubt they will either (I doubt it because of what I know about the workstation side, i.e. bring your own old key)the last DELL server I bought came with 2012R2, 2012, and 2008 media.
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@BRRABill said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I never doubted the rights. What I'm unsure of is "how someone in a greenfield situation is suppose to install a downgraded version?" I'm 90% positive if you buy a Dell server with an OEM license for 2016, they will not provide you with 2012 media or key.
What I don't know is... if you call MS will they provide you one? Somehow I doubt they will either (I doubt it because of what I know about the workstation side, i.e. bring your own old key)the last DELL server I bought came with 2012R2, 2012, and 2008 media.
I've never bought a dell server with an OEM license except once a LONG time ago. It only came with the media purchased. No prior versions.
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@JaredBusch said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@BRRABill said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
@Dashrender said in Downgrade Windows 2016 Licence:
I never doubted the rights. What I'm unsure of is "how someone in a greenfield situation is suppose to install a downgraded version?" I'm 90% positive if you buy a Dell server with an OEM license for 2016, they will not provide you with 2012 media or key.
What I don't know is... if you call MS will they provide you one? Somehow I doubt they will either (I doubt it because of what I know about the workstation side, i.e. bring your own old key)the last DELL server I bought came with 2012R2, 2012, and 2008 media.
I've never bought a dell server with an OEM license except once a LONG time ago. It only came with the media purchased. No prior versions.
This was like 2.5 years ago, and it was an OEM license. Like I mentioned they gave all backward media.
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Server 2012 R2 is still an actively sold SKU through Volume Licensing channels.
