Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 - Common Questions and Answers Part 1

Greetings folks,

This is Dean Paron, Product Unit Manager for Windows MultiPoint Server, back again.  It's been a couple weeks since we announced the availability of Windows MultiPoint Server 2011, and I wanted to follow up with a list of the most common questions and answers that I've received from customers and partners.

Since our product is fairly new, I expect that we'll have many more questions to come.  And so for now, I'll label this post as Q&A #1.  As you have more questions, post them into the forums or comments, and I'll spin up another post in the future.  Without further ado, onto the first set of questions...

Q:  What are the differences between the Standard and Premium editions?

A:  Here are the big differences:

 

Standard

Premium

Max Simultaneous Stations

10

20

Domain Joinable?

No

Yes

Max Processor Sockets

1

2

Max Memory

8 GB

32 GB

Hyper-V Support

None

1+1

 There are some small technical differences beyond that, all of which are spelled out in the Deployment Guide.  

Q: How can I evaluate the product?

A:  If you want to get a copy for evaluation or testing purposes you have the following options:

The Download Center has eval bits, which are good for 180 days.  But they can also be converted into full product simply by adding a product key later.  No reinstall needed.  MSDN and Technet have full product available to subscribers.

Q:  Through what channels is the product available to purchase?

A:  Both editions, standard and premium are available to all customers via OEM licensing and Open Volume Licensing.  Additionally, academic customers have discounted licensing available through Academic Volume Licensing and Academic OEM licensing.

Q:  How does the licensing work?

A:  There's a two part answer here, depending on which channel MultiPoint was acquired:

In the OEM channel, the licensing is pretty simple:  Each MultiPoint host PC needs a MultiPoint server license, and each station needs a MultiPoint client access license (CAL).  When purchased through these channels, the licenses are "pre-attached" to the devices, so as a customer you don't need to acquire them separately.

In the Volume License channel, the licensing is slightly more involved, but it follows the same model as Remote Desktop Services.   So, if you know how to license RDS, that's the same model that's used for MultiPoint.  The server licensing is the same as before:  Each MultiPoint host PC needs a MultiPoint server license.  The client licensing is a little different:  In the VL channel, each station requires both a MultiPoint CAL and Windows Server CAL.  If you already have Windows Server CALs for the users on your network as part of another agreement or other purchase, they do not need to be re-purchased.

You can check out the "buy" tab on our website to learn more.

Q:  I really like what I see.  Can I purchase a copy today?

A:  Yes! As of March 1st, the product is also officially available for purchase and install via the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).  So, you can buy it today through Volume Licensing, and over the next month we also expect pre-installed versions to be available via our OEM partners.

Q:  Where can I learn more information?

A:  As the product has just released, we are in the mode of constantly updating our collateral.  Here are the major places to watch:

Thanks all, I'll see you next time.

D