{"product_id":"windows-server-2025-datacenter","title":"Windows Server 2025 Datacenter","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWindows Server 2025 Datacenter\u003c\/strong\u003e is the top edition of Microsoft's latest server operating system, built for heavily virtualised and software-defined environments. It includes everything in Standard and adds unlimited virtual machine rights, Storage Spaces Direct, shielded VMs and software-defined networking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat does Datacenter add over Standard?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnlimited virtual machines\u003c\/strong\u003e – run as many Windows Server VMs as the fully licensed host can handle, compared with two on Standard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStorage Spaces Direct\u003c\/strong\u003e – pool local drives across servers into hyper-converged, fault-tolerant storage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShielded VMs and Host Guardian Service\u003c\/strong\u003e – protect virtual machines from a compromised host or administrator\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoftware-defined networking\u003c\/strong\u003e – network controller, virtual load balancing and micro-segmentation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnrestricted Storage Replica\u003c\/strong\u003e – Standard is limited to a single partnership and a 2 TB volume\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also includes the Server 2025 improvements shared by all editions: SMB over QUIC, faster NVMe storage, GPU partitioning in Hyper-V and the new Active Directory functional level.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho is this edition for?\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChoose Datacenter when you run a Hyper-V host with more than a handful of VMs, a failover cluster, or hyper-converged infrastructure. For a single server running one or two workloads, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/windows-server-2025-standard\"\u003eWindows Server 2025 Standard\u003c\/a\u003e does the same job for less.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSupport lifecycle\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMicrosoft's \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/lifecycle\/products\/windows-server-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eWindows Server 2025 lifecycle page\u003c\/a\u003e lists mainstream support until 13 November 2029 and extended support until 14 November 2034.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSystem requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1.4 GHz 64-bit processor with virtualisation extensions for Hyper-V\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e512 MB RAM minimum (2 GB for Desktop Experience). Plan for far more on a virtualisation host.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e32 GB storage minimum\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGigabit Ethernet adapter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUEFI 2.3.1c firmware with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 recommended\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eLicensing notes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWindows Server is licensed per physical core under Microsoft's model, and Client Access Licences (CALs) for users or devices are licensed separately. Remote Desktop Services requires its own RDS CALs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHow delivery works\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a digital product, so nothing is shipped. After payment, your product key and activation instructions are sent to the email address used at checkout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently asked questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I activate an evaluation copy with this key?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes, but convert the evaluation install to the full Datacenter edition first using the DISM \/Set-Edition command. Entering a key straight into an evaluation install is the usual reason a valid key is rejected.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDo the guest VMs need their own keys?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn an activated Datacenter Hyper-V host, Windows Server guest VMs can activate automatically through Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I upgrade from Standard to Datacenter without reinstalling?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes. Use DISM with a Datacenter key to convert the edition in place.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Microsoft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45817975210053,"sku":null,"price":79.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/3603\/8981\/files\/windows-server-2025-datacenter.png?v=1790054679","url":"https:\/\/digitallicenseshop.com\/products\/windows-server-2025-datacenter","provider":"Digital License Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}