SQL Server License Information

This page [1] should give you the mapping between EC2 instances & the number of cores you need to license

Please also ensure you follow the instructions here [2] for signing up/verifying license mobility, as well as the instructions for using AWS License Manager to mange your BYOL licenses [3].

Microsoft is still the authoritative source on their licenses, so their terms here [4] potentially could conflict with AWS documentation - please ensure you meet these requirements as well.

[1] https://aws.amazon.com/windows/resources/licensemobility/sql/ [2] https://aws.amazon.com/windows/resources/licensemobility/ [3] https://docs.aws.amazon.com/license-manager/latest/userguide/getting-started.html [4] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/product-licensing/products

Thanks. But is there no simple answer for how Microsoft licence SQL server on EC2? I would like to know if it's one licence per vCPU?

There really are no simple answers when it comes to Microsoft software licensing anywhere.

From the first link I posted: “To license individual VMs using the Per Core model, customers must purchase a core license for each v-core (or virtual processor, virtual CPU, virtual thread) allocated to the VM, subject to a four-core license minimum per VM.” This tells you 1 core license per vCPU, with a minimum of 4 core licenses. The table on the same page is a guide to help you determine how many core licenses you would need for each instance type.

Please note that SQL Server Enterprise may have some other licensing considerations, for which you will either need to contact your Microsoft licensing rep, or your AWS Account Manager: "If you run Microsoft SQL Enterprise Edition, there are additional Microsoft License Mobility SQL Enterprise Edition options available. Speak to your account manager for more details."

I would strongly recommend talking to your AWS Account Manager, or your Microsoft licensing rep to ensure you are fully covered if you are not clear on the licensing requirements of your specific licensing agreement.