David Overton's Blog : Support and Tools, Licensing

Action Pack Subscribers get Full Windows Vista DVDs - not upgrades and they also get a copy of Ultimate too, plus a stack of materials to sell the product

David Overton — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 20:43:00 GMT

Full, not Upgrade Vista product

Well anyone who says we don't listen is just talking rubbish!! What am I talking about - I'm talking about the Action Pack and Windows. We moved to non OEM media and boy did it cause a stink, but that has changed again.

According to Important changes for Action Pack Subscribers regarding Windows Vista while you are still required to have a legal license for a machine (FPP or OEM) you can now apply full copies (i.e. do a bare metal install) without having to do a double install. There are also a stack of sales materials coming too (I've copied some of the points from the link below):

Partner feedback has enabled Microsoft to make the Windows Vista operating system even better. Now you can reap the benefits. Sell more with hardware, software and services built around Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP1). And learn how we're making it easier than ever for you to learn, use and sell Windows Vista.

Based on partner feedback, we've taken action to improve the partner experience in support of Windows Vista:

Mid-March 2008 delivery of Microsoft Windows Vista Business with SP1 in a special Action Pack shipment to partners worldwide. To make it easier for you to deploy the final release of Windows Vista SP1 for internal use, all subscribers will receive full code*. Not currently an Action Pack subscriber? Find out how to subscribe. New subscribers will receive Windows Vista with SP1 as part of the April 2008 Welcome Kit.

One licence for Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 (full code*) for internal use, so you can discuss this product's benefits and features with customers who need a single PC to fulfil their work, travel and entertainment needs. This software will be delivered in the regular Action Pack quarterly update (April 2008) for current subscribers and for new Action Pack subscribers starting in April 2008.

A comprehensive set of readiness resources to arm you to sell and support Windows Vista SP1 solutions for your small- or medium-size-business customers as momentum builds.

Exciting incentives and promotions that reward you for learning, using and selling SP1.

*Note: You will receive full code, but the licence is an upgrade to Windows Vista with SP1. This means that you must have licenced a qualified full desktop PC operating system on the device before you are eligible to install the full version of Windows Vista Small Business with SP1 on that same device. This software is for your organisation's internal installation only and may not be installed on any other computer outside your organisation on either a permanent or a temporary basis.
By installing the Window Vista code, you acknowledge that you will install this full version of Windows Vista for your organisation's own internal use, only on desktops for which your organisation has acquired one of the following:

A full licence for Windows XP Professional (or earlier version of Vista) through an OEM, a retail source (full packaged product), or an active Microsoft Action Pack subscription.

A qualifying operating system licence and a Volume Licensing Windows XP Professional Upgrade licence.

Any other installation of this software is in violation of your Action Pack initiative agreement and applicable copyright law.

Help to sell Vista

I hate it when people say "I've heard Vista is bad" when they have not tried it. OK, so I would not run it for anything but a light weight user with 1GB of RAM, but my wife and daughter love it, as does my mum and Dad. To help overcome some of the rumours, besides making it easier for you to install the software, Microsoft have released a number of other tools to help you sell it:

For small Businesses

Learn It

Windows Vista Opportunity Sweepstakes
Do you know your opportunity promoting the Windows Vista operating system? Take a 10-question quiz to find out and you'll be instantly entered to win a cooler or an Amazon.com gift certificate valued at US$75. Official rules.
Overview of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Whitepaper
Consult this in-depth whitepaper to explore enhancements found in Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista SP1: Notable Changes
Find in-depth information about enhancements in Windows Vista SP1, such as increased reliability and support for new types of hardware.
Partner Opportunities with Windows Vista Course
Take this course to get a better understanding of the value that Windows Vista offers you and your customers. Learn to identify the new features and capabilities of Windows Vista. How to leverage these capabilities to best address customer needs. And how to handle licensing and deployment issues.
Windows Vista 101 Course
Get step-by-step training in the basics of the Windows Vista operating system.
Try It
SP1 Technical Deployment Guide
Prepare to plan for and deploy Windows Vista SP1. Guide walks you through various deployment methods for Windows Vista SP1 and which download vehicle is best for your scenario.
Windows Vista SP1 Activation Guide Consult this guide for a quick overview of basic configurations and best practices for activating the Windows Vista operating system in an extended enterprise.
Windows Vista Volume Activation for Customers FAQ
Windows Vista Volume Activation for Partners FAQ
Prepare for customer questions and increase your knowledge of the Volume Activation process for the Windows Vista operating system with these lists of frequently asked questions.
Sell It
Get up to date on the latest features of Windows Vista SP1 and find new selling opportunities that it offers. Take advantage of the most recent marketing tools, collateral and communications material to start selling Windows Vista immediately. Make sure to check back regularly to get the latest items, like ad flyers, posters and email templates.
Windows Vista SP1 Execution Guide
This guide discusses how you can use the marketing materials provided to sell more software and services related to Windows Vista SP1, as well as PCs preinstalled with Windows Vista with SP1.
Windows Vista Quick Reference Card
Get an at-a-glance list of the top-five reasons to upgrade to Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate - and always have it at your fingertips.
Windows Vista SP1 FAQ
Find answers to your customers' most common questions about Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista Customer Brochure
Showcase the value of the Windows Vista operating system to customers. Brochure compares features and functionality of Windows Vista and Windows XP Professional.

For Medium sized businesses and Enterprises

Learn It

Overview of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Whitepaper
Consult this in-depth whitepaper to explore enhancements found in Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista SP1: Notable Changes
Find in-depth information about enhancements to Windows Vista with SP1, such as increased reliability and support for new types of hardware.
Will Windows Vista SP1 Change the Game? IT pros: Get straight answers to your questions about changes found in Windows Vista SP1, explore application and hardware compatibility considerations and find deployment process guidance.

Try It
Windows Vista SP1 Technical Deployment Guide
Prepare to plan for and deploy Windows Vista SP1. Guide walks you through various deployment methods for Windows Vista SP1 and which download vehicle is best for your scenario.
Windows Vista SP1 Activation Guide Consult this guide for a quick overview of basic configurations and best practices for activating the Windows Vista operating system in an extended enterprise.
Windows Vista Volume Activation for Customers FAQ
Windows Vista Volume Activation for Partners FAQ
Prepare for customer questions and increase your knowledge of the Volume Activation process for the Windows Vista operating system with these lists of frequently asked questions.
Windows Desktop Deployment Specialisation Data Sheet
Explore your opportunity to capitalise on the US$59 billion partner-services opportunity around the Windows Vista operating system. Learn how enrolling in the Windows Desktop Deployment specialisation - within the Advanced Infrastructure Solutions competency - can help.
Sell It
Windows Vista SP1 FAQ
Find answers to your customers' most common questions about Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista SP1 Partner-Customer Discussion Guide
This guide can help you understand Windows Vista SP1 components and advantages, hone your sales pitch and respond to sales objections.
Windows Vista Partner Value Proposition
Get the latest sales and market-readiness numbers - just in time for Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista Deployment Case Studies Learn what customers are saying about their Windows Vista deployment experiences, benefits and returns on investment. Get ready to show your customers how upgrading can benefit their organisations.
Windows Vista SP1 and Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack
Bundle your Windows Vista deployments with Microsoft Desktop Optimisation Pack to meet your customers' needs and increase your profit margins.

Anyway, that is the good and great news, now back to my weekend

David

Technorati Tags: Action Pack, MAPS, Vista, Windows Vista SP1, SP1, OEM. SBSC, Partners, Microsoft, If you only read one post today

Windows Client (Vista and XP) - Active X installer service, Volume Activation Tool, Diagnosing XP crashes, modifying the boot configuration parameters

David Overton — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 23:32:00 GMT

If you use volume licensing with Windows Vista then you need to be aware of the tools to manage them - it is not as simple as it used to be as you now need a management tool inside the business. VAMT answers this as does Desktop Management. Then we have some webcasts on slow networks, diagnosing crashes in Windows XP (although many of the techniques work for Vista too), backup and restore in Vista, using the ActiveX installer Service and Boot config parameters

VAMT 1.0 (x86)

The Volume Activation Management Tool enables IT professionals to automate and centrally manage the volume activation process using a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). VAMT v1.0 is only available as a US-EN (x86) release.

Best Practices on Managing Windows Vista Desktops

Get best practice guidance for managing Windows Vista desktop operations. Windows Vista Service Life-Cycle Management (WVSLM) provides concise guidance to help minimise the total cost of ownership of desktop infrastructure. Process guidance and document templates help make service management concepts from the IT Infrastructure Library and the Microsoft Operations Framework tangible and easily implementable by focusing on a single and common IT service.
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7137227

TechNet Webcast: "The Network is Slow": Identifying the Cause of Slow Network Communications (Level 200)

The Offline Crash Diagnostic tool for Windows XP is available - http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=923800

TechNet Magazine: The ActiveX Installer Service in Windows Vista

How do you secure the desktop against malicious ActiveX controls without limiting application compatibility? We'll take you on a tour of the ActiveX Installer Service (AxIS) in Windows Vista that addresses this issue with a new way to manage ActiveX controls.
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7137204

Discover How to Modify Boot Configuration Parameters

In the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Editor FAQ, find out what the BCD store is, why it was created, where it's located in the registry, how to modify it and more.
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7137205

TechNet Webcast: Backup and Restore in Windows Vista (Level 300)

Wednesday, August 29, 2007 11:30 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7138605

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista, Windows XP, BCD Parameters, Backup and Restore, Vista, VAMT

Licensing Reseller Handbook are now available for UK partners

David Overton — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:21:16 GMT

This little tool is something worth downloading and reading to help answer some of those licensing queries and to learn more about selling Volume Licensing and the rules and benefits of other licensing types. Get it from here

It walk through:

Basic licence types

How to become a reseller

How to sell these licence's (key messaging and operational info)

Product Specific licensing ‘need to knows’

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Licensing, Tools

SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition, Downgrade options, including SQL 2005 to SQL 2000 - for a limited time only

David Overton — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 22:01:13 GMT

In a recent announcement we now offer the ability to downgrade the Premium technologies in R2. More information can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/downgrade/default.mspx with a FAQ at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/sbs/evaluation/faq/bizsolutions.mspx. Please note that this is a time limited capability due to the End of standard support of SQL 2000.

If you have licensed a copy of Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium Edition (which includes Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition), but your line of business applications are not yet available on the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 platform, you may be able to request downgrade rights to SBS 2003 SP1 Premium (which includes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition the version of Microsoft SQL Server that shipped with Small Business Server 2003 and SP1), and use the downgraded SQL Server in your SBS 2003 R2 environment. You may exercise this downgrade through the channel in which you licensed your original version of Windows Small Business Server R2 Premium Edition. This downgrade offer is available only through April 30, 2008.
The downgrade from SBS 2003 R2 Premium (which includes Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition) to SBS 2003 SP1 Premium (which includes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition) should be for new data installs only. This is not recommended as a migration path for data already ported to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition.

Product Support Update

How to Downgrade
Downgrading for OEM Customers
Downgrading for Volume Licensing Customers
Downgrading for Retail or Systems Builder Channel Customers

Product Support Update

When you use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition (included in SBS 2003 SP1 Premium) in your SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition environment, the product support policies for the downgraded version of SQL Server will follow the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 lifecycle. Mainstream support for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 will retire on April 8, 2008. After this time, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 will go into Extended Support.

<snipped>
Before installing Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition on Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium Edition, please review the Microsoft Knowledge Base site for any updates.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: SBSC, SQL Server 2005, downgrade, sbs 2003 R2

What is going on in the world of Virtualisation with Virtual Server and Virtual PC on licensing, Vista, x64 and more

David Overton — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 11:13:12 GMT

There are a couple of recent announcements with regard to the current range of products that I thought I would cover off. One is about licensing and has been written up by Matt McSpirit at http://blogs.technet.com/mattmcspirit/archive/2007/06/22/microsoft-virtualisation-licensing-client-and-server.aspx and covers how many licenses you get when.

The other is Virtual Server SP1:

Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Is Now Available

Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 is the server virtualization technology engineered for the Windows Server operating system to increase hardware utilization and enable IT staff to rapidly configure and deploy new servers. Register to download the free software and you will receive relevant resources that are strategically assembled to address the challenges you will face as you discover, assess, and deploy the software. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7042993

The What is New page shows (plus more on the page) - note the x64 support for more memory. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/virtualserver/evaluation/vsoverview.mspx

What's New in This Release

Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 includes the following new capabilities:

Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Enterprise Edition can be installed on servers with up to 32 physical processors.

•	Virtual Server host clustering. Support for host-to-host connectivity lets you cluster all virtual machines running on a host.
•	iSCSI support. iSCSI clustering enables guest-to-guest connectivity across physical machines.
•	x64 support. Virtual Server runs natively within a 64-bit Windows host operating system, providing increased performance and memory headroom.
•	Enhanced PXE booting. PXE boot support has been added to the virtual machine network adapter. This means that when the appropriate network infrastructure is in place, you can perform a network installation of a guest operating system in the same way as physical servers.
•	Other improvements. Virtual Server now includes improved hyperthreading, support for F6 Disk (SCSI driver), Active Directory integration using service connection points, and virtual disk pre-compactor functionality.
•	Performance improvements.

For more information about what's new in Virtual Server R2 SP1, please refer to the following table:

New Features in Virtual Server R2 SP1
Benefit	Description
Hardware-assisted virtualization	Supports both Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) and AMD Virtualization (AMD-V) hardware-assisted virtualization.
VHD Mount Command-line Tool and APIs	Provides the ability to mount a virtual hard disk file (.vhd file) as a virtual disk device on another operating system.
Support for Volume Shadow Copy Service	Allows back-up of Virtual Server and its running virtual machines without needing to install backup agents inside the guest operating system of the virtual machines.
Larger default size for dynamically expanding virtual hard disks	The default size for dynamically expanding virtual hard disks has been changed from 16 GB to 127 GB, making the VHD file format even more useful for enterprise production, test, and disaster-recovery workloads.
Support for greater than 64 virtual machines on x64-based hosts	Virtual Server can run more than 64 virtual machines on x64-based hosts. The 64 virtual machine limit remains when running on 32-bit hosts.
Host clustering step-by-step guide	Host clustering allows you to extend the high-availability benefits of clustering to non-cluster-aware applications and workloads.
Virtual SCSI fix for Linux guests	This fix resolves an issue some customers encountered when trying to install certain Linux distributions inside a virtual machine on the emulated SCSI bus.
VMRC ActiveX control and Internet Explorer Security Zones	The Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) ActiveX control now uses the security zone information in Internet Explorer to determine whether to prompt you for your credentials when you load the control.
Service Publication using Active Directory Service Connection Points	Virtual Server service now publishes its binding information in Active Directory as a Service Connection Point (SCP) object.

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Virtualisation, Vista, Virtual Server, Virtual PC, Licensing

What are the Top 5 Licensing Questions we get asked in the partner team

David Overton — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 00:33:00 GMT

Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are listed below. To be nice to the Partner team I have not included 4 & 5, so you will have to go to the link to get them. Having said that, don't forget that we have a team of people who can answer your licensing questions - not treating you as end users, but treating you as partners.

Top 5 Licensing Questions

I've had a chat Lisa Michigan from our licensing team, and I asked her what the top five licensing questions were asked to the Ask Partner hotline last month. Here are the questions with the answers! How useful...

What downgrade rights does Windows Vista Business have? We have received this question countless times. We are able to answer this question quickly and accurately based on the OEM Vista Business Microsoft Software Licence Terms which state OEM Vista Business can be downgraded to Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Professional 64-Bit Edition and Windows XP Tablet-PC Edition.
What media and key can I use when downgrading? Many partners and customers are aware that their MSLT/EULA/PUR permits them to downgrade, however we receive many questions about how customers can take advantage of these downgrade rights. We advise the customer that if their MSLT/EULA/PUR permits downgrade rights then they need to source the media and key themselves. They can use any legitimate Microsoft media that they own including FPP, OEM or Volume Licensing media and will need to use the appropriate key for the appropriate media.
How are disaster recovery sites licensed? We receive many calls from partners and customers asking whether they need to acquire additional licences to create a disaster recovery site. We advise customers that all Microsoft software being used at a disaster recovery site needs to be licensed appropriately. The only exception to this rule is through the “Cold Back-Up Server for Disaster Recovery” Software Assurance benefit.

Partner Perspectives : Top 5 Licensing Questions

ttfn

David

Technorati Tags: Licensing, Partners, Microsoft

If you want Windows XP Pro on a new machine, buy Windows Vista (Business or Ultimate) and then downgrade

David Overton — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 22:03:00 GMT

I’m not sure how many people are aware of this, but if you buy a Windows Vista Business or Ultimate then you can use a Windows XP CD (which you have legal access to) to load Windows XP onto that machine.

When you need the product key / or need to activate, this will potentially fail, but a quick call to the activation centre with your Vista product key should give you all the details you need. Then when you are ready to put Vista onto that machine, you can do without the cost of buying it anew. Alternatively you can buy Windows XP today and should you ever want to load Vista, you can give more money to a shop to get a copy again.

For further information go to http://oem.microsoft.com/script/sites/public/licensing.htm

More information can be found in this one page document OEM Downgrade from Vista to Windows XP

ttfn

David

Please Note the following (in legalese)

Windows Vista Downgrade Rights Clarification

Per the EULA and OEM DTOS Agreement, the end user customer is responsible for supplying media for the OEM or customer to create the downgrade product image on the customer system. Neither Microsoft, the OEMs, nor the system builders are responsible for supplying this media. VL customers already have the necessary media. For non-VL customers, the easiest way to obtain this media is to buy a single FPP copy of Windows XP Pro or use an existing FPP copy of Windows XP Pro if they already own one. That media can then be used to downgrade Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate machines to Windows XP Pro. If the customer uses a product key for Windows XP Pro that they’ve previously activated, that machine will likely fail activation. If the downgraded machine fails activation the customer will be prompted to call the product activation call center to request a key that will enable them to pass activation. The customer should mention that they’re exercising their downgrade rights to the customer service representative in the activation call center.

Do you sell Microsoft product and went something to make it easier to understand our licensing and products? Something that will help you up-sell and cross-sell to your customers? If so, then the Gear Up book is for you

David Overton — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:25:46 GMT

In a recent mail it announced:

The Microsoft Sales Toolkit is your source for driving sales. It is the licensing and sales 'product handbook' that will help you generate up-sell and cross-sell opportunities, giving you and your Partners information on the full portfolio of Microsoft products and services. You can find information on what the product is, how to sell it, relevant SKU numbers and FAQs.

The toolkit is produced twice a year and is available as a hardcopy, to keep on your desk, or to download as a pdf, to take out with you to meet customers. Visit www.microsoft.com/uk/gearup for more details or to download the pdf version.

Go get it, it might just answer one or two of those questions you have!!

ttfn

David

Technorati tags: Gear Up, licensing, sales, Microsoft

Help to make the Office 2007 document type a standard (Open XML) - click the link

David Overton — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:55:00 GMT

I love standards - they make life easier. TCP is one, ODF is one, SNA is one, ASCII and EBDIC are. Even PDF is one. It just makes life easier. In this connected world standards are a good thing and sometimes more than one standard is very good. Microsoft has offered the Open XML (Office 2007 document format) as a standard too. We can have it as a standard in a short time frame or a long time frame. I want you to sign the petition to help it happen in the short time frame. Even Novell are supporting this as they see it as just making their customers lives easier.

Go here and sign the petition to help move things forward in the short time frame.

If you want to see how developers could use the standard have a look at http://openxmldeveloper.org/posts.aspx.

You might wonder why I am asking you to do this. Well I've read the text at the microsoft.com site on Open XML and I like the idea of this being a public standard that people can write to without having to pay for the right to do so and the knowledge that writing to the standard will give them good interoperability. My 1st three years after University was writing document converters, including those for Microsoft Office and Open XML would have made my life MUCH MUCH easier.

To aid interoperability, XML-based file formats can unlock data in documents and help integrate front- and back-office processes. Recognising these benefits, Microsoft has implemented XML-based formats in successive releases of Office.

Both public and private sector customers have expressed their preference for making Open XML an open standard so that they have broad rights to use, without cost, any Microsoft patents necessary to implement all or part of the format.
Responding to this, Microsoft and others called for the standardisation of Open XML. On 7 Dec 2006 Ecma International, a highly respected standardisation body, approved the adoption of Open XML as an international open standard.
The strengths of Ecma Open XML are clear:

Ecma Open XML was developed through the collaborative efforts of leading companies such as Apple, Barclays Capital, BP, The British Library, Essilor, Intel, Microsoft, NextPage, Novell, Statoil, Toshiba and the US Library of Congress.

Ecma Open XML is backward compatible with billions of archived documents held by the private and public sectors.

Any company can freely implement and develop innovative products using Ecma Open XML

Ecma Open XML enables interoperability, accommodates multiple languages and cultures, and supports technologies that enable people with disabilities to use computing devices.

Customers want choice, interoperability and innovation. We and others believe that Open XML achieves all these goals. We look forward to supporting Ecma as it works closely with national standards bodies throughout the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) / International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) process.
If you agree that Open XML should be approved as an ISO standard please sign this petition, which we will send to the Chairman of the British Standards Institute to demonstrate broad support for this initiative in the UK.

Source: Openxml - Microsoft UK

Sign the petition today and help to make Open XML a standard for the future.

ttfn

David

Technorati tags: ODF, Open XML, Standards, ISO, ECMA