» Microsoft (finally) broadens Windows Vista virtualization rules | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1122
Good, I’m not in violation of licensing anymore as I’ve been virtualizing Vista home premium for patch testing for a while now.
(I guess it’s okay to admit that in public now?)
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No, it’s never a good time to announce licensing violations.
Though to be honest it can be exceptionally difficult – especially with MS product – to know exactly how you’re to use the software in a compliant manner. The eyes can very quickly glaze over when reading most EULAs.
The virtualisation relaxation I’d like to see is being able to run the XP/Vista licenses in the Action Pack under virtualisation. As they’re upgrade licenses, the only way I can see to do this is by having retail OS licenses to assign to the VM prior to the Action Pack XP/Vista use.
Of course it’s OK. Just be aware that if you admit to breaking this license flub the assumption is that you are breaking other licensing. Which is fine. As a proponent of SBS, you should be proud of your pirate roots!
Chris: I’ve always thought that parts of the EULA are intentionally vague. That way MS can interpret them as situations warrant.
Case in point: I setup a test machine with Win2k3 64 bit, Virtual Server 05 64bit for testing. Installed SQL Server 2005 Dev edition on host for application testing. Set up several VM’s to duplicate a client’s environment for testing. All from MSDN subscriptions. Nothing for my own business is running on this box. Have I violated a EULA? By my reading, maybe, maybe not.