Buy Pre-owned Windows Server 2022 Standard (2 Core) Licences

Windows Server 2022 Standard is Microsoft's server operating system for physical deployments and low-density virtualisation, licensed under the Per Core with CAL model. The Pre-owned licence on this page is one 2-core pack: a perpetual Microsoft Volume software licence, valid for an unlimited period, sourced exclusively from Microsoft perpetual volume licensing 'Open', 'Select', 'Enterprise' or MPSA agreements. We do not supply FPP or OEM product, and every licence is supplied with a complete documented audit trail to prove legal ownership in case of a vendor or SAM audit.

Because the European Court of Justice confirmed that Volume Licence Agreements can legally be split down to individual licence (product SKU) level, you can purchase exactly the number of 2-core packs your servers require, rather than a bundle sized for someone else's estate. Previous version downgrade rights are included, and activation is by MAK or KMS keys provided through our Secondary Software Licence Centre (SSLC) client portal.

We do not publish prices online: sales are quotation-based. Add the quantity of 2-core packs you need to your quote and we will respond within 24 hours with a quotation. Licences for Corporate use only.

Windows Server 2022 Standard (2 Core) licensing in practice

Windows Server 2022 Standard uses the Per Core with CAL licensing model.

Core packs and minimums

• Microsoft sells Windows Server 2022 core licences in 2-core and 16-core packs; the product on this page is one 2-core pack. Microsoft requires every physical core in the server to be licensed, subject to a minimum of 8 core licences per physical processor and a minimum of 16 core licences per server.
• In practice that means at least eight 2-core packs per server, even on a small single-processor machine. A dual-processor server with 8 cores per processor needs 16 core licences (eight packs); a dual-processor server with 12 cores per processor needs 24 core licences (twelve packs).

Client Access Licences (CALs)

• Core licences alone do not complete the position. Every user or device that accesses the server, directly or indirectly, requires a Windows Server Base CAL (user or device). Advanced functionality such as Remote Desktop Services requires an Additive CAL on top, and an External Connector licence is the alternative route for external users.
• Include your user and device counts when you request a quote so the quotation reflects your complete licensing position.

Virtualisation rights

• With all physical cores licensed, Standard edition is licensed for two operating system environments (OSEs) or two Windows Server Containers with Hyper-V isolation, plus unlimited Windows Server Containers without Hyper-V isolation. The physical OSE may additionally be used solely to host and manage the virtual OSEs.
• To run each additional two OSEs or Hyper-V-isolated containers, the full core-licence count (minimum 16) must be assigned to the server again, a practice known as stacking. If you are planning a densely virtualised host, ask us to quote Windows Server 2022 Datacenter alongside Standard for comparison.
• Pre-owned software does not include Software Assurance; pre-owned perpetual Volume licences are assigned to physical cores as described above.

Downgrade rights

• Previous version downgrade rights included. In place of the licensed product you may deploy Windows Server Standard 2019 or earlier. The use rights of the 2022 Standard licence still govern the deployment.
• If you specifically require an earlier version, use our Older Licence Versions enquiry and we will confirm availability.

Activation

• Activation method: MAK or KMS. Product activation keys, media downloads and your invoices are all provided through the SSLC portal, with your account created automatically when you place an order.

Why buy pre-owned Windows Server licences from Discount-Licensing

In business since 2004, Discount-Licensing incorporated in July 2004 after researching the legalities of a European secondary licence market with Microsoft's cooperation through 2003 and 2004, and launched the secondary market in Microsoft Volume licences in November 2005. Two trading entities serve the market today: Discount-Licensing Ltd in the UK, and Discount-Licensing S.L. in Spain, incorporated at the end of 2020 to maintain fully legal EU supply after Brexit.

• ISO 9001:2015 certified in both the EU and the UK, providing software products and service that meet the applicable regulatory and statutory requirements as well as the customer's requirements.
• Every transaction is protected with our Professional Indemnity insurance.
• Every licence is supplied with a complete documented audit trail to prove legal ownership in case of a vendor or SAM audit.
• Our Secondary Software Licence Centre (SSLC) portal provides complete transparency: invoices, media downloads, product activation keys and full proof-of-ownership documentation for every transaction.
• We are a registered Microsoft Partner and authorised Microsoft Reseller, so if pre-owned stock is unavailable we can quote new licences and offer a complete solution for your software licence needs.

Customer testimonials from Microlise, Camira Fabrics Ltd and Worldmark appear across the site, and customer references are available upon request.

Compliant with EU law: Directive 2009/24/EC and UsedSoft v Oracle (Case C-128/11)

We warrant that all software licences purchased by Discount-Licensing have been first put into use within the European Union or United Kingdom, and we provide proof of ownership for every purchase and sale in accordance with the European Software Directive 2009/24/EC.

The legal basis for the sale of pre-owned Microsoft Volume software licences is Article 4(2) of that Directive, under which the first sale in the Community of a copy of a program, by the right holder or with his consent, exhausts the distribution right within the Community of that copy. On 3 July 2012 the European Court of Justice ruled in UsedSoft v Oracle (Case C-128/11) that this principle of exhaustion also applies to intangible, digitally delivered software, which includes software within Volume Licence Agreements sold by vendors such as Microsoft. The ruling also established that Licence Agreements can legally be split down to individual licence (product SKU) level, but no further.

A lawful secondary transfer is evidenced by documentation, not by a product key alone. For every Windows Server 2022 Standard licence we demonstrate:

• that the software was first put to use in the UK or Europe (the original Country of Usage);
• the original Microsoft customer's unique Licence Agreement (LA) and product SKU numbers, identifying the company that first purchased the software and what was purchased;
• confirmation that the software has been divested and uninstalled from the original customer's servers;
• ownership documentation leading back to the original Microsoft customer.

This documentation is what separates a compliant secondary licence transfer from grey-market key selling. Be wary of notary attestations used to obscure a licence's true source, resold Microsoft Partner Pack or MSDN keys, self-designed 'software certificates' and invoices that carry no unique Microsoft Licence Agreement numbers. Pre-owned licences may also legally be purchased to rectify non-compliance, before or after a SAM audit, and the audit trail we supply is designed to stand up in exactly that situation.

Request your Windows Server 2022 Standard quotation. Add the number of 2-core packs your servers need to your quote, tell us your processor and core counts plus user or device numbers, and we will respond within 24 hours with a quotation. Prefer to talk it through first? Call us on UK +44 (0)1283 511524 or EU +34 934 923499. Licences for Corporate use only.