4 ms·

How does Windows 10 licensing work for this number of cores?

by kchoudhu 7y ago

samplatt 7y ago
Same as always? Win10's license isn't restricted by cores, that's usually the domain of their server OS's and software.
- jeroenhd 7y ago
  There used to be limitations on Windows regarding CPU count and maximum RAM size. With a consumer-level OS, you could not run more than two processors, for example. Given how earlier Ryzen acted like it was actually a bunch of NUMA nodes in the past, this could pose a problem (the normal version of Windows 7 wouldn't allow for a NUMA setup, you'd need Pro for that). I don't think Windows 10 has this limitation anymore but it's a very valid question. Given their weird calculation for the number of licenses you need to run Windows server, it's probably good to be cautious about licensing weggeweest it comes to running Windows on high performance chips like Threadripper.
  - josteink 7y ago
    > There used to be limitations on Windows regarding CPU count There still is. And the Threadripper is just one CPU, so you should be ok. With pro edition of Win 10 there should be support for up to 2 CPUs, with whatever amounts of cores they have.
OkGoDoIt 7y ago
I believe you need the windows 10 “pro for workstations” edition Edit: according to this, the normal windows 10 pro edition would suffice. I feel like I’ve read conflicting things though, so take it with a grain of salt: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10/windows-10-versions-cpu-limits/905c24ad-ad54-4122-b730-b9e7519c823f?auth=1 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10...
ChuckNorris89 7y ago
Honest question: do people who need 64 cores use Windows? I assumed these types of workstations and workloads are 99% Linux based. IIRC windows's scheduler wasn't as good as linux's at managing these kind of paralel workloads.
- rtyhhyh23 7y ago
  Windows Server?
- fsh 7y ago
  Maybe for rendering workloads one could make use of that many cores on a Windows PC.
- davidrm 7y ago
  Yes, we do :) Well, maybe not 64 cores. In embedded/automotive, majority of the tooling does not have a linux version. Compiling is a bitch. Still, you're probably right about the 99% comment.
colejohnson66 7y ago
AFAIK, Windows isn’t limited by the number of cores, but the number of physical CPUs. Home and Pro allow 1(?) CPU, but Server you pay per CPU. Although, I’m not sure how the 64 cores are presented to the OS. If they’re presented as, say, 2 32 core CPUs, Windows will complain.
- tpxl 7y ago
  Windows 7 [something] definitely allows for more than 1 CPU. I mistakenly configured KVM to show 10 CPUs with 2 cores each instead of 1 CPU with 10 cores with 2 threads each, and it definitely showed more than one CPU in the task manager (and less than ten).
- dijit 7y ago
  Windows does "weird things" with high core counts, I don't remember the exact number but when I had a high cored machine before it presented as "2 cores" in the second numa zone and the remainder in the first. like: zone1: 62 cores, zone2: 2 cores the OS was also rather unstable.

How does Windows 10 licensing work for this number of cores?

samplatt 7y ago

Same as always? Win10's license isn't restricted by cores, that's usually the domain of their server OS's and software.

jeroenhd 7y ago
There used to be limitations on Windows regarding CPU count and maximum RAM size. With a consumer-level OS, you could not run more than two processors, for example. Given how earlier Ryzen acted like it was actually a bunch of NUMA nodes in the past, this could pose a problem (the normal version of Windows 7 wouldn't allow for a NUMA setup, you'd need Pro for that). I don't think Windows 10 has this limitation anymore but it's a very valid question. Given their weird calculation for the number of licenses you need to run Windows server, it's probably good to be cautious about licensing weggeweest it comes to running Windows on high performance chips like Threadripper.
- josteink 7y ago
  > There used to be limitations on Windows regarding CPU count There still is. And the Threadripper is just one CPU, so you should be ok. With pro edition of Win 10 there should be support for up to 2 CPUs, with whatever amounts of cores they have.

OkGoDoIt 7y ago

I believe you need the windows 10 “pro for workstations” edition Edit: according to this, the normal windows 10 pro edition would suffice. I feel like I’ve read conflicting things though, so take it with a grain of salt: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10/windows-10-versions-cpu-limits/905c24ad-ad54-4122-b730-b9e7519c823f?auth=1 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10...

ChuckNorris89 7y ago

Honest question: do people who need 64 cores use Windows? I assumed these types of workstations and workloads are 99% Linux based. IIRC windows's scheduler wasn't as good as linux's at managing these kind of paralel workloads.

rtyhhyh23 7y ago
Windows Server?
fsh 7y ago
Maybe for rendering workloads one could make use of that many cores on a Windows PC.
davidrm 7y ago
Yes, we do :) Well, maybe not 64 cores. In embedded/automotive, majority of the tooling does not have a linux version. Compiling is a bitch. Still, you're probably right about the 99% comment.

colejohnson66 7y ago

AFAIK, Windows isn’t limited by the number of cores, but the number of physical CPUs. Home and Pro allow 1(?) CPU, but Server you pay per CPU. Although, I’m not sure how the 64 cores are presented to the OS. If they’re presented as, say, 2 32 core CPUs, Windows will complain.

tpxl 7y ago
Windows 7 [something] definitely allows for more than 1 CPU. I mistakenly configured KVM to show 10 CPUs with 2 cores each instead of 1 CPU with 10 cores with 2 threads each, and it definitely showed more than one CPU in the task manager (and less than ten).
dijit 7y ago
Windows does "weird things" with high core counts, I don't remember the exact number but when I had a high cored machine before it presented as "2 cores" in the second numa zone and the remainder in the first. like: zone1: 62 cores, zone2: 2 cores the OS was also rather unstable.