The Datacenter edition of Windows Server is licensed on a per-processor. Each install must have at least two processors licensed, but that doesn't mean the actual hardware (physical or virtual) must have two processors. You can it install on a single processor system, you'll just need to pay for licenses for two processors. One of the big advantages of Datacenter Edition when using virtualization is that you can run an unlimited number of virtual instances. If you're running a large Hyper-V server with Datacenter Edition, however, you'd probably have more than one physical processor anyway. The minimum is 8 CPUs. Yes, it will count the core CPUs. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/bb414778.aspx http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Windows_Server_2008_Editions_and_System_Requirements Thanks

What is the minimum amount of CPUs Server 2008 Datacenter requires to run? I have read that it scales from 2 to 64 processors. Does that mean the minimum CPUs is 2 and the max is 64 or is that counting cores too?

What is the minimum amount of CPUs Server 2008 Datacenter requires to run? I have read that it scales from 2 to 64 processors. Does that mean the minimum CPUs is 2 and the max is 64 or is that counting cores too? Where did you find documentation that lists a minimum? My understanding is that Datacenter supports up to 64 sockets however the minimum is one socket. I have installed Datacenter in production environments on a single socket - I cannot imagine any other required minimum.

Thank you for clearing that up.