Hyper V Replication to NAS (Or Similar)

I don't think you will get a NAS box capable of running VM's, if you did,they'd be underselling it by calling it a NAS.  

You can back up or copy VMs to a NAS box, but you'd still need a HyperVisor to run them.  

You need a second server for this purpose.

Hyper-V Replica is a features of Microsoft Hyper-V.  You cannot run it on a NAS.

You can use Azure, but that entails a monthly fee.

You can setup the free version of Hyper-V, Hyper-V Server on any old desktop (so long as the desktop is 64 bit and supports virtualization - at this point, MOST should).  And you can replicate to that.  If you keep in mind that the purpose is DISASTER RECOVERY then that should suffice.  You would not want to run the "server" long - it would be intended to operate ONLY while you repair the failed primary server and that would be a TOP priority.

Also keep in mind, if you don't have two copies of Windows Server (assuming you're covering a Windows VM) then you're in a license violation if you ever "turn on" the VM on the replica host.

Thanks Lee, it would be for the purposes of running for a short time while the main server is repaired/replaced etc...

To be clear, the replication will occur to the free version of Hyper V, however, if i actually turn i on to use while the main server is down, i would be in violation?

Best solution is maybe to just get the client to purchase a full version of Windows Server and run it on a decent desktop for replication and used only as a temporary server for the endpoints to continue if the main server goes down, repair the main server, replicate back and so forth

To be clear, the replication will occur to the free version of Hyper V, however, if i actually turn i on to use while the main server is down, i would be in violation?

Without a full Windows Server license equal to the version you're running on the primary, yes.

Understood, as always Lee, your advice is appreciated

Thanks Again

If you have software assurance, things are much more relaxed with stand by servers

http://windowsitpro.com/hyper-v/hyper-v-replica-licensing

Client has an older Physical server that could potentially be repaired, had Server 2008 R2 installed, this should be fine to use as a Replication VM server and licensing should be ok?

I see, thanks Lee, its a definite option as long as I get Server 2012R2 on that server.

Just a another question, the main server has RDC Host with remote access licenses and obviously the CALS, when I convert the server to a VM, would I have any further license issues if we replicate to the Old server with Server 2012 only or would I need additional CALS etc...

CALs wouldn't be necessary.  

But I should post this:

Licensing Disclaimer
License information provided here is "best efforts".  The comments of the respondents are based on interpretation of the license agreements and their knowledge of the particular laws and regulations in their geographic location.  Laws in your location may invalidate certain aspects of the license and/or licenses can change.  "They told me on Experts-Exchange" will not be a valid excuse in an audit.  You need to contact the license granting authority to confirm any advice offered here.

Microsoft licenses CALs by the human being or the device connecting to the network resources. Not the individual systems (that's old per server licensing that hasn't been available for, I think, 15 years).

You need server licenses period.   One for each server license.  You can have two VMs on the same license on the same machine.  You can have the full Windows server installed as a Hyper-V if it ONLY does hyper-v and still have 2 vms.  If the host does more than just hyper-v, then you only have 1 VM license.  If you have software assurance (SA) then you don't licenses for the the stand by server.  

You need CALS for each user or device using or connecting to the server.  You usually get 5 with the OS

You also need RDS Cals for each user (or device) connecting via terminal services to the remote desktop server.  You get none with the OS, but you can have 2 administrative connections.  

Be aware that Microsoft doesn't police it if you do CALS per user, but if you do CALS per device, you can easily get caught out scrabbling for a fix  if you have exactly the right amount and you replace hardware

Thanks, I do. understand that, however I am not all that clued up on VM licensing.

Lets do it like this, I am going to convert the current server to a VM, its server 2012R2 so I know I can run two VM's,  the VM will have the CALS loaded and the RDC Licenses loaded, basically it's now a VM of the current physical server.  

Ok, thats done, now for disaster recovery purposes I am going to get thier older server installed with a new licensed installation of Server 2012R2 so that both servers are the same, load it as a second Host server and replicate the VM from the current server with the CALS and the RDC licenses to the old server installed with a new copy of server 2012.

Does the VM with the CALS and RDC licenses replicate to the second older server with any license issues, so if the main server goes down, the second replicated VM server can be brought online temporarily, and all functionality in place, RDC licenses etc...

The RDS CALS can pool between servers.  if you have 5 cals, you could log 5 people into server 1, log two out and log them into server 2, as long as yo don't go over 5 connections you are ok.  

In a failover, it is easier, it's 5 on the main server until it fails over.  Those 5 are disconnected and they log on to the failover server instead.  That is all OK withing the licensing rules.

Windows CALS are different.  If you have 5 normal cals and you add an extra server to the network that is the same version  or lower, then it makes no difference.  The failover is not affected at all.  

The last point is that as the second server is only for failover, the RDS cals would replicate with  everything else.

To have a failover, the only EXTRA you need is the license for the OS on the failover hardware.  

Now if you wanted to have both servers with an active RDS VM instead of replicating it, (The DC is still replicated for DR) it gets a little more interesting.  You have the RDS licensing role on the DC and install RDS CALs there.  Both RDS servers can use the same RDS Licencing service and share the CALS as hinted at in my first paragraph.  Now for some situations, two active RDS servers would be preferable to one RDS Server and a failover.  It depends upon your needs. I have some customers set like this.

Understood, thanks, for this particular site, all services, DC, RDS etc... on the failover would only be neccessary if the main server failed somehow, so I just need the second server with the Replicated VM to kick in and take over these functions until the main server is brought back online. So, in this case, as per your comment, all functionality is Replicated across without license issues to the Replicated VM

The RDS CALS can pool between servers.  if you have 5 cals, you could log 5 people into server 1, log two out and log them into server 2, as long as yo don't go over 5 connections you are ok.  

I think this is misleading.  RDS CALs are per User or Per Device.  They do not pool between servers.  You can't have 5 "people" login to one, then have some log out and the equal number of some log in to the other server.  CALs are NOT Concurrent or per connection.  They are PER HUMAN BEING or PER DEVICE.  The RDS Licensing server should handles management when appropriate, but if the user or device doesn't have a CAL to connect, it doesn't matter what server they are trying to connect to - they legally cannot!

A licensing server can serve more than one rds server.  When you install licenses, there is no distinction between which server can be logged on to.  The CALs are pooled.  a user can log on to either server at will.

the second post on here agrees.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/9738204c-e76e-440e-a85a-79b70fd84f87/rds-licensing?forum=windowsserver2008r2rds

I maybe oversimlplified the bit quoted.  You are right in that they would not have to log off server1 to log on to server 2.  I was trying to illustrate that the cals worked whichever server you log on to.

Johnnyboyhuddersfield

Let me be clear:

An RDS license server tracks licensing usage for all RDS servers configured to communicate with it in the same domain.

Your statement, MORE SPECIFICALLY:
 

if you have 5 cals, you could log 5 people into server 1, log two out and log them into server 2, as long as yo don't go over 5 connections you are ok.

Is, at best, misleading.

You should not be using the term connections in my opinion.  RDS CALs are NOT connection based.  They are DEVICE or HUMAN BEING based.