UBB.Developers Forums Community Development Programming Web Hosting Commercial web-hosting illegal says Microsoft (unless you're a certified partner)

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That's what Microsoft's licensing department are telling us.

The EULA licensing agreement for Win2K Server (which you get if you buy the software 'off the shelf' or under the open licensing scheme) includes a line 'No commercial hosting use'. (Want to ruin your day? Go on look at your licenses, I dare you!)

We've spoken to Microsoft's UK licensing dept several times and they're insistent that the only way to offer a commercial web-hosting service is to join the ASP program. Joining the ASP program requires you to be a Microsoft certified partner.

So what are all the umpteen non-certified Win2K hosts out there using then?

This of course flies in the face of Microsoft promoting the Windows for Web Hosters program (which we have applied for but really we would like to know now what license to buy and what it will cost us).

Same applies for SQL 2000.

All MS resellers we have spoken to, local and national, have either given us incorrect advice or repeated back what the licensing people told us.

Anyone know if there's a special license for web-hosts available?

Thanks

Andrew

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