Licensing the guest OS

Though Skytap provides pre-installed operating systems on many VMs in the public templates, Skytap generally doesn’t provide product keys, MSDN keys, volume license keys, or any other licensing keys^*. There are several ways that you can license your guest operating system in your Skytap environment.

Create a VM in Skytap and then install a license key – After you’ve installed a VM from a public template, you can obtain a license from the OS vendor, and then install the key on your virtual machine. For example, to license a Windows VM, enter the license key for the version of Windows that you’re using. You can work directly with Microsoft to obtain a license or MSDN subscription.
Import your own VM with your own license installed – For more information, see Importing VMs and vApps into Skytap.
Add Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) licenses to your account – Skytap can provide SPLA licensing for some operating systems and software products. Contact Skytap Support for assistance with SPLA licenses.
Use a trial license – Some operating systems allow you to use the software in a trial or evaluation mode without a key. The length of the trial mode varies by vendor and OS. If you only need the VM for a limited period of time, the trial mode may suite your needs.

Which guest operating systems require a license?

Generally, the following operating systems require a license for use beyond a trial period, or for enterprise use:

Windows
Solaris
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
SUSE Enterprise Linux Server
Ubuntu Linux
AIX^*

^*Skytap includes licensing for AIX with your subscription for Power VMs.