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Obtaining Extended Security Updates for eligible Windows devices

Poornima_Priyadarshini's avatar
Poornima_Priyadarshini
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Feb 11, 2020
  Update 3.14.2023: We have added a new table with ESU SKU IDs for Windows Server 2008/2008 R2. Update 1.31.2023: For organizations that need additional time to upgrade and modernize thei...
Updated Nov 29, 2023
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MSFT-thommck's avatar
MSFT-thommck
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Oct 10, 2023

Windows Server 2012 ESU
The final Patch Tuesday for Server 2012 is today - 10th October 2023.
Microsoft now allow paying for ESU monthly with Azure Arc - this is a much more cost-effective method of keeping on-prem and multi-cloud VMs enabled for any future ESU patches. Full details are here https://aka.ms/esupage (or reach out to your Microsoft Account team or licence reseller for a demo)

Remember - there are 3 options around dealing with Server 2012 workloads:

  1. Top Priority - Upgrade or decommission those servers!
  2. Get free ESU by migrating to Azure or Azure VMWare Solution/Nutanix/Azure Stack HCI on-prem
  3. If that isn't possible, use Arc-based ESU - this is the most cost effective solution to keep getting paid ESU
  4. Last resort, and only by exception (e.g. air-gapped environments), your Microsoft Commercial Exec can talk to you around how to obtain the legacy Volume-Licensed methods

The legacy Volume-Licensed methods in this Server 2008 article are still valid if you fall in to one of the exceptions. The VAMT steps above are slightly out of date. Updated ones are as follows:

 

Volume Activation Management Tool configuration

You can use the VAMT for online and/or proxy activation. To install and activate ESU keys using the VAMT, follow these steps:

  1. Download and install the Volume Activation Management Tool
    1. At time of writing VAMT is still at version 3.1
    2. You obtain VAMT by downloading the free Windows ADK. Once downloaded, the ADK setup wizard allows you to just VAMT out of the various tools in the ADK
    3. VAMT also needs to use an SQL Database. If you don't have one then you can download the latest version of the free SQL Express edition 
  2. Download the VAMT- ESU August 2022 configuration file and update your VAMT configuration file
  3. Configure the client device's firewall for the VAMT.
  4. Add the ESU product key to the VAMT.
  5. Select the product, right-click, select Activate, then select your activation method (online or proxy)

Note, any method of obtaining paid ESU requires you to have active Software Assurance on your Windows Server licences

 

The full FAQ is here - Product Lifecycle FAQ - Extended Security Updates | Microsoft Learn