It's funny as I have been trying to get some more concrete info on TechNet subs for the past 4 days. Even going to the TechNet forums about it (but no one really answered properly - they just directed me to contact info for TechNet). I subscribed to TechNet Standard just the other day, with the intentions of getting the latest software to use and experiment with for a year (or longer if I renew). Non-commercial or production. Some stuff I would indend to use for the duration of the sub (1 year) such as Windows 8.
I was not aware of the full Terms of Use until after purchasing. I had googled around and had even
found an article from Paul Thurrot citing it as a good way to do what I said (well much more he said it was a good way for multi-usage), which I considered a somewhat official view.
Anyway, frustrated with the responses from the TechNet Forums I shot off an email to TechNet themselves. About the Product Keys (activations) and the License Terms. I also asked them if this subscription was ONLY for "IT Professionals" as in big corporate customers. This is what I got as a response:
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Product Keys:
As a TechNet Standard subscriber you receive a maximum number of 2 product keys per product for use during the Subscription year to be used during the software evaluation process.
Once the maximum allocation is exhausted, there will be no more keys available.
Many products allow installation and usage for up to 30 days without activation, therefore it is recommended to only activate a product, if necessary.
Each key can be used on a number of machines. Reinstalling on the original machine is of course possible; depending on the hardware configuration an activation may or may not be taken off the total number of activations. If the hardware components have not changed, the limit will not be decreased. If the key was already used on a second machine, this is not the case.
Licensing:
There are no time restrictions regards the software once installed. You may use the software until the expiry of your subscription. Once the subscription has expired, a de-installation of all products it however required.
It is correct that our target customer group is IT Professionals. TechNet subscriptions are intended for large scale test and evaluation purposes. Using the software in live environment or for regular personal use is not covered. If for example Windows 8 is installed on a machine, any software used on this Operating System may also only be used for test and evaluation.
A general overview of accepted usage can be found here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/subscriptions/dd362338.aspx
The TechNet licensing terms are explained here:
http://technet.micro...s/cc294422.aspx
Think thats about as detailed as I am going to get. So will ponder what I will do, I can still get a refund apparently as im within the 'cool off' period. I have not yet gotten my 'Subscriber ID' though email yet. I did input the Activation code online though - at the time I expected it to be instant (it is online after all....) but it informed me I would have to wait 2 business days. That was on Friday, so had all weekend to waste
Anyway hope that's of some use.
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But again, we're talking semantics. I don't think Microsoft cares you running afoul of the EULA so long as you aren't sharing the product keys with anyone.
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TechNet Subscriptions software may be tested to determine the following:
Install/Uninstall – Time and process required for full, partial or upgrade software install/uninstall processes and system integration.
Recovery – Capacity for software to recover from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems.
Security – Defining software’s ability to protect against unauthorized internal or external access.
Compatibility – Gauging software performance in existing or new hardware, software, operating system or network environments.
Comparison – Evaluating software to determine product strengths and weaknesses as compared to previous versions or similar products.
Usability – Assessing satisfaction among end users, observing end user utilization and understanding user interaction scenarios.
Performance – Ensuring software will perform as expected to requirements.
Stability – Estimating individual software’s ability to perform consistently, relative to system demands.
Environment – Determining software settings while software is being evaluated by end users in existing infrastructure.
The only problems I have seen is that you have to activate any products in the same geographic location as your subscription, else they may block your account for suspicious activity.
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Barney, on 18 August 2012 - 10:02, said:
