How to limit processors used (for licensing purposes)?

Is it possible in SQL Server 2005 to limit the number of processors used? For cost reasons, we are consolidating servers and want to start running SQL Server 2005 on one of our dual-processor Win2K3 machines instead of the standalone machine it's currently running on. Because we have about 75 users, it's only cost effective to purchase a processor license (vs. a server license with CALs). But right now we only need and can only afford a single processor license, not two. So...

Is there any way in 2005 to limit the number of processors used so that we only need to purchase one processor license? I know in 2000 you could set this on the "Processor" tab of the "SQL Server Properties" dialog. In 2005, is this accomplished by unchecking the "Processor Affinity" and "I/O Affinity" checkboxes for processor #2 on the "Processors" page of the "Server Properties" dialog? If I uncheck these two options does that fully disable SQL Server 2005 from accessing the second processor in any way? From things I've read I can't tell if it restricts access to the second processor completely or if it just places some limitations on the ways it accesses the second processor. Also, the licensing information for SQL Server 2005 leads me to believe that if you are going down the "processor licensing" route that you have to buy a processor license for every processor that the OS itself has access to and not just what processors SQL Server has access to. I thought I understood that in SQL Server 2000 the licensing information did allow you to buy a processor license just for each processor that SQL Server 2000 had access to, but has that changed for 2005?

Hope someone can provide some clarification on limiting processor access and the licensing implications for SQL Server 2005.

Thanks,

Scott

A sample:

If you have a 2 processor machine (not cores, as only physical sockets are licenced) you will have to disable one processor at BIOS level (not in the server properties tab) to be legal-compliant. The processor must not be accessible to the OS itself. This is only for processor licences, having a server licence and appropiate CALs for your client you can have as many procs as you wish.

Jens K. Suessmeyer

http://www.sqlserver2005.de
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If Jen's suggestion of completely disabling processors doesn't sit too well, the other option is to create a Virtual Server, using MS Virtural Server (available free here). Assign processor affinity to the VS, and install SQL Server in the VS. Then you will be in compliance with licensing requirements.

Just setting processor affinity in SQL Server properties does not satisfy the licensing requirements.

From: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/faq.mspx

Q.

Do I have to acquire licenses for all of the processors in a server?

A.

You have to acquire licenses only for processors that are accessible to any copy of the operating system upon which SQL Server 2005 is installed. In a virtualized environment, processor licenses are required for every processor that is accessed by a virtual machine. Please see the virtualization licensing brief and virtualization white paper for more information on how to license under a virtualized environment.

|||Thanks Jens and Arnie, this is the info I needed.