MSDN Subscriptions
A guide to help you make the most of your subscription.
MSDN Subscriptions Team
Summer, 2015
Hello and welcome to MSDN Subscriptions!
Not only does MSDN Subscriptions come with the most powerful IDE in the world—
Visual Studio—but also exclusive perks just for MSDN subscribers to keep you ahead
of an ever-changing world.
This guide is intended to help current subscribers learn how to use their benefits and
make the most of their subscription—or if you’re not currently a subscriber, use this
to learn about what an MSDN subscription is and if becoming a subscriber is the right
thing for you.
Topics covered include:
• What is an MSDN subscription?
• Connect to the cloud—MSDN subscriber Azure benefit
• Collaborate—sky is the limit—perks with Visual Studio Online
• Hardcore developer training—Pluralsight benefit
• A laundry list of other goods
• Helpful links & resources
We hope you find this information valuable. Connect with us @MSDN and let us know.
Happy coding,
The MSDN Subscriptions Team
What is an MSDN subscription?
If you are using Visual Studio 2013 or above . . . Introducing . . . the Administrator
chances are you are an MSDN subscriber.
(applicable to Volume Licensing only)
MSDN Subscriptions are often bought in bulk
When a company makes numerous purchases
through Volume Licensing to help companies
through Volume Licensing, an administrator
distribute software to their development teams—
is assigned to the account. The administrator is
specifically, one of the most powerful IDEs in the
responsible for distributing the subscriptions to
world, Visual Studio.
team members.
While subscriptions are frequently bought at an
For a quick 1-2-3, this is how the process works:
enterprise level, the benefits created are designed
and intended for the end developer—YOU. 1. Company purchases Visual Studio with MSDN
Whether you purchased the subscription yourself, subscriptions
or your company did, you are hopefully acutely 2. Company assigns an administrator
aware that your MSDN subscription is more than
3. Administrator assigns MSDN subscriptions to
just software, and a host of benefits are included in
each team member
your subscription to help you in an ever-changing
world. 4. Team member activates subscription and
officially becomes an MSDN subscriber
If you are using Visual Studio and are not sure if
you’re an MSDN subscriber—you can check by
signing in to the portal. Note step #4: Team member activates
subscription and officially becomes an
1. Go to [Link]
MSDN subscriber. It is absolutely critical that
2. Click “MSDN subscriptions” in the upper right- you activate your subscription as this allows you
hand corner to take advantage of all the benefits offered to you
3. Use your Microsoft account as a subscriber.
4. You’ll land on the My Account page. If you’re An e-mail is sent to you as soon as the
a subscriber, you’ll see all your benefits listed. administrator assigns you a subscription—look for
Otherwise, you’ll see a message that you don’t this e-mail in your inbox, its subject line will be:
have a subscription. “Activate your MSDN subscription today.” In this
e-mail, you will receive instructions on activation
(don’t worry—it’s easy), and your subscriber ID.
Keep this info for your future records.
MSDN Subscriptions on the World
Wide Web
Basic information on MSDN Subscriptions is
available on [Link] and Channel 9.
• MSDN Subscriptions—Overview
• MSDN Subscriptions—Benefits
• Channel 9, “MSDN Subscriptions—It’s More
than Software”
©2015 Microsoft
Connect to the cloud—MSDN subscriber Azure benefit
A marquee benefit for subscribers is Azure cloud credits. Each MSDN subscription includes up to $150
USD Azure credits per month. Use these credits to develop and test applications with on-demand
infrastructure that includes access to the exclusive MSDN virtual machine library, which contains Windows
client to Windows Server VMs with Visual Studio pre-installed.
Monthly Azure credits can be used on Azure services for your dev and test needs, including: virtual
machines, websites, cloud services, mobile services, storage, SQL database, content delivery network,
HDInsight, media services, and many more. Plus, your credits last longer because MSDN subscribers
receive discounted hourly rates.
How much credit do YOU get? Let’s find out.
Visual Studio Enterprise with MSDN $150 USD / month
Visual Studio Professional with MSDN $50 USD / month
Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN $50 USD / month
MSDN Platforms $100 USD / month
Here are a few examples of what you can do with your credits:
$150 USD / month $100 USD / month $50 USD / month
• Test drive Visual Studio 2015 • Test drive Visual Studio 2015 • Test drive Visual Studio 2015
on a basic 14GB VM for up to on a basic 7GB VM for up to on a basic 7GB VM for
11 hours/day for a month— 15 hours/day for a month— 7 hours/day for a month—
you only pay for the VM, not you only pay for the VM, not you only pay for the VM, not
the software1 -OR- the software1 -OR- the software1 -OR-
• Run 3 Cloud Service role • Run 2 Cloud Service role • Run 3 Cloud Service role
instances and up to 200GB instances and up to 100GB instances and up to 150GB of
of geo-redundant storage of geo-redundant storage locally redundant storage for
for a month -OR- for a month -OR- a month -OR-
• Host up to 13 shared app • Host up to 8 shared app • Host up to 4 shared app
services sites with a 5GB services sites with a 4GB services sites with a 1GB
database for a month -OR- database for a month -OR- database for a month -OR-
• Set up a SQL farm on a • Set up a SQL farm on a • Set up a SharePoint farm on
quad-core 14GB VM, or a quad-core, 7GB VM, or a dual-core, 3.5GB VM for
SharePoint farm on a 4-core a SharePoint farm on a 12 hours/day for a month
7GB VM -OR- dual-core, 3.5GB VM -OR- -OR-
• Spin up 14 Linux VMs • Spin up 11 Linux VMs • Spin up 20 Linux VMs
(8-core, 14GB) for up to (8-core, 14GB) for up to (dual-core, 3.5GB) for up to
30 hours of load testing 25 hours of load testing 25 hours of load testing
1
Software for dev and test only (non-production use).
©2015 Microsoft
Watch these instructional videos to learn about What happens when my credits expire?
how you can use benefits:
Any unused monthly credits cannot be carried over
• Spin up a VM in minutes to subsequent months and cannot be transferred
to other Azure subscriptions. Remember, no
• Create a SharePoint farm
credit card is required for this service. Simply
• Learn how to use Azure benefit with Microsoft activate the benefit to use your credits, and if you
Evangelist Boris Scholl use your full credit, service will simply be disabled
until the next billing cycle.
Activate your benefit today You can choose to turn off your Spending Limit,
If you are already an MSDN subscriber, activate and any usage each month in excess of the
your benefit on [Link] by confirming your monthly credits will be charged to your
MSDN subscription. Be sure you use the same payment method at the rates specified by
e-mail associated with your MSDN subscription the Azure subscription.
(usually, your Microsoft account).
1. Visit the MSDN Subscriptions Azure What do you charge to use the software?
benefit page You can use the software2 covered by your
2. Click the big green button ;) MSDN subscription for development and test
purposes at no additional charge. Over 500
3. Use the same e-mail associated with your
preconfigured VMs are available for you to use
MSDN subscription
within minutes, including an exclusive MSDN
4. See your $$ in the bank image gallery—view the full VM library in the
5. As a reminder—there is no credit card Azure portal. And if one of those 500 won’t work
required for activating this benefit for you, you can configure your own.
If you want to associate your work account with
your Azure benefit, your steps are slightly different.
1. Log in to the MSDN subscriber portal
My Account page
2. Click “Link to your work account” in the
Microsoft Azure section
3. Enter your work account and click “Link”
4. Then follow steps 1-5 above to activate
Azure benefit
2
Cloud use rights apply to all software included in the MSDN subscription, except Windows client and Windows Server. MSDN
subscribers can run Windows Server and Windows Client on Windows Azure Virtual Machines for a fee.
©2015 Microsoft
Collaborate—sky’s the limit—perks with Visual Studio Online
Share code, track work and ship software with Why you should use Visual Studio Online
cloud-powered collaboration tools. Visual Studio
• Get started quickly: Create your account
Online connects to Visual Studio, Eclipse, Xcode,
in minutes (try setting up a new server that
and other Git clients to support development for a
quickly!).
variety of platforms and languages.
• Collaborate: Grow as big as you need. You
As an MSDN subscriber, you can add an unlimited
can add as many fellow MSDN subscribers to
number of other MSDN subscribers to your
your account at no charge, and an additional
account to drive coding collaboration.
5 contributors (and an unlimited number of
Make sure you have your Visual Studio Online stakeholders). In addition, you can be an owner
profile created and use the same e-mail associated or member in more than one account.
with your MSDN subscription for extra perks. Or if
• X-geo & X-org collaboration: Visual Studio
you want to use your work account, visit the MSDN
Online provides a flexible model that allows you
My Account page to link it.
to add people with just their Microsoft account
or work account. They can be co-workers,
What is Visual Studio Online anyways? friends, or contractors—it doesn’t matter. And
Visual Studio Online allows you to host your code you can access your code from anywhere in the
privately in the cloud, manage your work in one world—the beaches of Bali, your home office,
place, build your applications in the cloud or on your favorite java joint—as long as you’re
premises, gain insight into your applications, and connected to the World Wide Web.
more. Visual Studio Online is your home base for • Be up-to-date: Visual Studio Online is updated
all of your development efforts. It keeps your code about every three weeks. This means new and
safe and helps you quickly get great solutions out exciting features that help you build better
the door. software are delivered on a regular basis and
bugs are fixed faster.
• Connect to the Cloud: Visual Studio Online
doesn’t just run in the cloud, it helps you
take your next big thing to Internet scale with
Microsoft Azure. For example, you can use
great features—like continuous delivery—to
push your [Link] website into Microsoft Azure
websites with ease.
Learn more and create a team project to store your
code using steps in the Getting Started article.
©2015 Microsoft
Hardcore developer training—Pluralsight benefit
MSDN subscribers now get access to Pluralsight training—hardcore training created exclusively for
developers. Supercharge your skills and learn on any device—any time.
MSDN subscribers have access to a set of hand-selected Pluralsight courses. The number of courses
available depends on the MSDN subscription level (see table below for specifics). Topics include: Visual
Studio and ALM, architecture, Azure, desktop development, IoT & cloud, languages, SharePoint, and web
development—basically, if you are a Microsoft developer, we have courses applicable to you! And we
regularly update the course list to make sure you get up-to-date training.
How many Pluralsight courses do YOU get? Let’s find out.
Visual Studio Enterprise with MSDN 30 courses for 12 months
Visual Studio Professional with MSDN 15 courses for 12 months
Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN 15 courses for 12 months
MSDN Platforms 30 courses for 12 months
Learn more
• Channel 9, Introducing Pluralsight benefit
• Pluralsight & MSDN web page
How to activate the Pluralsight benefit
1. Log in to the MSDN subscriber portal using the account associated with your MSDN subscription
2. Click on the My Account page
3. Click on the “Activate your Pluralsight benefit” on the My Account page
4. This will take you to the Pluralsight Benefit Landing page where you can review benefit information and
the course catalog that is customized for your MSDN subscription level. Click “Activate your Pluralsight
benefit” and you will be redirected to [Link] to register and access courses
5. On the Pluralsight website, you will complete required fields (use same e-mail associated with your
subscription) in the form and click “Activate benefit.” You will be sent a welcome e-mail with a user
name and temporary password
6. Sign in and you’re done
Want more Pluralsight?
In addition, MSDN subscribers qualify for a special 30% discount on an individual annual subscription to
the entire Pluralsight library.
©2015 Microsoft
A laundry list of other goods
In addition to the benefits outlined above—and Visual Studio3—subscribers get lots of extra perks. Make
sure to log in to the subscriber portal and bookmark the My Account page. We are constantly updating
the benefits to make sure you get the latest, so check back frequently!
The perks:
• Subscriber downloads
You’ll get access to all future releases, in addition to current and past releases. Over 11 terabytes of
Microsoft products are available to you.
• Windows developer account
Add your apps to the Universal Store for the world to see, try, and buy.
• Office 365 developer subscription (Enterprise subscriptions only)
Use as a development and testing environment for Office and SharePoint apps.
• MSDN Magazine subscription
Get the inside scoop with a complimentary digital or print4 subscription to MSDN Magazine—
Microsoft’s journal for developers. Get valuable tips on Visual Studio, SQL Server, the .NET framework,
and more.
• Technical support incidents
Get stuck? Leverage technical support to get the help you need when you need it.
• Priority support in MSDN forums
Get expert answers to your questions. Microsoft will respond to your question in two business days if
your question isn’t already answered in the forums.
• MSDN online chat
Chat with us for assistance finding technical documentation and product information, or using your
subscription benefits. Available 24/7. Chat assistance is provided in English.
• Special offers from partners
As a subscriber you can take advantage of special offers from third-party partners.
We’re continually adding new benefits to MSDN Subscriptions, so check back often! Bookmark the
My Account page on the subscriber portal so you are always in the know..
3
Visual Studio IDE included in all subscriptions except MSDN Platforms.
4
Delivery charges apply for print editions outside the United States
©2015 Microsoft
Helpful links & resources
We hope you found this guide useful to make the most out of your subscription.
The links are hyperlinked for electronic viewing—but just in case you need the full URL’s, we’ve posted
them all below for you. There are a few other electronic resources we want to make sure you also have
access to.
Subscriber Portal
MSDN Subscriber Portal: [Link]
*Remember to bookmark the My Accounts page:
[Link]
Customer Service:
[Link]
Web Pages
MSDN Subscriptions Overview:
[Link]
MSDN Subscriptions Benefits:
[Link]
MSDN Azure Benefit Activation:
[Link]
Visual Studio Online:
[Link]
Pluralsight Benefit Course List:
[Link]
benefit
Visual Studio
[Link]
MSDN Subscriptions & Visual Studio Product Matrix:
[Link]
©2015 Microsoft
Channel 9 Videos
MSDN Subscriptions: More than Software:
[Link]
MSDN Subscriptions Overview
[Link]
MSDN eLearning Benefit: Pluralsight Training:
[Link]
MSDN Subscriptions: How to activate your Azure benefits5
[Link]
MSDN Subscriptions: How to spin up a VM with Azure benefit
[Link]
MSDN Administrators
[Link]
Social
MSDN subscriptions Twitter [@MSDN]:
[Link]
Microsoft Developer Facebook:
[Link]
Visual Studio Twitter:
[Link]
Visual Studio Facebook:
[Link]
Blogs
Visual Studio blog:
[Link]
MSDN Subscriber Interview blog post:
[Link]
msdn-promotion-how-to-get-the-most-from-your-msdn-subscription
Brian Randell blog (third-party developer):
[Link]
5
Note you no longer need to have a phone authentication when activating your benefit.
©2015 Microsoft