Overview of Microsoft Licensing-Updated

Topics Covered

Licensing types:
Per seat licensing means that for every workstation that will access a server you need one CAL. Accessing a server covers everything from loging on the domain to getting email.[color blue]IE: You purchased Win2k Standard with 5 CALs. you have 15 PC's so you need to purchase 10 more for a total of 15.[/color]

Per server licensing means that every server can only have a certain number of connections to it. IE: if you have 30 PC's and 20 CALs, only 20 of the PC's can connect to the server at any one time. (This is not a good way to do things, i would avoid it.)


General Rules for Microsoft Licensing
1. You must have a server license for each installed copy of win2k server.

2. You must have a client access license for each PC on the network, no matter how many sites you have.

3. If all sites are in a single domain, you can enter the total number of client access licenses in your company on the master global catalog server (the first server you built in the domain) and it will replicate to the rest of the domain. If each site is its own child domain you must enter the nuber of client access licenses into each domain controler for the number of PC's you have at each site.

4. You can use the same CD to install multiple copies of Win2k as long as each server has a differant licens KEY

5. Open Licenses - Open licenses work in two ways:
a. Application Open License Key - this is a key that can be used for however many licenses you paid for: IE: you bout 10 Open licenses for Visio 2002 - use the same key for each copy.

b. Server Open Licenses - These require a differant key for each installation, you must also purchase your CALs separately [color blue]IE: You purchased an open license of Win2k server. You have 20 computers, therefore, you need to purchase 20 CALs.[/color]

If you have purchased an open license product you can view them at eopen.microsoft.com


Have a nice day,
Doomhamur
Network Engineer