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Windows 2003 terminal server CALS.

How does the terminal server licensing work for Windows 2003?

If I buy 5 terminal server cals, are they concurrent connections or do you have to buy one for each user that logs in.
If it is buy each user who logs in and not concurrent connections, is the license then tied to the user login name so
it knows who has what cal? How are the cals tracked, and to what object are they tied to?

Rob Williams

With TS there is only one type of CAL to buy, however, when you install them you can choose device or user CAL's. The default is per device. You have a 1 time opportunity to change that to per user CAL with the Terminal Services Licensing console. Yes with either option you need 1 CAL per user or per device, though you can re-assign it to a different device or user if required. Currently user CAL's are not actually "tracked", not to suggest you do not need the appropriate number of licenses. A couple of good articles regarding TS licensing:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/ts2003.mspx
http://www.brianmadden.com/content/content.asp?ID=44

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Darwinian999

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Rob Williams

I must apologize I see you can purchase device or user CAL's, they have different part numbers, however, they are the same price. Interestingly though, when I create an order with my supplier, Tech Data, if I oder 5 of 1 and then add 5 of the other I get 10 of the first one. This may just be a problem with the suppliers ordering system. I wonder just how interchangeable they are.
Checking further you do have a one time right to convert your CALs at any time throughout the license period but you are supposed to have software assurance to accomplish this, as per:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windowsserversystem/windowsserver2003/how-to-buy/faq-licensing.mspx

According to the following article you can now mix user and device CALs, I believe this is as of 2003:
"You may choose to use a combination of TS Device CALs and TS User CALs simultaneously with the server software"
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/ts2003.mspx

Thank you Darwinian999 for the corrections.

Darwinian999

"You may choose to use a combination of TS Device CALs and TS User CALs simultaneously with the server software" - yes, but on different Terminal Servers. Each Terminal server can be configured for TS User CAL's or TS Device CAL's, but not both simultaneously.

A TS license server can hold (and issue) both types of TS CAL though.

We can only hope the one day Microsoft may learn that simple concurrent user licensing (like Citrix successfully use with Presentation Server) is good for their customers and good for them. Until then, customers, consultants, resellers, distributors and Microsoft support staff have to put up with the horrible TS CAL licensing system that Microsoft currently have.

mharmon777

ASKER

So with Terminal server user Cals they are NOT conncurrent?
While I have 20 users, I will never have more than 10 connecting at a time.
Are you saying that I must purchase 20 Windows 2003 workstation terminal server cals even though no more than 10 will be connecting at a time?

Darwinian999

Correct - they are NOT concurrent.

If you use TS User CAL's, you'll need one for each user that connects. ie 20.

If you use TS Device CAL's, you'll need one for each device that runs a Terminal Services session.