Microsoft Licensing
Hi All,
Microsoft Licensing is either really complicated or i don't understand their language.
We are a office of 30 users.
- We want to setup three new Windows 2008 r2 servers
- One as Domain controller
- One with exchange server 2010
- One as a file server
At any giving point of time there wont be more than 5 terminal sessions required on each server.
Questions:
1) Do we need cals on windows 2008 to use it as DC for 30 users ?
2) Do we need cals for windows 2008 to use it as a file server for 30 users?
3) When i get 30 user cals on exchange server 2010 do i again need 30 cals on the windows 2008 (on which exchange server 2010 is installed) ?
4) Do i need separate terminal licenses for each server 2008 r2 ?
Many thanks
RD
Microsoft Licensing is either really complicated or i don't understand their language.
We are a office of 30 users.
- We want to setup three new Windows 2008 r2 servers
- One as Domain controller
- One with exchange server 2010
- One as a file server
At any giving point of time there wont be more than 5 terminal sessions required on each server.
Questions:
1) Do we need cals on windows 2008 to use it as DC for 30 users ?
2) Do we need cals for windows 2008 to use it as a file server for 30 users?
3) When i get 30 user cals on exchange server 2010 do i again need 30 cals on the windows 2008 (on which exchange server 2010 is installed) ?
4) Do i need separate terminal licenses for each server 2008 r2 ?
Many thanks
RD
As you see, CALs get a little confusing. Exchange, User (AD and Fileserver), and TS CALs are separate.
Rather than go into the gory details here, I highly recommend calling a reseller that specializes in MS products such as CDW. They will know exactly what is required and should you desire, can put together a package of products (licenses) for what you need. They will also keep records of your licenses so as your needs change you can add and change things without inadvertantly re-purchasing something.
Rather than go into the gory details here, I highly recommend calling a reseller that specializes in MS products such as CDW. They will know exactly what is required and should you desire, can put together a package of products (licenses) for what you need. They will also keep records of your licenses so as your needs change you can add and change things without inadvertantly re-purchasing something.
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thanks for that detaied information, i did read a lot before on licensing and everything made it more confusing. However your description here is perfect and now i have couple of more questions.
I am upgrading sbs 2003 threfore
1) Can i reuse my user calls from sbs 2003?
2) Since we are only 30 users, instead of three servers as discussed above if we just get two
A) sbs 2011 as both dc and exch srvr
B) windows 2008 for file server
- am i right in thinking
1) sbs 2011 comes with 5 user cals and therefore i only need 25 more user calls
2) once i have 30 user cals for sbs i dnt need any cals for the file server.
And finally about rdc/ts licenses,
We have all these servers virtualized and therefore we can only manage them on rdc,
Thats all we need for rdc and we are happy with two conncurrent connections, and we wnt need more.
Thanks a lot for all the help.
I am upgrading sbs 2003 threfore
1) Can i reuse my user calls from sbs 2003?
2) Since we are only 30 users, instead of three servers as discussed above if we just get two
A) sbs 2011 as both dc and exch srvr
B) windows 2008 for file server
- am i right in thinking
1) sbs 2011 comes with 5 user cals and therefore i only need 25 more user calls
2) once i have 30 user cals for sbs i dnt need any cals for the file server.
And finally about rdc/ts licenses,
We have all these servers virtualized and therefore we can only manage them on rdc,
Thats all we need for rdc and we are happy with two conncurrent connections, and we wnt need more.
Thanks a lot for all the help.
If you had software assurance with your 2003 sbs, there was a "made whole" arrangement to go to 2008, but it does not look like there is a path from 2003 sbs to 2011 sbs. You will very likely have to purchase 2011 cals for the additional users.
As to number of servers, technically you could easily do everything you want with one SBS server but 2 is better for a) DC redundancy, and b) avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Do make the 2nd server a DC as well:
SBS 2011: DC, exchange
2K8R2: DC, file server
Before purchasing anything and to get accurate answers on all of these questions, please speak to a MS licensing specialist. You can call MS directly at 1-800-426-9400 (select option 4) and go over your scenario with a specialist.
As to number of servers, technically you could easily do everything you want with one SBS server but 2 is better for a) DC redundancy, and b) avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. Do make the 2nd server a DC as well:
SBS 2011: DC, exchange
2K8R2: DC, file server
Before purchasing anything and to get accurate answers on all of these questions, please speak to a MS licensing specialist. You can call MS directly at 1-800-426-9400 (select option 4) and go over your scenario with a specialist.
I am upgrading sbs 2003 threfore
1) Can i reuse my user calls from sbs 2003?
No - CALs apply to the version of Windows and below and CALs for SBS are not applicable to Standard Server/Exchange. Even if you get a new version of SBS, the existing CALs are SBS 2003 and would only apply to SBS 2003 and older operating systems. You need new CALs if you're going to use Server 2008 R2/SBS 2011.
2) Since we are only 30 users, instead of three servers as discussed above if we just get two
A) sbs 2011 as both dc and exch srvr
B) windows 2008 for file server
- am i right in thinking
1) sbs 2011 comes with 5 user cals and therefore i only need 25 more user calls
2) once i have 30 user cals for sbs i dnt need any cals for the file server.
There is no reason to get a separate file server. File services* do not take significant resources, nor does Active Directory, especially for a 30 user environment. (*COULD use significant Disk and network bandwidth, but network bandwidth would be an exceptional case and disk utilization can be mitigated by getting fast 15K RPM disks; CPU and RAM are really not going to be impacted sharing files between 30 users). If you want a separate server, get a Remote Desktop Server (RDS).
Yes, SBS 2011 should come with 5 CALs and you would only need 25 more. DO NOT buy OEM; Buy Volume License. Especially if you were going to get 3 servers to begin with (cost of which would be at least $2400 in licensing), then you have a few hundred extra to get things like a Volume license for SBS 2011 and 5 RDS CALs to use on a terminal server.
SBS CALs cover access to all basic Windows services (as standard Windows CALs would) for all servers running the base OS version and below. Meaning, in an SBS 2003 domain, they cover your access to Server 2003 and Server 2000 and NT4 systems. In an SBS 2008 domain, they cover your access to Server 2008, Server 2003, Server 2000, and NT4 systems. (SBS 2011 uses 2008R2, so they'll cover all 2008 and earlier as well).
We have all these servers virtualized and therefore we can only manage them on rdc,
Thats all we need for rdc and we are happy with two conncurrent connections, and we wnt need more.
Just to be clear, the two concurrent connections for Windows Server are ADMINISTRATIVE connections. You're licensed to use them to manage the server, NOT to allow users to work remotely. If you're JUST managing the servers, then this is fine.
As a note, for the hardware on a system like this, for this user count, I would get a RAID 10 or Multiple RAID 1s running 15K RPM drives to handle the virtual machines. I would also say NOT LESS than 16 GB of RAM and considering RAM prices and the quantity of licenses you were (seemingly) prepared to buy, get enough RAM to allocate 32 GB of RAM to he SBS 2011 server (which is the max). Also, if using Hyper-V do not enable Dynamic Memory - this is not appropriate for an SBS system. If you later implement a separate file server (again, I see no need here), separate RDS server, or possibly another application server, you can use Dynamic RAM on those.
1) Can i reuse my user calls from sbs 2003?
No - CALs apply to the version of Windows and below and CALs for SBS are not applicable to Standard Server/Exchange. Even if you get a new version of SBS, the existing CALs are SBS 2003 and would only apply to SBS 2003 and older operating systems. You need new CALs if you're going to use Server 2008 R2/SBS 2011.
2) Since we are only 30 users, instead of three servers as discussed above if we just get two
A) sbs 2011 as both dc and exch srvr
B) windows 2008 for file server
- am i right in thinking
1) sbs 2011 comes with 5 user cals and therefore i only need 25 more user calls
2) once i have 30 user cals for sbs i dnt need any cals for the file server.
There is no reason to get a separate file server. File services* do not take significant resources, nor does Active Directory, especially for a 30 user environment. (*COULD use significant Disk and network bandwidth, but network bandwidth would be an exceptional case and disk utilization can be mitigated by getting fast 15K RPM disks; CPU and RAM are really not going to be impacted sharing files between 30 users). If you want a separate server, get a Remote Desktop Server (RDS).
Yes, SBS 2011 should come with 5 CALs and you would only need 25 more. DO NOT buy OEM; Buy Volume License. Especially if you were going to get 3 servers to begin with (cost of which would be at least $2400 in licensing), then you have a few hundred extra to get things like a Volume license for SBS 2011 and 5 RDS CALs to use on a terminal server.
SBS CALs cover access to all basic Windows services (as standard Windows CALs would) for all servers running the base OS version and below. Meaning, in an SBS 2003 domain, they cover your access to Server 2003 and Server 2000 and NT4 systems. In an SBS 2008 domain, they cover your access to Server 2008, Server 2003, Server 2000, and NT4 systems. (SBS 2011 uses 2008R2, so they'll cover all 2008 and earlier as well).
We have all these servers virtualized and therefore we can only manage them on rdc,
Thats all we need for rdc and we are happy with two conncurrent connections, and we wnt need more.
Just to be clear, the two concurrent connections for Windows Server are ADMINISTRATIVE connections. You're licensed to use them to manage the server, NOT to allow users to work remotely. If you're JUST managing the servers, then this is fine.
As a note, for the hardware on a system like this, for this user count, I would get a RAID 10 or Multiple RAID 1s running 15K RPM drives to handle the virtual machines. I would also say NOT LESS than 16 GB of RAM and considering RAM prices and the quantity of licenses you were (seemingly) prepared to buy, get enough RAM to allocate 32 GB of RAM to he SBS 2011 server (which is the max). Also, if using Hyper-V do not enable Dynamic Memory - this is not appropriate for an SBS system. If you later implement a separate file server (again, I see no need here), separate RDS server, or possibly another application server, you can use Dynamic RAM on those.
If you get a second server, I agree, make it a DC PROVIDED you don't make it a Remote Desktop server. And I agree about contacting Microsoft. My standard licensing disclaimer is below:
DISCLAIMER: Licensing advice offered here is a "best effort" and based on the understanding of the respondents. Licenses can change and we may not be aware of these changes or may misunderstand them. Further, licenses can differ by country and/or region and what we understand to be true in our region could be false in your region. "they told me on Experts-Exchange" will not be a valid defense in a software audit. All licensing questions should be confirmed with the appropriate licensing authority (the maker of the software/issuer of the license).
DISCLAIMER: Licensing advice offered here is a "best effort" and based on the understanding of the respondents. Licenses can change and we may not be aware of these changes or may misunderstand them. Further, licenses can differ by country and/or region and what we understand to be true in our region could be false in your region. "they told me on Experts-Exchange" will not be a valid defense in a software audit. All licensing questions should be confirmed with the appropriate licensing authority (the maker of the software/issuer of the license).
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Very good suggestions by everyone i will save this question in my favourites
1. yes
For your other questions, just contact a vendor or two. We use CDW. They are always good about explaining the licensing.