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Exchange licensing
Posted on 2012-12-24
Hi Experts, we have a client, with standalone exchange 2010 server and approximately 100 user mailboxes. They have a high turnover of staff and we were wondering what is the recommended best practice for monitoring those mailboxes, ie as to when they go over their number of licenses. As there does not seem to be notification from the software itself, is there a tool or do people just schedule checks manually?
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Here are instructions, http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/Assessing_Exchange_Server_Licensing.docx. Exchange deals with the Cal licenses.
There is a Microsoft licensing service that checks for your licenses being accessed. When it is exceeded, entries will be inserted into the Windows event log.
The message will look like this:
Warning: License usage for a product licensed in per server mode has exceeded the maximum number of licenses purchased and will prohibit further licenses from being granted
Unless you see this message in the logs, you are ok.
The message will look like this:
Warning: License usage for a product licensed in per server mode has exceeded the maximum number of licenses purchased and will prohibit further licenses from being granted
Unless you see this message in the logs, you are ok.
Active 1 day ago
Exchange isn't licenced per mailbox, it is licenced per seat.
Therefore it is perfectly legal to have 1000 mailboxes with only five CALs.
The Microsoft Logging Service doesn't provide any information that can be relied upon so should be ignored. There is nowhere to enter Exchange CALs in to the tool.
The tools provided by Exchange are also close to useless for telling you how many CALs you have.
Basic maths I use 1 CAL per member of staff. If the staff turnover is high but stays below 100, then you SHOULD be fine.
However, I, and no one else on this site is authorised to give you advice on licencing. Everything I and anyone else writes on this question cannot be used to make a decision. Call Microsoft, ask them, get it in writing. ANything else isn't worth the paper it (isn't) written on.
Simon.
Therefore it is perfectly legal to have 1000 mailboxes with only five CALs.
The Microsoft Logging Service doesn't provide any information that can be relied upon so should be ignored. There is nowhere to enter Exchange CALs in to the tool.
The tools provided by Exchange are also close to useless for telling you how many CALs you have.
Basic maths I use 1 CAL per member of staff. If the staff turnover is high but stays below 100, then you SHOULD be fine.
However, I, and no one else on this site is authorised to give you advice on licencing. Everything I and anyone else writes on this question cannot be used to make a decision. Call Microsoft, ask them, get it in writing. ANything else isn't worth the paper it (isn't) written on.
Simon.
Active today
Hi,
I have asked Microsoft this before but I'll ask again, as you answer differed from what they said.
examples:
(question1)
Same Exchange 2010 Server.
Same user but has 1x mailbox james.brown@companyabc.co.
(question2)
If I have shared mailboxes like sales@companyabc.co.uk & info@companyabc.co.uk do they require an exchange cal each?
I have asked Microsoft this before but I'll ask again, as you answer differed from what they said.
examples:
(question1)
Same Exchange 2010 Server.
Same user but has 1x mailbox james.brown@companyabc.co.
(question2)
If I have shared mailboxes like sales@companyabc.co.uk & info@companyabc.co.uk do they require an exchange cal each?
Active 1 day ago
Microsoft are the only people that can give you the answer that you can depend on.
Always ask multiple times, because you will get multiple answers.
Microsoft have a guide in Word format that explains how Exchange is licenced.
I cannot link to it directly because my browser wants to download it, but if you run this Google search it is the second one down: "Assessing_Exchange_Server
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=shared+mailbox+client+access+licence&fp=1
It clearly answers both of your questions.
Simon.
Always ask multiple times, because you will get multiple answers.
Microsoft have a guide in Word format that explains how Exchange is licenced.
I cannot link to it directly because my browser wants to download it, but if you run this Google search it is the second one down: "Assessing_Exchange_Server
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=shared+mailbox+client+access+licence&fp=1
It clearly answers both of your questions.
Simon.
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