Server 2012 CAL's.....

stoofa

stoofa

stoofa

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Quick question.
I've always been under the impression that Server CAL's were purchased and then the "user" could access any number of servers.
Example - Network has a couple of DC's, an Exchange Server and a couple of file servers, all running Server 2012.
If I purchased 10 CAL's, the 10 users could access any or all of the servers.

However out of the blue we suddenly read somewhere that CAL's are on a per server basis.
So if you had, for example, 5 Windows servers and 10 users, you would require 50 CAL's to be license legal.

Could anyone just confirm which way is right :)

Ta
 
10 Users/Devices to unlimited servers would 10 User/Device CALs AFAIK

You used to be able to buy SQL Server as per processor licences with meant you didnt have to buy User/Device CALs. As said above. I dont think they use that model anymore
 
Windows Server CALs cover you for all servers assuming the versions are correct (buy Software Assurance, it saves you a lot of hassle) - so if you only have Server 2008 CALs then you need to buy 2012 CALs if you want to install a 2012 server.

Standard user/device CALs won't cover you for Exchange though - you need Exchange CALs or move up to a CAL suite.
 
Hang on a second Stoofa, as mentioned are we talking User/Device CALS or server CALS for virtual hosts?

As what has been said is correct, you need CALS for the the most recent version of Windows Server for users or devices and it covers all servers, such as DC's, file servers etc.. but Exchange and SQL require additional licensing..
 
Hi,
Sorry - just to clarify.

If we have users that need to access Exchange I udnerstand they require a Server CAL and an Exchange CAL.
For SQL users it is a Server CAL and an SQL CAL.

The main question was on "CAL's per server".
So let's say that I have a single Server 2012 R2 at a company. I have 10 users and I've purchased 10 CAL's. All nice and legal, all 10 of my users have a CAL.
Now let's say I add a second Server 2012 R2 on the network and all my 10 users also require access to that server.
I was always under the impression that because I have 10 CAL's all those users can access both servers and, any number of servers I might add to the network.
A recent "potentially badly written" document I read kind of gave the impression that Server CAL's were on a "per user, per server" basis.
So in the above example, for my 10 users to access tow separate Server 2012 R2 machines I'd require 20 CAL's (one each per user per server).
 
stoofa said:
Hi,
Sorry - just to clarify.

If we have users that need to access Exchange I udnerstand they require a Server CAL and an Exchange CAL.
For SQL users it is a Server CAL and an SQL CAL.

The main question was on "CAL's per server".
So let's say that I have a single Server 2012 R2 at a company. I have 10 users and I've purchased 10 CAL's. All nice and legal, all 10 of my users have a CAL.
Now let's say I add a second Server 2012 R2 on the network and all my 10 users also require access to that server.
I was always under the impression that because I have 10 CAL's all those users can access both servers and, any number of servers I might add to the network.
A recent "potentially badly written" document I read kind of gave the impression that Server CAL's were on a "per user, per server" basis.
So in the above example, for my 10 users to access tow separate Server 2012 R2 machines I'd require 20 CAL's (one each per user per server).
Click to expand...

How old was the document? As I previously posted, there used to be a choice between per-server and per-seat.
 
I appreciate the difference between "per server" & "per seat".
However even at the link posted above:

"With the User CAL, you purchase a CAL for every user who accesses the server to use services such as file storage or printing, regardless of the number of devices they use for that access"

That says that you purchase a user a CAL and they can use any number of devices to connect. It doesn't say they can use that CAL to access any server.

That is the issue really. I have always understood it to be - you purchase a CAL for a user and they can use that CAL against any server on the network.
What I cannot find however is any supporting documentation that actually spells that out.
I cannot find a Microsoft or MS partner document that says the above.
All I can find is MS documents saying that a server (singular) requires either device or user CALs.
 
stoofa said:
I appreciate the difference between "per server" & "per seat".
However even at the link posted above:

"With the User CAL, you purchase a CAL for every user who accesses the server to use services such as file storage or printing, regardless of the number of devices they use for that access"

That says that you purchase a user a CAL and they can use any number of devices to connect. It doesn't say they can use that CAL to access any server.

That is the issue really. I have always understood it to be - you purchase a CAL for a user and they can use that CAL against any server on the network.
What I cannot find however is any supporting documentation that actually spells that out.
I cannot find a Microsoft or MS partner document that says the above.
All I can find is MS documents saying that a server (singular) requires either device or user CALs.
Click to expand...

If you mean the link that I posted, then look at the diagrams - both show 2 user CALS or 2 device CALs connecting to 2 separate services
 
10x Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 would mean 10 OS licenses for 10 physical servers
Active Directory
100 users = 100 2012 R2 User CALS which then entitles those people to use any services hosted on those 10 servers in the domain or if you added another 10 servers later it doesn't matter as the 100 people are licensed to use their services, be it DHCP/DNS from an Intranet server on IIS etc..
Add Exchange into the mix, again you will need 100 Exchange User CALS
SQL, well you can licence this either one SQL licence for the single server plus user CALS if they were for example, to use a CRM platform that uses the SQL Server as its backend.

Device licensing typically comes in when you say have shift workers, such as a manufacturing plant and they share a PC, instead you would get device CALS for their PC's and its one CAL for the PC instead of having separate ones for each worker, because they are never using the PC at the same time.

Licensing is a full time job, I am involved in licensing a large org of a 10k user base split across 27 business entities worldwide and a large R&D division too

obviously the standard exclaimer stands of always get your licensing confirmed with a VAR and/or Microsoft licensing
 
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