Server 2003 and licencing??!

number41 · 25 Apr 2007 at 09:19

Just a quick question for anyone working as a systems admin, etc out there!

The world of MS licencing is a confusing place and I cant find an answer to the following question!!

We have 20 people in the company. If I buy 4 Server 2003 Standard edition CDs (as we are setting up 4 servers) as each comes with 5 CALs does this mean we can have 20 per user licences (ie adding up all 5 licences from the 4 CDs) or does it not work this way?

Seems like it should be OK, but I'm sure MS have some clause saying you still need to buy the 5 user licence add-on CALs!!

Gopher_By_Fende · 25 Apr 2007 at 10:35

I'm not sure on wether you can use the licenses from other cds on the same install or not, but im sure from looking previously that it would be cheaper to buy one copy of server and then top up the CALs you need with license packs.

What business is it you do? If your business builds systems with windows on, or you sell MS software, or make software for use with windows, you should look into get the Microsoft Action Pack. We have it at work, and for £200 a year you get pretty much all MS software. So far, for our £200 we have been given 10 copies of XP Pro upgrade, 10 of office 03, 10 of office 07, 10 of Vista Business, 10 of nearly all other MS client software, as well as a copy of almost all the server versions and applications each with 10 CALs.

Every quarter they also send you whatever new software has been released. We just got the April update, which included Exchange 2007 and Server 03 x64.

If your business doesnt come under the requirements, then i would say buy 1 copy of server and then get extra licenses. A quick look on another website puts 1 extra license at £20.

number41 · 25 Apr 2007 at 12:21

Cheers. We do indeed have the microsoft action pack! Its great! Basically we've just expanded so are installing servers. Having come from a large corporate background where we had enterprise licencing (ie you dont need a licence key) I'm just getting used to the world of working with licences!

In the old place we could take one CD of server and install it anywhere we wanted. Just wondering how it applies to the small business who dont have corporate licences, etc

Burnsy2023 · 25 Apr 2007 at 12:50

Media is farily pointless in licensing. How many CDs you have is irrelevant if you don't have licenses for them.

The action pack will give you a certain amount of CALs, (I think it's 10?), so you'll need to buy some more. It'll be much cheaper to buy this separetly rather than from a Server bundle.

Burnsy

bringans · 25 Apr 2007 at 17:23

Aye brunsy, it's 10 CALs, then just buy the extra CAL packs from a MS reseller. best way to go for sure.

One thing to remember with the action pack, you need to pay each year, and when they stop providing a product in the pack, you might find they will then take away the license ( XP was going to be whith vista release, but they did a U-turn, and people that had it can use it, but the new people can't.