Understanding Licensing for Small Business Server is a necessary bit of reading for Small to Medium Sized Businesses that use or are interested in purchasing Small Business Server.
At WIGITAL, we strive to educate. In the spirit of helping business owners understand their technology investments, we’re taking the time today to provide “a brief overview” on SBS Licensing. We hope this offers some clarity for those that need the information.
Please read SBS Licensing – an overview (for a quick review of the main points).
You can also refer to the following links:
- SBS How to buy licensing
- Pricing (an explanation of licensing) on Small Business Server
- How SBS Client Access Licenses relate to Member Servers in the SBS domain
- The Difference between (per Server licensing) and (per Device or User licensing)
- General Licensing Overview
- Licensing CHECKLIST(s)
- Terminal Server Licensing
SBS Licensing – an overview
When you buy Small Business Server you receive two sets of licenses
- a Server license for Small Business Server 2003 itself (providing the right to install and use SBS)
- (5) Client Access Licenses (called CALs) that permit the simultaneous connection of up to 5 “devices” OR 5 “users”
An explanation of Licenses and CALs
Device CALs: device CAL’s require you to buy a Client Access License (a CAL) for every single device (laptop, desktop, etc…) that you connect to the server. This does not limit the number of users that can connect through a “licensed” device. Having an unlimited number of users able to connect through a single device is beneficial in scenarios such as “shift work” where a company may have (as an example) 3 shifts of 20 employees. For these shifts the company has purchased 20 computers. The computers serve a total of 60 users however only 20 Client Access Licenses (of the Device type) would need to be purchased because only 20 device connections exist at any one time (60 users divided by 3 shifts = 20 simultaneous connections per shift).
User CALs: user CALs require you to buy a Client Access License (a CAL) for every single user that connects to the server. User CALs are more beneficial in scenarios in which the business prefers not to limit the number of devices a user can use. An example would be a sales office where the company has the same salespeople working all the time but each “User” has multiple devices. EXAMPLE: the companies average salesperson has (1.) an office Desktop (2.) a Laptop (3.) a handheld PDA. User CALs would are preferable in this case Device CALs because User CALs enable a single user to connect simultaneously from the desktop, laptop and handheld device while only using 1 single Client Access License (of the User type).
Server License: a Server License provides the right to install a Server product (Small Business Server, Windows Server, SQL Server, SharePoint server, etc…) but does not provide licensing for the Users or Devices that will be connect to that Server. Client Access Licenses (CALs) must be purchased for the Users and/or Devices.
Member Server License: a Member Server is similar to a Server License in that all Windows products require a license to install and use the product. A Member Server simply functions in a subserviant role to the Small Business Server (but it is still a Server in it’s own right). Member Servers (such as a File or Print Servers) connected in the SBS domain would require their own Server Licenses (as Members).
Member Server Client Access Licenses: one of the “extraordinary” benefits of Small Business Server is that the CALs purchased for Small Business Server 2003 are passed on to the Member Servers in the domain. In other words, the Member Servers gain the CALs already purchased for SBS. Member Server CALs in the SBS environment fall into two categories (depending on the version of the Small Business Server):
Small Business Server 2003 – all Client Access Licenses needed for additional Windows Servers in the domain are passed from the Small Business Server to the Member Servers. No additional CAL purchases are required for Clients (Users or Devices) to connect to the additional Member Servers.
NOTE: Specific server “products” such as (SQL Server, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, etc… would require additional User or Device CALs to be purchased for those server Products.
Small Business Server 2003 R2 (Standard or Premium) – all Client Access Licenses for the R2 version of SBS are the same as the above scenario with the exception that two server “products“: (Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 AND Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition) are included in the coverage provided by the CALs purchased for the Small Business Server 2003 R2. In other words, IF you buy a second Exchange Server, you do not need to buy additional CALs for it. SBS2003R2 will cover those CALs. This is also true for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition when it is connected to a Small Business Server 2003 R2 “Premium Edition” domain.
NOTE: this is true ONLY FOR THE R2 RELEASE of Small Business Server 2003 R2 -OR- Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition R2.
For more information please read the above links. You may also contact WIGITAL for your Business Technology needs. We are a provider of Windows Server Products, Networking Services and consult in Business Processes on every level.
Thanks for reading.