Need help with Windows Server 2008 Licenses

[mike123abc]

Ok, I need to set up a terminal server. I will have a few users (4 at most, usually just 1 at a time), so I was looking at Windows Server 2008 with 5 user license.

But, after reading through tons of Microsoft documents, I am confused (probably not a surprise).

Do I need to buy the: Microsoft Windows Server Standard 2008 5 Client operating system and then buy separate user licenses for Terminal Services? Or is the 5 client the 5 terminal services licenses?

Essentially I want a server running some accounting software that users remotely run. I have read through the steps on how you can put a wrapper around an application and it runs on the server but looks like it is on the desktop of the remote windows machine (client).

I see there are device licenses and user licenses. We would go with user licenses since the point of what we are trying to do is to have users be able to use the accounting software from anywhere. We will be using a VPN so the server will not be sitting on the internet.

What is confusing it that it looks like we may need licenses for the server per user and then each user also have a license? Or is the server license all that we need (just designate them as user instead of device)?

Essentially it will just be one box running the license server, the terminal services and the accounting software. I will throw a quad core processor in there and 8 GB of memory, since 99% of the time it will just be one user at a time I do not think I need separate boxes for licenses, terminal services and application services.

 

[Pepper]

Terminal Service CALs are separate from user CALs. To use a Terminal Server you need both. The licensing is all done at the server level. "user" licenses - you need one per actual user; "device" licenses - you need one per physical client computer. Choose whichever is more economical in your situation. If this is being added to an existing corporate network that already has Windows 2008 servers, you can get the volume license version with no user licenses as your users should already be covered by existing servers (a user CAL permits the user to access any number of Windows Servers in the network).

Your hardware specs are overkill for that level of usage unless you're planning for adding more stuff for it to do later on. You could cut your ram and processor a bit and save enough to buy the TS CALs.

If your company is in the computer software/services industry or you are a "computer consultant" you can get the MS Action Pack for around $300 which includes Server 2008, 10 user CALs, 10 TS CALs, plus a bunch more software: exchange, vista, office, sql, the list goes on. The license is a yearly subscription vs. perpetual one-time cost and is restricted for "non-production" use but with an important exemption that you can use it to run your actual business and your business website. Can't use it for external customers. http://partner.microsoft.com/

 

[mike123abc]

So, the server CALs control how many users can use the server at one time, and the user CALs are good on any server, but are needed for each user?

Are the CALs that come with Windows Server 2008 5 Client for Terminal services or are they something else?

 

[StevenD]

Are the CALs that come with Windows Server 2008 5 Client for Terminal services or are they something else?

No, they are connection CALs. TS licenses must be purchased seperately.

 

[mike123abc]

No, they are connection CALs. TS licenses must be purchased seperately.

No wonder it is so confusing. If I understand it right now I need 3 licenses to have someone use Terminal Services:

1. A connection CAL (which comes with the server software)

2. A terminal services CAL

3. A user CAL (or device, but we will probably be better off using user).

This is before we even get to our application's licensing...

 

[StevenD]

Yes, you are correct. We use Citrix a lot, so we have to throw on Citrix connection licenses on top of all that.

 

[iwc5893]

Sounds like a good reason to switch to Linux.

 

[Pepper]

No wonder it is so confusing. If I understand it right now I need 3 licenses to have someone use Terminal Services:

1. A connection CAL (which comes with the server software)

2. A terminal services CAL

3. A user CAL (or device, but we will probably be better off using user).

This is before we even get to our application's licensing...

"1" is the server software itself, if it comes with 5 CALS that covers "3" and you can define those as either per device or per user. You then just need "2" which is the TS CALs.

 

[mike123abc]

"1" is the server software itself, if it comes with 5 CALS that covers "3" and you can define those as either per device or per user. You then just need "2" which is the TS CALs.

So, if I want 8 users, 5 max connected at once, I would need 10 CALS with the server software designated user and 5 TS CALs... right?