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CLIENT ACCESS LICENSE

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recent events or newly available information. (March 2021)

A client access license (CAL) is a commercial software license that allows
client computers to use server software services. Most commercial desktop apps
are licensed so that payment is required for each installation, but some server
products can be licensed so that payment is required for each device or user
that accesses the service provided by the software. For example, an instance of
Windows Server 2016 for which ten User CALs are purchased allows 10 distinct
users to access the server.


CONTENTS

 * 1 Licensing
 * 2 Enforcement
 * 3 Types
 * 4 Combined schemes
 * 5 Software editions
 * 6 Terminal Services
 * 7 See also
 * 8 References
 * 9 Further reading


LICENSING[EDIT]

Main article: Software license

Commercial apps are licensed to end users or businesses: in a legally binding
agreement between the proprietor of the software (the "licensor") and the end
user or business (the "licensee"), the licensor gives permission to the licensee
to use the app under certain limitations, which are set forth in the license
agreement. In case of Microsoft, the consumer retail or "off-the-shelf" products
generally use very similar licence agreements, allowing the licensee to use the
software on one computer, subject to the usual terms and conditions. For
businesses however, Microsoft offers several types of licensing schemes for a
range of their products, which are designed to be cost effective, flexible, or
both.[1]

Commercial server software, such as Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005
require licenses that are more expensive than those which are purchased for
desktop software like Windows Vista. All clients that connect to these server
products must have a license to connect in order to use their services. These
special purpose licenses come in the form of a CAL.


ENFORCEMENT[EDIT]

A CAL legally permits client computers to connect to commercial server software.
They usually come in the form of a certificate of authenticity (CoA) and a
license key, which is sometimes attached to the certificate itself. The various
editions of most of Microsoft's server software usually include a small number
of CALs, and this allows the software to be used by either a few users or a few
computers, depending on the CAL licensing mode. If more clients need to access
the server, then additional CALs must be purchased.

Microsoft Server products require a CAL for each unique client regardless of how
many will be connecting at any single point in time.[2] Some of Microsoft's
server software programs do not require CALs at all, as is the case of Windows
Server Web Edition. Microsoft SQL Server can be licensed for CALs, or
alternatively by CPU cores.


TYPES[EDIT]

CALs apply to either a "device" (as defined in the license agreement) or a
"user". A business is free to choose either mode.

With user CALs, each CAL allows one user to connect to the server software
whenever they need to. Once the CAL has been allocated to that user, it cannot
be used by another user. Any number of CALs can be purchased to allow five, five
hundred, or any number of users to connect to the server. With user CALs, each
user can connect to the server software from any number of devices. The devices
are not counted, but only a set number of users can connect.

Per-device mode operates in much the same way, but limits the number of devices
which can connect, rather than the number of users. One CAL enables one device
to connect to and use the server software, regardless of how many users connect
from that particular device.

Although User and Device CALs are currently the same price, they may not be used
interchangeably, and cannot be switched without buying new CALs. The price of
User CALs has increased since December 2012 (in the UK), although the device CAL
remains the same.


COMBINED SCHEMES[EDIT]

The Core CAL is a special CAL offered by Microsoft through corporate license
agreements such as Enterprise, Select or Open Value. The Core CAL, is a
combination of CALs for Windows Server, Exchange Server, SharePoint Server,
System Center Configuration Client Management License, Lync Server and Forefront
Endpoint Subscription License. Core CALs are approximately 30 percent cheaper
than the sum of the aforementioned licenses.

With the release of the 2007 products, Microsoft started offering the Enterprise
CAL Suite. The Enterprise CAL Suite combines 15 CALs, including the Core CAL
combination, Enterprise functionality of Exchange, Lync and SharePoint Servers,
as well as System Center Data Protection Manager, Operation Manager and Service
Manager Client Management Licences.[3] As for the Core CALs, Enterprise CALs are
only available through Open, Enterprise or Select agreements.


SOFTWARE EDITIONS[EDIT]

CALs usually enable connectivity to server software regardless of the edition of
the software.[4] For example, CALs purchased to enable client connectivity with
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition can be used with Windows Server 2003
Datacenter Edition. However, backwards compatibility is generally assured. For
example, Windows Server 2012 CALs can not only be used to access servers running
on Windows Server 2012, but they can be used to access one of the servers
running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2003 and any
previous versions at any given time.


TERMINAL SERVICES[EDIT]

Terminal Services is a function of Microsoft Windows that allows several types
of connections to the server components of the system. Windows Server versions
prior to 2003 do not necessarily require the use of specialized Terminal
Services CALs; rather, clients which are of at least the same or lower version
of the operating system are allowed access automatically. For example, Windows
NT 4.0 clients may connect to Windows NT 4.0 terminal servers but not Windows
2000 or later; Windows 2000 or Windows XP clients may connect to Windows NT 4.0
or Windows 2000 terminal servers. This is called the equivalency license.[5]

The system for enforcing the number of TS CALs ("Microsoft Enforced Licensing")
used on versions later than NT was abused by the "FLAME" malware, leading to a
patch in 2012 restricting the Certificate Creation system used for Terminal
Services.

The number of per-user TS CALs on Windows 2008 is not enforced: supposedly, this
was because Microsoft did not have time to finalize technical enforcement before
the release of the operating system.[6]


SEE ALSO[EDIT]

 * Copyright


REFERENCES[EDIT]

 1. ^ Microsoft Licensing
 2. ^ Microsoft CAL Licensing Guide, Microsoft
 3. ^ http://www.mslicensing.fr/theorie/core-cal-vs-enteeprise-cal[permanent
    dead link] Differences between Core CAL and Enterprise CAL (in French)
 4. ^ Volume Licensing for Microsoft Products and Online Services, Microsoft
 5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-02-12. Retrieved
    2010-02-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
 6. ^ Changes to Windows Server 2008 Terminal Server Licensing (Part 2) Archived
    2012-09-06 at archive.today


FURTHER READING[EDIT]

 * "Understanding Microsoft CALs and External Connector Licenses (Part 1)",
   Network World, 2010

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