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The function of Terminal Server CALs in Windows Server 2003

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 822134

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SUMMARY

This article describes the function of client access licenses (CALs) in the Terminal Server Licensing client licensing management system in Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

MORE INFORMATION

CALs in Windows Server 2003 are different from CALs in Microsoft Windows 2000. Windows 2000 only uses Device CALs. These CALs are tied to a device. Windows Server 2003 uses Device CALs, and it also uses a new client access license, User CALs. Device CALs in Windows Server 2003 function the same way that Device CALs in Windows 2000 do. User CALs, however, permit access to software by an individual user, instead of by a device.

User CALs allow customers more flexibility when they use Terminal Server in their environments. If a user logs on to more than one client computer, they use one User CAL. The User CAL is not stored in the registry on the client computer the way that a Device CAL is.

User CALs can only be installed on a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server Licensing server. User CALs cannot be issued to Windows 2000 terminal servers or to clients that access Windows 2000 terminal servers. If the network contains Windows 2000 terminal servers, the Windows Server 2003 Licensing server also has to contain Device CALs, not just User CALs.

Customers do not need a Device CAL and a User CAL to access a terminal server. The terminal server is set in the Terminal Services Configuration tool under Server settings\Licensing as to which type of CAL it will accept. You can set this to Per Device or Per User. This setting can be changed without requiring a restart of the terminal server. One terminal server cannot accept User CALs and Device CALs at the same time.

If the Terminal Server is in Per Device mode and your Licensing server only contains User CALs, you are only issued temporary licenses. When these temporary licenses are close to expiration, you see the following message in a pop-up window:
 

Your terminal services temporary client license will expire in N days. Please contact your system administrator to get a permanent license.

This message also appears in the application event log as:

Event Type: Information Event
Source: Application Popup
Event ID: 26
Description:
Application popup: Terminal Services
Warning : Your terminal services temporary client license will expire in N days. Please contact your system administrator to get a permanent license.

To correct this problem, switch the terminal server to Per User mode.

Similarly, Terminal Server clients that run Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 may receive the following error if the client cannot connect to the Terminal Server:

 

The remote session was disconnected because the local computer client access license could not be upgraded or renewed.

The following event is logged in the application event log on the Terminal Server computer:

Event Type: Information
Event Source: TermService
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1011
Date: 10/21/2003
Time: 8:23:13 AM
User: N/A
Description: The terminal server client useraccount has been disconnected because its temporary license has expired. For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

This problem may occur if the Licensing Mode in Terminal Services is set to Per Device, the Terminal Server Licensing server only has Per User CALS.

To correct this problem, change the Licensing Mode in Terminal Services Configuration to Per User. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Terminal Services Configuration.
  2. Click Server Settings, and then double-click Licensing Mode.
  3. Change the Licensing Mode to Per User, and then click OK.



Currently, Window Server 2003 does not manage User CALs. This means that even though there is a User CAL in the license server database, the User CAL will not be decremented when it is used. This does not remove administrators from End User License Agreement (EULA) requirements to have a valid terminal server (TS) CAL for each user. Failure to have a User CAL for each user, if Device CALs are not being used, is a violation of the EULA. In the future, this behavior will be changed and User CALs will be managed.

The following text is from the End User License Agreement (EULA) for Windows Server 2003:

Two different TS CALs are available to you: "Device" and "User." Each TS Device CAL permits one Device (used by any User) to conduct Windows Sessions on any of your Servers. Each TS User CAL permits one User (using any Device) to conduct Windows Sessions on any of your Servers. You may use a mix of TS Device CALs and TS User CALs simultaneously with the Server Software in your environment. You can have a Terminal Server request Per User licenses or Per Device (default) but not both simultaneously.

REFERENCES

For additional information about Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server Licensing, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/quickstart.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/techinfo/overview/termservlic.mspx

The information in this article applies to:

bulletMicrosoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
bulletMicrosoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
bulletMicrosoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
Last Reviewed: 5/14/2004 (7.0)
Keywords: kbDirServices KB822134 kbAudITPRO

Client Access Licensing

Microsoft offers flexible, cost-effective options for licensing the Windows Server 2003 family of products. Similar to previous Windows Server licensing models, one server license is required for each copy of the server software installed. In addition, a Windows Server 2003 Client Access License (CAL) is required for each user or device (or combination of both) that accesses or uses the server software.

Client Access Licensing Requirements

Client access licensing requirements have been updated for Windows Server 2003. In previous Windows Server licensing models, Windows CALs were automatically triggered when particular server services were invoked (such as file, print, remote access, and terminal services, as well as authenticated access).

With Windows Server 2003, CALs are no longer triggered based on the use of certain services but are instead based on access to and/or use of the server software. This holds true for all editions of Windows Server 2003, except Web Edition. Windows CALs are not required for Web Edition.

Note the following general exception to Windows CAL requirements: Windows CALs are not required when access to the server software is unauthenticated and conducted through the Internet. Authenticated access is defined as an exchange of user or application credentials between the server software and a user or device. An example of this exception would be if unidentified users browsed your public Web site. Windows CALs would not be required for those users.

Device-based vs. User-based Windows CALs

With the release of Windows Server 2003, there are now two types of Windows CALs to choose from—device-based or user-based, known as Windows Device CALs or Windows User CALs. This means you can choose to acquire a Windows CAL for every device (used by any user) accessing your servers, or you can choose to acquire a Windows CAL for every named user accessing your servers (from any device).

The option to choose between the two types of Windows CALs offers you the flexibility to use the licensing that best suits the needs of your organization. For example:

• Windows Device CALs might make most economic and administrative sense for an organization with multiple users for one device, such as shift workers.
• Whereas, Windows User CALs might make most sense for an organization with many roaming employees that need access to the corporate network from unknown devices and/or employees who access the network via multiple devices.

Client Access Licensing Modes

After you have selected a license type—Windows Device CAL or Windows User CAL, you have the option to use the server software in two different modes: Per User/Per Device mode or Per Server mode. Both modes are available for either type of license.

Per User or Per Device Mode

Per User/Per Device mode is defined as follows:

• A separate Windows CAL (of either type) is required for each user or device that accesses or uses the server software on any of your servers.
• The number of Windows CALs required equals the number of users or devices accessing the server software.
• If you choose this licensing mode, your choice is permanent. You can, however, reassign a Windows CAL from one device to another device or from one user to another user, provided the reassignment is made either (a) permanently away from the one device or user or (b) temporarily to accommodate the use of the Windows CAL either by a loaner device, while a permanent device is out of service, or by a temporary worker, while a regular employee is absent.

Per User/Per Device mode tends to be the most economical designation for Windows CALs in distributed computing environments where multiple servers within an organization provide services across most devices or users.

Note that Per User/Per Device mode replaces Per Seat mode, used in previous licensing models.

Per Server Mode

Per Server mode is defined as follows:

• A separate Windows CAL (of either type) is required for each user or device that accesses or uses the server software on any of your servers. (This does not change the per server connection allowance of one CAL per one connection.)
• The number of Windows CALs required equals the maximum number of users or devices that may simultaneously access or use the server software installed on a particular server. The Windows CALs you acquire are designated for use exclusively with a particular server.
• If you choose this licensing mode, you have a one-time right to switch to the other licensing mode—Per User/Per Device mode. Your Windows CALs (of either type) would then be used in Per User/Per Device mode instead.

Per Server mode tends to be the most economical designation for Windows CALs in computing environments where a small number of servers have limited access requirements.

Client access licensing overview
 

    


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Last modified: 05/14/12.