Different products use different licensing models. A desktop PC program, such as Microsoft Office, will be licensed quite differently than a server product, such as Windows Server. There are nine licensing model categories. Expand each section below to learn more.
Online Services are subscription-based and provide access to software and services. Licensing under this model consists of one or more of the following:
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User or Device Subscription License (USL or DSL): For offerings that require these, USLs or DSLs are needed for each user or device that accesses the online service.
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Services Subscription License (SSL): For offerings that require these, this license applies to the entire organization's use of the online service. User, Device SLs or Add-on SLs may be required as well depending on the service offering.
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Add-On Subscription License (Add-on SL): This license sometimes is used instead of or in addition to USLs, DSLs, and SSLs. Its purpose varies. For example, it can apply to a specified number of consumed units, such as gigabytes of storage, or it can apply to a single server accessed by external users. Add-on subscription licenses are not always required.
With most products, you must assign a license to a server for each instance of the server software that you run on that server. You may run that instance in a physical or virtual operating system environment on that server. By exception to the licensing model, some products provide broader use rights. For example, a Windows Server 2008 Enterprise license permits a running instance in up to 4 virtual operating system environments at a time on the licensed server. With some products, such as Windows Server 2008 Datacenter, you may run any number of instances at the same time as long as you license each physical processor on the licensed server.
Except as outlined in the product use rights, all Server Operating System products require a CAL for each user or device that accesses the server software. There are two types of CALs: Device CALs and User CALs. You may license in either type but that selection must be determined at the time the license is acquired or Software Assurance is renewed.
CALs are version specific. They must be the same version or later than the server software being accessed. CALs permit access to servers licensed by the same entity. They do not permit access to another entity's licensed servers.
You may deploy network architectures that use hardware or software to reduce the number of devices or users that directly access the software on a server. This is referred to as multiplexing or pooling. However, this does not reduce the number of CALs required to access or use the server software. A CAL is required for each device or user that is connected to the multiplexing or pooling software or hardware front end.
An External Connector (EC) license is an alternative to CALs for each server that external users will access. External users are users who are not employees or onsite contractors. An EC license assigned to a server permits access by any number of external users, as long as that access is for the benefit of the licensee and not the external user. Each physical server that external users access requires only one EC license regardless of the number of instances running. The right to run instances of the server software is licensed separately; the EC, like the CAL, simply permits access. EC licenses, like CALs, are version and functionality specific. They must be the same version or later than the server software being accessed. The decision on whether to acquire CALs or an EC for external users is primarily a financial one.
You must assign a license to a server for each instance of the management server software that you run on that server. You may run that instance in a physical or virtual operating system environment on that server.
Except as outlined in these product use rights, all Management Server products require management licenses for each device managed by the server software. There are two categories of management licenses: one for servers and one for non-servers.
A. Licenses required for managed servers
For each server operating system environment (OSE) on a device that you wish to manage, you will need a server management license (ML). If you have more than one OSE, you will need an equivalent number of MLs for that device. A single System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise license may be used to manage any number of OSEs on a server. Server MLs also permit management of non-server OSEs.
B. Licenses required for non-servers
For each non-server OSE on a device that you wish to manage, you will need a client ML. There are two types of client MLs: OSE MLs and User MLs.
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OSE MLs: Like Server MLs where the required number of MLs equals the number of OSEs, you will need an OSE client ML for each non-server OSE you wish to manage on a device. Your OSE client MLs permit your instances of the server software to manage an equivalent number of non-server OSEs used by any users of a device.
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User MLs: Alternatively, you may choose to use user client MLs. These MLs permit the management of any non-server OSEs used by each user to whom a user client ML is assigned. If you have more than one user using an OSE, and you are not licensing by OSE, you must assign user client MLs to each of the users.
The Core CAL and the Enterprise CAL Suite licenses also permit management of any number of non-server OSEs on a device under one license (per device).
With most Microsoft Server/CAL products, you must assign a license to a server for each instance of server software you run on that server. You may run that instance in a physical or virtual operating system environment on that server. By exception to the licensing model, some products provide broader use rights. For example, a SQL Server Enterprise license permits you to run any number of instances of the server software in one physical and any number of virtual operating system environments on the licensed server.
Except as outlined in the product use rights, all Server/CAL products require a CAL for each user or device that accesses any instance of the server software. There are two types of CALs: Device CALs and User CALs. You may license in either type but that selection must be determined at the time the license is acquired or Software Assurance is renewed.
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Device CAL: Licenses a device for use by any user to access instances of the server software on licensed servers
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User CAL: Licenses one user to use any device to access instances of the server software on licensed servers
CALs are version and functionality specific. They must be the same version or later than the server software being accessed. CALs permit access to servers licensed by the same entity. They do not permit access to another entity's licensed servers.
You may deploy network architectures that use hardware or software to reduce the number of devices or users that directly access the software on a server. This is referred to as multiplexing or pooling. This does not reduce the number of CALs required to access or use the server software. A CAL is required for each device or user that is connected to the multiplexing or pooling software or hardware front end.
An External Connector (EC) license is an alternative to CALs for each server that external users will access. External users are users who are not employees or onsite contractors. An EC license assigned to a server permits access by any number of external users, as long as that access is for the benefit of the licensee and not the external user. Each physical server that external users access requires only one EC license regardless of the number of instances running. The right to run instances of the server software is licensed separately; the EC, like the CAL, simply permits access. EC licenses, like CALs, are version and functionality specific. They must be the same version or later than the server software being accessed. The decision on whether to acquire CALs or an EC is primarily a financial one.