Re: Confused about CALs

comments inline

=?Utf-8?B?VG9tIEU=?= <TomE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 05
okt 2006 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

Vera,
Thank you very much for your response. It sure clears up a lot.
Three follow up questions, if I may:

1) You mention that the 5 CALs that come with the server do not
expire and the CALs do not need to be activated, yet my vendor's
documentation talks about a 90 grace period for CALs. What
happens after 90 days?

That's incorrect. Probably a typo and should read TS CALs there.

2) You also mentioned that "Per Device TS CALs are enforced (so
they expire after 52-89 days.." The vendor documentation
indicates that "An unactivated License Server provides temporary
(on grace period) TS CALs that expire 120 days from the first
Terminal Services client connection. The Terminal Services
License Server must be activated within 120 days of using the
Terminal Services. After this time, the Terminal Server refuses
connections to clients without activated TS CALs." Is the
52-89 day expiration you mentioned the same as the 120 day
expiration that the vendor indicates, or am I mixing apples and
oranges?

Those are 2 completely different things. Your vendor is using the
terms a bit sloppy, though, which doesn't make it easier for your
to get the picture.
You really should read the Licensing White Paper, which explains it
all in detail:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/termse
rvlic.mspx

but here are the basics:

* Terminal Server can function for 120 days without a Licensing
Server at all. This is called the grace period.
* After 120 days, you *must* install and activate a TS Licensing
Server. If you do not simultaneously install TS CALs on the
licensing server, the LS will issue temporary licenses to the
clients. These temporary licenses are valid for 90 days. After
that, the show is over :-)
* When you have installed your TS CALs on the LS, they will be
issued to the clients. These TS CALs expire after a random period
of 52-89 days, and active clients will automatically refresh them,
starting 7 days prior to the expiration date. If a client does not
connect to the Terminal Server during this last week, then the
license is returned to the pool of licenses on the LS, and it is
available again for the next client (or the same client, when it
connects later).
Compare this with leased IP numbers by a DHCP server. The
expiration and refresh mechanism is implemented to prevent that a
license is permanently issued to a client, and this lost when the
client crashes and is discarded (that's exactly what happens in W2K
TS, prior to SP3).

3) The vendor documentation makes me believe that activating the
License Server is the same as activating the TS CALs. I guess I
thought that they were two separate activations?

Yes, they are different, and you can separate them in time, but
it's very often a combined action. If you have already bought the
TS CALs, there's no need to wait for the last second with
installing your licenses.
Do use the grace period for testing, though, especially if you run
the LS on the same server as the TS. You might have to re-install
the TS if something goes wrong, and if your licenses are already
installed, you would then have to phone the Clearinghouse to get
them re-issued.

_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: can someone help clear this up?
    ... Terminal Services Client Access Licenses are assigned to the client, ... The Terminal Services License Server ...
    (microsoft.public.win2000.termserv.clients)
  • Re: Terminal Server 2000 in Workgroup to 2003 Domain
    ... state office kept logging on without pulling CALS or Built In Licenses. ... The MS Support person was not able to fix the problem of XP Pro clients ... Now we have an existing client with a temporary license. ... MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
  • Re: per Device CAL
    ... >>> from a non-authorized client. ... >>> Let me give you an example: assume that you have 10 TS CALs, ... >>> thanks to its temporary license. ... >>> Noest MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
  • Re: Client disconnected problem
    ... Resetting a thin client to the factory default is ... That would lead to the issueing of a new license (the ... MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server ... Client on the PPC. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
  • Re: per Device CAL
    ... non-authorized client. ... CALs for the first time. ... returned to the Licensing Server. ... client 11 will get its temporary license ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services)
Loading