Situations That Use Up Licenses

The following is a list of many common situations that use up one or more licenses from the pool of available licenses in either Per Seat or Per Server mode or both modes. These are situations under which License Manager assigns licenses. They do not always coincide with when you legally use a license, such as what happens with license groups.

• • Disconnecting from a connection to basic network services on a Windows NT Server using the IPX protocol results in a license being held upon disconnection for up to the time value of the ConnectionlessAutoDisc function, which is a minimum of 15 minutes. In other words, this is the amount of time that it will take to free up that license for use by others, and you cannot shorten it. However, if you reconnect within that 15-minute period, you will use the same license and not consume another one. (Per Server only)
• • If you connect to a server from two different computers using the same username, that is considered two connections. (Per Server only)
• • If you are using SQL Server 6.0, to avoid incorrect license counts, you must use DBLIB 6.0 instead of DBLIB 4.2x, which requires updated DBLIB DLLs on the client computer. (Per Server only)
• • In Windows NT Workstation and Windows NT Server, using the net use command with the /u option could result in another license being assigned. This depends on the name you specify with the /u option, and only happens when a name other than the user's domain name is used. For an example, see the "Counting Connections Twice for Licensing" section later in this chapter. (Per Seat only)
• • The following list provides several examples of services whose connections use up from one to many licenses:
  • • NTBackup, when used to back up to a remote server. Local backups do not use up a license. (Both modes)
  • • SNA Server, when a client connects to an SNA Server (Both modes)
  • • Exchange Server, when an Exchange client connects to an Exchange Server (Both modes)
  • • SQL Server, when a client connects to an SQL Server (Both modes)
  • • A Remote Access Server (RAS) connection to a Windows NT Server using PPP or SLIP (Both modes)
  • • Macintosh connections using Services for Macintosh (Both modes)
  • • NetWare client connections using File and Print Services for NetWare (FPNW) (Both modes)
  • • File and print sharing connections to Windows NT Server using SMB (Server Message Block) (Both modes)
  • • UNIX connections using the Windows NT Server UNIX-LPD service for print sharing (Both modes)
  • • Microsoft logon scripts that exist on a Windows NT Server for execution on a workstation (Windows NT Workstation, Windows for Workgroups, or Windows 95) (Both modes)
  • • Configuring Windows 95 to authenticate to a Windows NT Server domain, due to the policy profile feature (Both modes)
  • • Systems Management Server (SMS), when workstations are inventoried (Per Seat only)

The following list provides several answers (but not all!) to the commonly asked question, "What situation does not use up a license?"

• • Connecting to a remote server's Registry
• • Remote administration of another computer using Performance Monitor, Server Manager, or User Manager for Domains
• • Local logons to a server
• • Using the FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet, and Winsock Internet utilities, unless they are connecting to a computer (or an application) that does use up a license
• • Using Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• • Using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• • Using Network Dynamic Data Exchange (NetDDE)
• • Using Remote Procedure Call (RPC), unless it connects to an application that does use up a license, such as SMB Server
• • Using Named pipes, unless they connect to a service that does use up a license
• • Connections to non-Microsoft server products, such as ORACLE®, unless they connect to an application that does use up a license