Microsoft Licensing

Software for a network environment can typically be divided into the four categories listed at the top of the next page.

• Server software Servers that contain information and provide services
  
  
• Client access A client’s connection to the server information and services
  
  
• Server-based application software Applications that run from a server
  
  
• Workstation-based application software Applications that run on the local workstation

Networking software is commonly sold in a single package that contains the server license and a fixed number of client-connection licenses. You need to plan your environment so that you’ll know how many client-connection licenses you’ll need to purchase. If you don’t do your homework, you might end up paying for a lot of extra licenses that you don’t need or purchasing too few licenses and then having a difficult time when you try to upgrade.

You purchase networking software with a server license and a limited number of access licenses.

Microsoft allows you to purchase licenses on an as-needed basis. The server and client components must be licensed separately and are independent of the desktop operating system software you use to connect to Microsoft server products. Purchasing Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, or any other desktop operating system (such as Macintosh) that allows you to connect to a Microsoft server product does not constitute a legal license to connect to those products. In addition to purchasing a license for the desktop operating system, you must also purchase sufficient client-access licenses.

Even if you have a desktop operating system, you need a client-access license.

As illustrated in Figure 5-1 on the following page, Microsoft offers two licensing schemes for its server products:

• Per-seat licenses With the per-seat option, you obtain one license for each user who can log on to your network. These users access any server that might be connected to your network. Essentially, you’ve obtained a license for each workstation on your network.

FIGURE 5-1

Per-seat and per-server client access licenses

• Per-server licenses With per-server licenses, a maximum number of users are allowed to connect to the licensed server at a time. If you have more than one server, you must obtain connection licenses for each server. For ex-ample, if you’ve licensed your server for 15 concurrent connections, a maximum of 15 users can log on to that server at one time. If you purchase another server, you need to purchase another 15-user license for that server as well.

This example of per-server licensing is in the context of a license for connecting workstations to a server. Software publishers can also use the per-server licensing model for application software.

Every server requires the maxi-mum number of connections for per-server licensing.

The decision to use per-seat or per-server licensing depends on the relationship between the number of workstations and the number of servers on your network. To figure out which licensing option best suits your environment, you need to do some math. Because you must have connection licenses for each server, multiply the number of connection licenses you need for peak usage by the number of servers you have. If that number exceeds the number of workstations, you’re better off using the per-seat licensing option. For example, let’s assume that you have two servers, each with a different set of applications accessed by your users, with 15 connection licenses per server and 25 workstations. In this scenario, you’re better off going with the per-seat option because you need only 25 licenses whereas with the per-server option you would need 30 licenses.

Microsoft permits you to convert from per-server mode to per-seat mode at no additional cost. This option is a one-time, one-way conversion, however. If you do elect to make this change, you don’t need to notify Microsoft. Keep in mind that you are not legally permitted to change the licensing mode from per seat to per server.

You can convert from per-server to per-seat licensing once legally.