Which RDS CALs 2008 R2 license is right for me?

Windows Server operating system licenses only allow the operating system to run on the physical server of the license purchaser. It does not give legal rights for users or devices to connect to it.

To allow users or devices to access the server and use certain services, you need to purchase separate licenses.

A User-CAL grants a license for you to access the server. You can access as many different endpoints as you like because the CAL is linked to you, not the device. An endpoint Device-CAL is for the device to access the server. People using this device do not need a User-CAL.

Which one suits my business?

It all depends on whether you have more employees or more devices. It also depends on the environment in which you work, whether employees need to connect from outside the company or from the same location.

For example:

• If you have fewer employees than devices, choose User-CAL, or if your workspace requires you to connect from other devices to the server, this would be your best option.
• If you have fewer devices than users, choose Device-CAL or if your employees are in the same location but have different schedules and several people use the same device, this would be the best choice.

User RDS CALs License

When using the user RDS CALs license, licensing is not enforced and a license is granted to each user to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host from any number of devices. The license server issues licenses from the available RDS CAL pool or the overused RDS CAL pool. It is your responsibility to ensure that all users have a valid license and no overused CALs. Otherwise, you will be infringing the Remote Desktop Services licensing terms.

For most businesses, the user RDS CALs license option is the most cost-effective, as they typically have employees accessing servers through various devices. Think of an employee accessing their email on their desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile during a typical week. A single user RDS CALs license would suffice to cover that employee, but if used per device, you

Device RDS CALs License

When using the device model, a temporary license is issued the first time a device connects to a Remote Desktop Session Host. The second time the device connects, as long as the license server is activated and there are available RDS CALs, the license server issues a permanent Device RDS CAL.

The Device RDS CALs License is suitable when you have a large number of employees using a limited number of computers. Some examples of this are: a kiosk in a shopping centre with part-time employees coming and going throughout the week, a maintenance team using a shared PC to clock in or out, or a company operating 24/7 with a day shift and a night shift using the same PCs.