Microsoft Server 2003 Enterprise edition

[sonoma1993]

For my capstone class, we have to design a network for a school that expanding from 1 campus to 5 campus. I'm currently working on trying to solve our license issues with server 2003 enterprise edition and cals. Currently we are with 40 servers for this project. 30 of the servers are running intel quad core xeon chips(single socket socket setup) while the other ten servers are running two intel quad core xeon (dual socket). According to the program I found on microsoft server 2003 website, it said i'll need 50 microsoft server 2003 enterprise editions. One license is only valid for one socket, so the 10 servers with the dual sockets need two license each correct?

Now for the CAL license issue. Each of our 50 copies of Server 2003 enterprise edition comes with 25 CALS. Now is the 25 CALS only valid for one server 2003 install? Or will the 25cals from each server 2003 install transfer over to the main domain controller(active directory), once all the other domain controllers from each campus join the main campus domain? We need around 900 CALS, about 220 for each campus.

 

[RebateMonger]

Microsoft has web pages discussing licensing and CALs.

Here's a good place to start.

Enterprise Edition supports up to eight CPU SOCKETS. All Microsoft OSes are licensed by physical processor (a filled socket).

The number of CALS that you need will depend greatly on your licensing mode: Per Server, Per User, or Per Device. If you have many servers, it's usually cheaper to use either Per User or Per Device licensing.

You'd use Per User licensing if you have fewer Users than Devices (PCs). You'd use Per Device licensing if you have fewer Devices than Users. Each of those CALS can be used in any of the various licensing modes.

You already own 1250 CALs. As long as you have less than 1250 PCs accessing your Servers, or as long as you have less than 1250 Users accessing your Servers, you should be set.

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: RebateMonger
Microsoft has web pages discussing licensing and CALs.

Here's a good place to start.

Enterprise Edition supports up to eight CPU SOCKETS. All Microsoft OSes are licensed by physical processor (a filled socket).

The number of CALS that you need will depend greatly on your licensing mode: Per Server, Per User, or Per Device. If you have many servers, it's usually cheaper to use either Per User or Per Device licensing.

You'd use Per User licensing if you have fewer Users than Devices (PCs). You'd use Per Device licensing if you have fewer Devices than Users. Each of those CALS can be used in any of the various licensing modes.

You already own 1250 CALs. As long as you have less than 1250 PCs accessing your Servers, or as long as you have less than 1250 Users accessing your Servers, you should be set.

thanks rebatemonger

 

[RebateMonger]

You are welcome.

Note that if you have 40 Servers, you'll only need 40 copies of Enterprise Server. That'd give you 1000 CALs, which is likely enough if, as noted, you only have 1000 unique Users or unique Devices that will be accessing the Servers. The 1000 CALs will give ALL of those Users (or Devices) the right to access ALL of your Servers at any time. If you need extra CALs, you'd normally just buy the CALs and not buy the entire Server 2003 package. Microsoft's requires that you have a license for the Server software (for each Server), plus adequate CALs to cover your Users, Devices, or simultaneous connections.

The alternative that I discarded earlier was the "Per Server" licensing mode. With 40 copies of Enterprise Server, that'd basically give you the right to have 25 SIMULTANEOUS CONNECTIONS to each of your 40 Servers. You could move some of those 25 licenses to another Server, but then the original Server would have fewer allowable connections. Like I said earlier, Per Server mode is usually only useful in special circumstances, like a Departmental Server that will never see more than a few simultaneous connections. If you have many Users and they'll be accessing many of your Servers (such as Domain Controllers, Data Servers, File Servers, and Print Servers), then "Per Server" mode isn't for you.