Client Access Licensing

[ertaboy356b]

So I somehow created a Client-Server program on a company I am currently working. So, on deployment day, there was a fuss that my program needed CAL licenses.

Ok so I told them that I created that program, so why do I need a CAL license? Then I told them that we can use a Windows Desktop OS as the server then move on. They insisted on CAL and I don't understand why. They've shown a lot of stuff but it was too ambiguous to understand completely. So I did researched on my own and found this:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mssmallbiz/archive/2007/11/06/5942350.aspx

This sentence says, "A Client Access License (CAL) is a license granting access to certain Microsoft server software". So from the sentence alone, you will know that CAL is only required for Microsoft server software. Doing a search about Microsoft servers, google points me to this site: http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/products/servers/Pages/index.aspx#fbid=Wf6k8-98D65 which clearly is a microsoft product listing site. On that site, you'll see the "Microsoft server" is clearly a Microsoft Product line.

Any thoughts about this? Do I need CAL or not? I am confused, and so is the technical team.

 

[The Helper]

The Client Access license gives you the authority to use the Server. It has nothing to do with the Software you wrote. In other words, Microsoft is charging your business for each user using the server. If your program lives on the server you will need a CAL for each station accessing the server - but if they are already are using the server and already have a CAL then you will not need another one. In general - you need one CAL for each station in your business that is networked to your server. If you are distributing your application to persons outside your network and they are going to access your server you need a CAL for them.

In other words, CAL is a server license for people to access and use the server and you need a license for each user that is going to do it. Once again this is outside your software - it is needed because your software is using the server.

 

[ertaboy356b]

The Client Access license gives you the authority to use the Server. It has nothing to do with the Software you wrote. In other words, Microsoft is charging your business for each user using the server. If your program lives on the server you will need a CAL for each station accessing the server - but if they are already are using the server and already have a CAL then you will not need another one. In general - you need one CAL for each station in your business that is networked to your server. If you are distributing your application to persons outside your network and they are going to access your server you need a CAL for them.

In other words, CAL is a server license for people to access and use the server and you need a license for each user that is going to do it. Once again this is outside your software - it is needed because your software is using the server.

Hi, I need a clarification on this. Does your server need to be a Windows Server 2008, etc.. What if I am using a Window XP Professional machine as a server? Does that count?

 

[The Helper]

You have to get the license for whatever server you are going to use. Call Microsoft and ask them for a Volume LIcensing reseller contact and ask them all your questions he will have the answers