THIN CLIENT LICENSING

[cookie_monster]

As far as I'm aware you don't need a Windows OS license for a Thin Client. You do need a Windows Server CAL however, as well as the TS CAL.

The confusion may be coming from the schools agreement talk. Because a schools agreement is very rigid in it's licensing terms if you want to license 100 copies of Office through it and then you want to also license Windows you have to license 100 copies. You can't mix and match numbers, so with a schools agreement you tend to over license when it comes to thin clients (because of the server CALs, office licensing etc) and so the thin clients end up with windows licenses as well.

I hope that made some sense :P

Ok i'll see what they say. A TS CAL and a server access CAL I can deal with it's the OS CAL bit that I can't (staring thoughtfully accross the room at the Ubuntu play box)

[Ric_]

I think the confusion is that you are thinking of the desktop license being just for the Windows upgrade license. Under Schools Agreement, you purchase a desktop pack with core CALs (or Enterprise CALs) and this gives you the following:
* Windows OS upgrade license
* Office
* Your selected CAL pack - see http://www.microsoft.com/calsuites/e...s/default.aspx for details of what that includes

If you run 'Remote Desktop Services' you will also need to license for that.

So if you have a mix of thin and fat clients you simply add them all up and purchase that many desktop licenses and that many RDS CALs.

[Soulfish]

I think the confusion is that you are thinking of the desktop license being just for the Windows upgrade license. Under Schools Agreement, you purchase a desktop pack with core CALs (or Enterprise CALs) and this gives you the following:
* Windows OS upgrade license
* Office
* Your selected CAL pack - see http://www.microsoft.com/calsuites/e...s/default.aspx for details of what that includes

If you run 'Remote Desktop Services' you will also need to license for that.

So if you have a mix of thin and fat clients you simply add them all up and purchase that many desktop licenses and that many RDS CALs.

But don't get the RDS CALs get the VDI Premium pack license. VDI pack is about 0.50/device/year under schools agreement whereas the RDS CAL is about 2.50/device/year. But the VDI premium pack gives you the RDS CAL and a load of other bits.

[Willott]

We're going to be looking at the SESP licensing this year, which seems to be what Microsoft are trying to combat the issues people had with thin clients. http://www.microsoft.com/uk/educatio...t/default.aspx. From what I understand, you can license bits of the school for bits of licensing (so only as many RDS CALs as needed for devices accessing TS, only as many Desktop licenses as required for fat clients).

However, there doesn't seem to be mention of licensing Office separately (which you'd probably need for machines accessing the TS). May be another option to ask your licensing supplier about.

[Ric_]

@Willott: I looked into SESP when I got my Schools Agreement and prices weren't really any different for what I needed... plus only a couple of resellers could offer it, reducing competition!

Speaking to Microsoft direct, I also discovered that they would prefer you to use a Schools Agreement over SESP (at least at the moment) so that you are entitled to other benefits.

I also believe that there's a push at the moment to get people away from SELECT onto Schools Agreement... your reseller can probably tell you more (Faith Warburton at Insight just happened to mention it to me during a conversation the other day).