How do you join a Mac to a Server 2008 domain

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Originally Posted by AntonioRocco

How can a Windows CAL work with any other operating system other than Windows?

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Sorry, some Windows-related confusion here: Windows Server requires a license (a Client Access License, CAL) for each client that connects to it. This is seperate from the license for Windows (or any any other operating system), and has nothing to do with any kind of serial number. There is no software mechanism in place to check on the number of CALs used, this is the kind of thing that would have to be checked by an audit of some kind.

I understood you needed a CAL for every device (or user) that authenticated against an active directory server - even your printers, if they have an AD integration feature.

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David Hicks

As far as I am aware this is correct. The mac guys are probably unfamiliar with the rip-off that are CALs. With a Mac Server CALs are not needed. I just explain CALs as a tax on the network cable that joins the 2, Windows (and other OS Clients) and AD Server, together.

For example A Windows 2003 server has 10 Clients accessing services on the AD Server. 5 Xp, 5 OS X 10.6. The total amount of CALs needed would be 10. Even though 5 are not Windows clients they still access the services on the AD Server. There's even more confusion when you have multiple services on one AD Server.

I think you then need more than 1 CAL for each client for each service being accessed on 1 AD Server.

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Originally Posted by HodgeHi

I think you then need more than 1 CAL for each client for each service being accessed on 1 AD Server.

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No, you need one Windows Server CAL for each client (of whatever OS) that authenticates against your Active Directory server. That covers that client connecting to as many servers in your domain as you like - one client can connect to half-a-dozen Windows file servers, if you like.

Some services are seperatly chargable - you need separate CALs for Terminal Services and SQL Server. Terminal Services will actually track CAL usage, unlike plain Server CALs.

There's a whole forum for this topic around here somewhere, we should probably move this part of the discussion over there.


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David Hicks

I was under the impression that you need to use CALs for file sharing services, print services amongst others. Does this mean that you would only need one CAL for these types of services since they all reside on 1 server?

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Originally Posted by dhicks

There's a whole forum for this topic around here somewhere, we should probably move this part of the discussion over there.

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Agreed :)

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Originally Posted by HodgeHi

Does this mean that you would only need one CAL for these types of services since they all reside on 1 server?

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Yes, you would just need the one Windows Server CAL (£5-ish or whatever it is each) per client, that would cover you for file sharing, printing, etc. Actually, it would cover you if you (sensibly) split each of those services on to a separate server, or multiple servers, even. You do, hwoever, need to upgrade your Windows Server CALs if you upgrade your Domain Controller - move from 2003 to 2008 and you have to re-buy CALs. You need seperate CALs for some services - Terminal Services, SQL Server, etc. The Wikipedia article might make a decent starting point:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client_Access_License

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David Hicks

Thanks for the clarification. Will remember that in the future. I have also split the services across multiple servers. This should save use some money. Thanks for the link also.

I think what Antonio is saying is correct - you dont need a CAL to authenticate/bind to AD. You do need a CAL if you connect to any file shares on Windows Server, but you can easily have the home shares on an OS X server, which is what we do.
I mean what about a open source NAS distro that can authenticate against AD for ACL's. Would you buy a CAL for that? I wouldnt...whether thats wrong I dont know, but I dont see why you would have to

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Thanks HodgeHi - my problem/challenge/issue is that the MAC keeps 'losing' it's connection/binding or whatever it is. I've done the rebinding a couple of times now but have to go back to square one each time. The last time it went I just gave the user a local account ie on the MAC, which he was happy with since all the stuff he was doing was on the MAC anyway. Now however, I've been asked by my boss why he can't get to the Network folders. So I have to address the issue again, which I was hoping to avoid to be honest as I have lots of other things to do.

Any help you can give would be much appreciated - I'm a Windows Network Tech not a MAC tech.

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If it keeps needing to be rebound to AD, check that you've set the timeserver source on the Mac to the same source as used for your Windows Clients.

Time source on the windows clients is the windows 2008R2 DC - can the mac synchronize to/from that?

Yep, click on clock on the mac, Open Date & Time, and type in the IP or DNS of your DC in the "Set Date & Time Automatically:" box.