[windows software] Terminal Server Licensing

[glennda]

I am in the process of replacing 10 xp vm's with a windows server 2003 Terminal Server.

 

I have just spoken to somebody at a licensing company that said we need to purchase a connector license at £410 as the machines connecting to it will be staffs personal computers at home which are not licesnsed through our schools agreement, which I think personally is wrong and do you not just purchase some sort of CAL for connecting to a TS?

 

Am i wrong in the why i think the license works?

 

any help appreciated as i know the MS licensing is very awkward.

[SteveJ]

External connectors are for 'external users' ("An external user is a person who is not an employee, or similar personnel of the company or its affiliates, and is not someone to whom you provide hosted services using the server software".) Windows Server 2008 R2: External Connector Licensing

 

You'll need Windows Server User CAL's and RDS User CAL's to allow home use by staff members. You also need to make sure you have the correct windows licenses and any software licenses. Windows Server 2008 R2: Licensing Terminal Services

For Schools you're looking at around £4 for a Windows Server CAL and £12 for an RDS CAL.

 

EDIT: As you have a schools agreement, you may already be licensed for staff home use for Windows, Office and Windows server CALs so you'd just need to buy 10 RDS user CALs under the schools select agreement.

Edited November 26, 2010 by SteveJ

[glennda]

EDIT: As you have a schools agreement, you may already be licensed for staff home use for Windows, Office and Windows server CALs so you'd just need to buy 10 RDS user CALs under the schools select agreement.

 

Ok thats what i had presumed - looking at £120 rather then 400! but just having the 10 user cal's does that mean only a set 10 users can connect - or just max the connection to any 10 users?

[SteveJ]

Sorry, I was assuming it was ten staff members you wanted to connect. Each individual user that connects will need a CAL as the CALs are 'assigned' to each individual user.

 

The £410 connector looks more likely to be a Windows server External connector, a RDS connector would be over £1000.