Windows Server for FTP and CAL

Question

Hello,

I am planning to set up an FTP or SFTP server using your Windows Server product. I would like to inquire about how many Client Access Licenses (CALs) will be required for this setup.

In my development environment, approximately 60 devices need to connect to the FTP server simultaneously. Do I need a separate CAL for each client accessing the FTP server? Additionally, I would like to know if there are any restrictions on the number of concurrent connections to the FTP server based on the CALs.

Thank you for your assistance.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello,

As far as I know, when FTP or SFTP is used for file sharing, the client does not need to access the resources on the server through the remote desktop. They allow clients to directly access and transfer files on the server over the network.

Remote Desktop services give users access to all of your applications, files, and network resources on the server (more comprehensive, but with a corresponding increase in deployment costs). For simpler needs like file sharing, other solutions such as network file shares or cloud storage services might be more cost-effective and easier to manage. You can choose based on long-term production environment requirements.

I'm sorry but FTP environment deployment is not a topic of my research, I suggest you ask questions in the following forum:

Internet Information Services - Microsoft Q&A

This platform hosts experts who can provide detailed guidance tailored to your situation, ensuring a more precise and effective solution.

Best regards,

Jacen

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community forum.

First, it is recommended that you consider using the appropriate type of RDS CAL for your remote server environment. If you are using servers that have joined a domain for RDS deployment, you can use both per-user and per-device CAL. If you use a workgroup server for RDS deployment, you must use per-device CAL, in which case per-user CAL is not allowed. RDS per-user CAL is used to assign users in Active Directory (AD).

The per-device model is suitable for environments where two or more shifts use the same computer to access the RD session host. The per-user model works best in environments where each user has their own dedicated Windows device to access the RD session host.

You mentioned that there are 60 devices that need to connect to the FTP server at the same time. If you choose to deploy a device CAL, then each client accessing the FTP server requires a separate RDS device CAL. Once deployed, these local client devices will allow an unlimited number of users to initiate remote sessions here. If you choose to deploy user CAL, purchase the corresponding number of CAL based on the actual number of users in the AD.

Regarding the limitation of RDS CAL on the number of concurrent connections to FTP server, from the perspective of CAL issuing mechanism, the device or user that has issued CAL can access the remote server concurrently without limitation. In fact, the maximum number of concurrent sessions depends on your server resources, and you can test server resource bottlenecks before the device goes into production:

Monitor performance of remote computers - Windows Server | Microsoft Learn

Reference:

License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs) | Microsoft Learn

Cannot connect to RDS because no RD Licensing servers are available - Windows Server | Microsoft Learn

I hope this helps.

Best regards

Jacen

Answer 3

Thank you for your quick response. Your answer has been very helpful.

I have a couple of additional questions:

1. Even if the FTP Server and the devices are on the same network (e.g., 192.168.0.XXX), is an RDS CAL still required?
2. According to the reference you provided, clients without a CAL can temporarily access the system for up to 120 days. Once the temporary license expires, will access to the FTP Server be restricted?

Thanks.

Answer 4

Hello,

As far as I know, clients on the same network can access the FTP server directly, as long as they can connect to the server through an IP address and the firewall and router configuration on the server side allows this communication.

When using RDS to remotely access an FTP server, if you do not deploy a valid CAL after the temporary license expires, access to the remote desktop server will be restricted and users will no longer be able to use the RD session to access the system. If you just access the FTP server directly through a normal FTP client, without RDS, then this access does not require RDS CAL.

Best regards,

Jacen

Answer 5

Hello, and thank you so much for your response.

After reviewing your answer, I found a few points that are somewhat unclear, so I would like to clarify them again.

First, here is the setup I am working with: I plan to set up an FTP or SFTP server on a Windows Server to share files with around 60 devices. Both the server and the clients are on an internal local network (for example, 192.168.0.xxx).

Based on your first response, it seems that purchasing a CAL per device would be the most appropriate solution. Furthermore, after reviewing several documents, it appears that regardless of whether the network is internal or external, an RDS CAL is required to set up FTP/SFTP on a Windows Server.

However, in your second response, it seems that you are suggesting that if both the server and the clients are on an internal local network, and if I configure the firewall or router correctly, I may be able to use FTP/SFTP for simultaneous file sharing with multiple clients without needing an RDS CAL.

Given the setup I mentioned earlier, I am unclear whether an RDS CAL is absolutely necessary. I would greatly appreciate it if you could clarify this for me.

Thank you again for your time and assistance.