Do i really need CAL license do active direcory?

Question

Hi There,

Here i have question regarding CAL license. My organization have 50+ users and computers.
I have a licensed window server 2019 and i wanted to manage my organization user accounts and computers using active directory.
My question is do i really need CAL license for each user?

if yes, Please clarify below questions:

1- What is CAL license and why we need to purchase the license since we already have licensed window server?

2- What type of CAL license should i buy?

3- How many CAL license should i buy ?

4- How to buy CAL license?

5- How to install CAL license?

Thanks . Hope you will give good clarification

Answer 1

Hi @Sivaneswaran Talulanathan
Thank You for posting in Q & A.

Domain Controller is accessed by admins only. There is a default 2 user CAL for each server for management. Yes, you'll need a CAL for each user that connects

Qns -Do i need to purchase CAL for the each user/computer adding to Active directory?
Ans- No; you don't need purchase CAL for each user/computer adding to AD.

1- What is CAL license and why we need to purchase the license since we already have licensed window server?
Ans- Microsoft requires that every user or device that uses a service hosted on Windows Server have a license, called a Client Access License. You need CALs to make any use out of Windows Server.
All users/devices that connect to your domain are required to have a Client Access License (CAL). This is specific to the client machine

2- What type of CAL license should i buy?
Ans- CALs (Client Access License) depends on your requirements, you may use per user CALs or per device CALs. You need to check which way is more comfortable to you.
When you decide to use per user licensing then you need to buy as many CALs as you have users in your domain. This case is better to use in case of having more computers/devices than users in your environemnt.
The second case, per device licensing is better if you have more users than computers/devices. Then each device should have CAL bought.

3- How many CAL license should i buy ?
Ans- This is for example:
You have 200 Windows 10 clients with 5 Server 2012 R2 DC's, you will need 200 CAL's. Soon you decide that you want to upgrade your 5 DC's to server 2016. Even though the clients are staying at Windows 10 and you have CAL's to talk to the 2012 o/s, you will need to purchase 200 new CAL's for the clients to talk to the 2016 DC's.

4- How to buy CAL license?
Ans- Refer- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/94452/buy-windows-server-2019-license-understanding-cal.html

5- How to install CAL license?
Ans- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/remote/remote-desktop-services/rds-install-cals
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-sg/000139151/windows-server-2008r2-and-2012-how-to-activate-a-remote-desktop-services-license-server-and-install-cals

Refer - https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/611193b5-c10e-4be6-b3c1-ffa7057fb2dd/ad-usercomputer-licensecal?forum=winserverDS

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Answer 2

Windows CALs are for either user or device server access. Some info here on windows CALS

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/product-licensing/client-access-license

Better to direct legal licensing questions to a trained microsoft licensing specialist or ask microsoft directly.

https://www.microsoft.com/Licensing/servicecenter/Help/Contact.aspx

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