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Purchase client access licenses

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To purchase client access licenses

Note

  • You must purchase CALs and install them on the computer running Terminal Server Licensing. The Terminal Server license server then issues them to terminal servers for distribution to clients. For more information about purchasing and installing CALs on a license server, see Related Topics.

  • Verify that you have purchased enough CALs for the Terminal Server license server and that the Terminal Server Licensing mode matches the type of CAL available on the license server. Terminal Server licensing modes determine the type of CAL that a license server issues to a client. In Windows Server 2003, two types of CALs are available: Per User and Per Device. A Per Device CAL gives each client computer or device the right to access a terminal server that is running Windows Server 2003. A Per User CAL gives one user the right to access a terminal server from an unlimited number of devices. In this case, only one CAL is needed instead of a CAL for each device. Per User CALs are not monitored by Terminal Server. This means that even though there is a Per User CAL in the license server database, the Per User CAL is not decremented when it is used.

  • After you purchase CALs, make sure to retain the License Purchase Agreement information. Having this information with you will facilitate communication with the Microsoft Clearinghouse, should you need assistance with recovering CALs or other Terminal Server Licensing tasks that are supported by the Clearinghouse. The Microsoft Clearinghouse is the facility that Microsoft maintains to activate license servers, issue CALs to license servers, recover CALs, and reactivate license servers. For information about how to locate the Microsoft Clearinghouse telephone number for your region, see Related Topics.

  • For more information about Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing, see Guidelines for Deploying Terminal Server (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=34627) and Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server Licensing (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=26220).

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Locate the Microsoft Clearinghouse telephone number for your country or region
Required licenses
Install Client Access Licenses
Purchasing and installing client access licenses on a Terminal Server license server