Client-Side Licensing for Windows Server

[This report was edited after initial publication. See notes in italics below.]

Client-side licensing for Windows Server has remained fairly consistent over the past five years. Three different kinds of Client Access Licenses (CALs) and three different types of External Connectors (ECs) provide the right for clients to access Windows Server services. The chart summarizes client-side licensing for Windows Server 2008 through Windows Server 2012 R2, including which versions of licenses are required as well as license pricing. Prices quoted (in U.S. dollars) are for licenses purchased without Software Assurance (SA) through the Open License program (No Level, or NL, pricing) and represent the highest price a U.S. customer would pay when purchasing through volume licensing during the time the particular version was current.

CALs can be used to license both employee and nonemployee clients, while ECs license access by nonemployee users only. When licensing with CALs, the Windows Server CAL (which covers most Windows Server capabilities) is mandatory, while the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and Rights Management Services (RMS) CALs are optional. All three CALs are available either as User CALs or Device CALs, with the per-user approach more financially attractive when individuals employ multiple devices, such as desktops, tablets, and smartphones, and per-device a better approach for call centers, shop floor kiosks, and other scenarios where multiple people share the same device. Similarly, there are three parallel types of ECs covering core capabilities, RDS, and RMS. Each EC is assigned to a server rather than to a client and provides the right for an unlimited number of nonemployee users (such as suppliers or partners) to access all instances of Windows Server running on the physical server.