CAL...HELP!!! How many people are connected?

One of the clients I work for has an Win2k3 sbs server box. We only have 10 CAL right now, but this being an sbs server, it only has this stupid 'licensing wizard'. It doesn't allow me to view whether these Cals are per user, or device, and who / what they are currently attached to.

I read some funky garbage about being able to switch them but only during some kind of a support something or other. It was on Microsoft's site, but made no sense to me. *Edit* I left the licenses in their default state during install, which I know don't know which option that was.

I know that CAL's can only be switched one time from per server, to per user/device.

We keep having these printer 'access denied' messages, and one user who couldn't get exchange email for about 2 weeks (over the holiday).

The "Max Usage" was at 14, we are in the midst of purchasing more Cals, but this leaves me with three questions...

1. Are CAL's in per server mode immediately released (and made available for other people's use) when the client connection ends. When your finished printing, close an open folder share from the server etc.

2. How can I figure out how many people are currently connected to a server licensed in per server mode. I want to know every type of connection, and when it is released. Folder shares, Printer shares, Outlook, and TS apps running.

The best way that I found for the second one is to check sessions under shared folders, it is realtime, etc., but only good for file shares.

3. In per server mode, If a client has a shared network folder open (from server), a document printing, and outlook open, does that only take up 1 license, or 3?

This is driving me slightly insane. Any help's appreciated. Tia,

Redwraith94

I believe the CAL licencing has changed from server, to either user or device.

New installs are only user or device CAL's.

I also know that you are permitted to change your CAL choice once on a server. From one type to another.

There should be a licencing manager on that server which lists the CAL's, and a telephone call to India might be required to straighten out your issue.

Printers never use up a CAL.

Ok, thanks eaglescouter. I am not insane

The biggest problem for me then, is on these sBS boxes there is no licensing manager. Which is necessary to revoke / redistribute them. Normal 2k3 boxes Control Panel > Licensing, but on sbs it prompts:

"To add more licenses use the add/remove license wizard" (Which it unhelpfully doesn't add is located in Administrative Tools > Licensing.

The wizard is completely unhelpful, as it doesn't show what mode the licenses are in, or who is licensed, it only displays the current number installed, and max usage.

Do you have any ideas on how I can check the number of people / devices currently connected (not just licensed, though I can't do that either on sbs), where on sBS I have to go to switch license modes (for each group of 5 CALs I assume?)

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/sbs/evaluation/faq/licensing.mspx

Some insteresting stuff found in that faq, but it appears that there is no way to "see" if your CAL's were installed as device or user...... (hard to believe)

Q. Does SBS 2003 R2 provide a mechanism to track and display how many CALs are in use? No. The Licenses console displays the total number of CALs that have been activated on the server and maximum number of clients that were connected since the last server restart. This provides a quick indicator as to wether additional CALs should be purchased. It does not provide a real time license monitor. You will need to maintain records of what you have purchased, and how you have asigned the first 5 CALs that come with the server.

Q. If my business needs change, can I switch between user CALS and Device CALs? If you have Software Assurance for your SBS 2003 R2 CALs, you can only switch between CAL types when you renew your SA contract. If you do not have Software Assurance for your SBS 2003 R2 CALs, then you cannot switch between licence types. (This contradicts what I was told during MS online training briefings.)

If you still have the paperwork from the CAL purchase, they may show device or user as they are different sku's.

Hmm, that is pretty much what I got from it too. Why can't M$ make a nice little user interface that tells you all of it, in a nut shell. Absolutely annoying, I guess I was hoping that someone wrote a program that would tell you, it can't be that hard (compared to some) If the magical windows server knows when the licenses are all used up, it has to be reading that, and calculating from data stored somewhere.

It is so frustrating to see 'nearly out of licenses', and then the question which kind of licenses do we need? Is partially based on 'which kind of licenses do we already have? I wonder if we could uninstall licenses (say user) from server 1, uninstall device licenses from server 2, and then install them on each other? Is that legal, and possible? Who knows, does M$? LOL

I actually found a way to tell, When you start running out of access licenses, SBS server 2003 will give an error message (upon administrator login) that says something about a server licensed in 'per server' mode is running out of licenses.