We get many questions about Microsoft per user licenses (i.e. Remote Desktop Services CALs/SALs) and whether they are for concurrently users or named users – Microsoft only licenses RDS user licenses on a per unique end-user basis so every user that is defined on the server needs a license.
- Sep 20, 2018 The RD Session Host server then requests an RDS CAL from the Remote Desktop license server. If an appropriate RDS CAL is available from a license server, the RDS CAL is issued to the client, and the client is able to connect to the RD Session Host server and from there to the desktop or apps they're trying to use.
- A Client Access License (CAL) Suite is a single license that provides use rights that are equivalent to multiple licenses. Like other CALs, CAL Suites can be licensed on either a per-user or per-device basis. CAL Suites simplify licensing and tracking by reducing the number of licenses that are necessary to access Microsoft servers.
- Choose from three primary editions of Windows Server based on the size of your organization, as well as virtualization and datacenter requirements. To give you a more consistent licensing experience across multi-cloud environments, we transitioned from processor-based licensing to core-based.
- RDS Subscriber Access License Qty 3000 @ $3.50/each = $10,500 Windows 2008 R2 Enterprise Processor license Qty 16 @ $47/each = $752 SQL Server Standard 2-core license Qty 4 @ $ 120/each = $ 480. TOTAL: $11,732. 24 months = $281,568. Something to keep in mind is that the above is based on 3000 users from the start.
- The Windows Server Standard-to-Datacenter Step-up, which allows SA customers to exchange one Standard edition license for one Datacenter edition license. The cost of an RDS 2012 CAL will go up 20% in Nov. RDS 2012 User CALs will rise from US$98 to US$118, and Device CALs from US$85 to US$102.
Any device that utilizes any RDS service needs an RDS CAL - either by the device itself having a Device CAL or the user having a User CAL. Doesn't matter how many are connected concurrently.
'It's an application server, so obviously every user I have will need the ability to connect to the server via RDP.'
They will be using RDS to connect to the server and then run the app or is the app just installed on the server and run from the workstation? If the latter, do you need RDS at all? That wasn't clear in your wording.
Applies to: Windows Server (Semi-Annual Channel), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016
Each user and device that connects to a Remote Desktop Session host needs a client access licenses (CAL). You use RD Licensing to install, issue, and track RDS CALs.
When a user or a device connects to an RD Session Host server, the RD Session Host server determines if an RDS CAL is needed. The RD Session Host server then requests an RDS CAL from the Remote Desktop license server. If an appropriate RDS CAL is available from a license server, the RDS CAL is issued to the client, and the client is able to connect to the RD Session Host server and from there to the desktop or apps they're trying to use.
Although there is a licensing grace period during which no license server is required, after the grace period ends, clients must have a valid RDS CAL issued by a license server before they can log on to an RD Session Host server.
Use the following information to learn about how client access licensing works in Remote Desktop Services and to deploy and manage your licenses:
- License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs)
Understanding the CALs model
There are two types of CALs:
- RDS Per Device CALs
- RDS Per User CALs
The following table outlines the differences between the two types of CALs:
| Per Device | Per User |
|---|---|
| CALs are physically assigned to each device. | CALs are assigned to a user in Active Directory. |
| CALs are tracked by the license server. | CALs are tracked by the license server. |
| CALs can be tracked regardless of Active Directory membership. | CALs cannot be tracked within a workgroup. |
| You can revoke up to 20% of CALs. | You cannot revoke any CALs. |
| Temporary CALs are valid for 52–89 days. | Temporary CALs are not available. |
| CALs cannot be overallocated. | CALs can be overallocated (in breach of the Remote Desktop licensing agreement). |
When you use the Per Device model, a temporary license is issued the first time a device connects to the RD Session Host. The second time that device connects, as long as the license server is activated and there are available CALs, the license server issues a permanent RDS Per Device CAL.
When you use the Per User model, licensing is not enforced and each user is granted a license to connect to an RD Session Host from any number of devices. The license server issues licenses from the available CAL pool or the Over-Used CAL pool. It's your responsibility to ensure that all of your users have a valid license and zero Over-Used CALs—otherwise, you're in violation of the Remote Desktop Services license terms.
To ensure you are in compliance with the Remote Destkop Services license terms, track the number of RDS Per User CALs used in your organization and be sure to have a enough Per User CALs installed on the license server for all of your users.
You can use the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager to track and generate reports on RDS Per User CALs.
Note about CAL versions
The CAL used by users or devices must correspond to the version of Windows Server that the user or device is connecting to. You can't use older CALs to access newer Windows Server versions, but you can use newer CALs to access earlier versions of Windows Server.
The following table shows the CALs that are compatible on RD Session Hosts and RD Virtualization Hosts.
| 2008 R2 and earlier CAL | 2012 CAL | 2016 CAL | 2019 CAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008, 2008 R2 license server | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2012 license server | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2012 R2 license server | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2016 license server | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2019 license server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Aws Rds License Cost
Any RDS license server can host licenses from all previous versions of Remote Desktop Services and the current version of Remote Desktop Services. For example, a Windows Server 2016 RDS license server can host licenses from all previous versions of RDS, while a Windows Server 2012 R2 RDS license server can only host licenses up to Windows Server 2012 R2.