User CALs shared over multiple servers [closed]

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Take following scenario:

In a company, there's a domain "COMPANY", where the following servers are hosted:

• 2 x Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise (DC)
• 5 x Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard (non-DC)
• 5 x Windows Server 2008 Standard (non-DC)
• 1 x Windows Server 2012 Standard (non-DC)

In the company there are 500 devices and a physical head count of 250 users.

Because there are more employees than devices, it's logical to use User CALs instead of Device CALs. So we buy 250 User CALs.

Now, 2 questions:

• is it true that those 250 User CALs are valid for all Windows Servers of the same version (2008 R2)? It doesn't matter if it's a different edition or not (Enterprise/Standard)?
• For the 2008 Std and 2012 Std, I'd have to buy each 250 separate User CALs? (assuming all employees have direct or indirect access to the server).

I find the documentation of Microsoft concerning licensing incredibly unclear, and I'd like to make sure.

Answer 1

In your scenario you would need 250 user CALs for Server 2012. These 250 User CALs can be used for any prior versions of windows server so you wouldn't need to also obtain CALs specific to Server 2008 and the Server 2008R2 CALs would be superseded by the Server 2012 CALs and be rendered obsolete.

Considering this, you can use downgrade rights for the newer 2012 server and install Server 2008 R2 so as to avoid the CAL requirements for Server 2012. Your Server 2008 R2 CALs already cover you for the Server 2008 Standard server. There is not a separate CAL for Enterprise or Standard.

You can read more about this here