Update: The following article provides information about how to properly license Office in a remote desktop environment using traditional, perpetual licenses. For information about how to properly license this type of environment using Office 365 subscriptions, see this follow-up post.
- Microsoft Terminal Server Licensing Explained
- Terminal Server Licensing Cost
- Microsoft Project Terminal Server Licensing
One question I get on a regular basis is this: “How do I license Office for a remote desktop environment?” Or, in other words: “How do I license my terminal server for Office?” First I’ll explain what type of environment we’re talking about, and then I’ll explain how to license it properly.
In a remote desktop environment, the users are able to log into Windows Server and fire up a remote desktop session. This type of session simulates a physical desktop. The endpoint can be either a thin client or a full-fledged PC. This type of situation used to be called a “terminal server” session but the official term that Microsoft has been using the last several years is “remote desktop” session.
On the licensing side of things, in this situation the server will need to be licensed for Windows Server and the user will need both a Windows Server User CAL and a Remote Desktop Services User CAL (a.k.a., RDS CAL or Terminal Server CAL). As a side note, you could also go with Device CALs, but User CALs are more common. If you have some questions on Device/User CALs, check out my blog, Microsoft User CALs vs. Device CALs: Which Should I Buy?
The Remote Desktop Services license server issues client access licenses (CALs) to users and devices when they access the RD Session Host. You can activate the license server by using the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager. Install the RD Licensing role. Sign into the server you want to use as the license server using an administrator account.
Microsoft server basics — Microsoft's Client Access License page provides a clear summary of available license types and why you might choose a particular type of license. TechSoup's Guide to Microsoft Server Licensing is another good introduction to the topic. Hello everyone, Brian Singleton here. There has been a lot of confusion over the Remote Desktop Services (aka Terminal Server) client access license upgrade process in Windows and this posting is an explanation on how the behavior is actually supposed to function. In Windows Server 2003 as well as Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server Read more.
Before progressing any further, bear in mind that the information provided here applies specifically to Remote Desktop Services; i.e. Server 2008 R2 and above. RD Licensing (previously Terminal Services) has undergone many iterations of changes since its original inception back in NT4, much of which is no longer relevant to the current. Terminal Server Groups. Take as example, the situation where you have one licensing server and 4 Windows 2003 Servers with Terminal Services, then the license server will issue licences to each server that requests a license.
With me so far? Here’s what that would look like on a whiteboard for a three-user environment:
But then we come to Office…. Typically, one of the programs these users are going to run in their remote desktop session is Microsoft Office. So how many licenses of Office do you need in this situation? Technically speaking, all the users are sharing one copy of Office: the one that has been installed on the server. User #1 logs in, fires up a remote desktop session on the server, and then starts Office within that session. Both the remote desktop and Office are running on the server, even though the user is accessing it through the endpoint. Then User #2 and User #3 log in and the process repeats itself. Now all three instances of Office are running on the server and nobody is running it on their PC. So you just need one license of Office , right?
You can probably guess what the answer will be: “Wrong!” You will need more than one license of Office in this situation. Microsoft has made things crystal clear by publishing a licensing brief on this topic. Here’s how the licensing works:
First, you need to understand that Office is licensed per device, not per user. Sometimes Microsoft will give you permission to install Office on more than one device (see my post here for one example) but the fact remains that the license is assigned to a particular device, not a user.
Second, you need to understand that in this situation, only the endpoint devices need a license. The server itself does not need a license assigned to it. In other words…
- You will assign a license to each of the endpoint devices, but you will not install Office on those devices.
- You will not assign a license to the server, buy you will install Office on that server.
I know, it’s ironic, but that is how it works. So in our sample scenario, you will need three licenses of Office:
A couple other things you should know:
First, the licenses for Office need to be volume licenses. OEM or boxed product licenses do not include the right to access Office remotely on a server.
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Second, the license needs to match the suite of Office that is running on the server, and it needs to be the same or a newer version of Office than what is running on the server. In other words, you can’t use a license of Office 2010 Standard to access Office 2013 Pro Plus on the terminal server. Sorry.
Licensing Office in a remote desktop environment can be tricky, but Mirazon is here to help. Please email us or call us at 502-240-0404 with any questions you have about your situation.
-->Applies to: Windows Server (Semi-Annual Channel), Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016
Microsoft Terminal Server Licensing Explained
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
Terminal Server Licensing Cost
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 |
Microsoft Project Terminal Server Licensing
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.