(my) guideline to microsoft licensing for VDI

(my) guideline to microsoft licensing for VDI

The list does not claim to be comprehensive. Use this information at own risk!

User or device CALs

  • Take user CALs when user uses more than one device to access the desktop.
  • Take device CALs when there are more or equal devices than users.
  • Microsoft licenses the physical person (named user) NOT an Active Directory-User!

RDS CALs and VDA licenses

  • VDA license includes the license for the virtual desktop.
  • If you use a Windows Server OS instead of a Client OS to present to a user, you need a RDS-CAL instead of a VDA license to allow a user to connect to this server. The price are almost the same for server-CAL and VDA. Anyway this is just a good idea if a Windows Datacenter license is mapped to the Host.
  • Virtual desktop (no Software Assurance) accessed by Linux/Windows embedded/Windows Home/… –> VDA license
  • Virtual desktop (with Software Assurance) accessed by any client –> already licensed
  • A windows device with active Software Assurance that connects to a virtual desktop –> virtual desktop and connection is licensed by Software Assurance
  • To use RDS (Applications or Desktops) you need RDS-CALs.

Additional server CALs

  • Connection Brokers needs also windows CALs for users or devices.
  • If external user are not countable, you can license them with an External Connector license for Windows. If you know how many, you need CALs for users or devices.
  • Licenses for SQL Server based on CPUs are bases on core number NOT socket number.

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