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Possible Duplicate:
Can you help me with my software licensing question?

My asp.net web app is using one sql server account to work. i need to buy sql server standart edition. i wonder to know if only one cal is enough or must buy one cal for each user i will serve.

Community
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rdonuk
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2 Answers2

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It depends.

  • If you can count every user (eg Corporate Intranet) you need one CAL per user/device
  • If you can not count your users (eg Internet) you need Processor Licenses

The latter does not mean "registered users": it means any potentil user on your site, or 6 billion CALs.

Sometime Processor licensing is cheaper for a Corporate Intranet

Read the Microsoft SQL Server Licensing info and call them

One CAL for your web server is not enough

gbn
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  • it means it doesnt matter how many user connect directly to the sql server. am i right? – rdonuk Oct 25 '11 at 08:07
  • If you use Processor licensing, no – gbn Oct 25 '11 at 08:09
  • i mean, in reality there is only one user to connect database directly and it is my webapp. but this web app will serve 30 user. these users wont connect sql server directly, they will see data via webapp. So i need buy only one call for web app or i need buy 30 call for each user. Thanks for your interest. – rdonuk Oct 25 '11 at 08:15
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    And since it is always asked as a follow up (in fact you asked it as I was typing!)... no you can't just have your web app on another server and login to the DB using a single user name if you use the CAL route. The licensing terms are very clear - you need a CAL per user even if they are all share a single service account to hit the DB. Microsoft refer to this practice as Multiplexing. If you can't count your users you need a proc license. – Chris W Oct 25 '11 at 08:16
  • @rdn 30. Users are users, not "machine worker accounts". Every diferent user needs one, even if all connections go through a static same local user in the database or a service account. – TomTom Jan 10 '13 at 13:06
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CALs really only make sense when you have actual SQL client applications that you can count.

For any other situation (especially those involving web sites backed by databases) you need per-CPU licenses.

adaptr
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