Designing Server 2003 multisite Licensing setup, CALS

Need help designing an effective licensing setup for our network.
article reference:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/caloverview.mspx

If you can answer any of my questions, i appreciate it.

We currently have 11 geographic sites.
Each location has its own server 2003 domain controller.
Everyone in the business maps a drive to the main location's server.
All, office's are connected via WAN.
I have setup each server to be its own license server in sites and services.
Employees may move around and work at different locations depending on what
is going on.

I would like to buy device CALS (more employees than computers)

QUESTION #1: SERVER MODES
Should I use Per User/Per Device mode or Per Server mode.
The article above says I can use either server mode with either license types.

Can I use different server modes on different servers or do they all have to
use the same server mode in the same domain?

I would like to buy say 150 device CALS and put the main server in "Per
server Mode" and add 150 CALS to it. Then each branch office location would
be in per server mode with say 10 CALS - 7 computers at each branch office
and extra CALS installed for System Admins to connect to the servers for
backups or maintenance.
So, technically speaking, I would have the main office configured to use 150
CALS + 100 CALS total at the branch offices = 250 CALS when we only
purchased 150 CALS.

Is this how it is suppose to work?

Can I mix the server modes on different domain controllers? The person who
originally designed the network setup the main server in “Per user/deviceâ€
mode and added 10,000 CALS. I know I cannot go back, but is this will this
mess anything up.

QUESTION #2: HOW DO THE SERVER MODES TRACK CALS.
My understanding is that when you are in Per server mode the server only
tracks concurrent connections. When a computer disconnects, by say shutting
down the computer, does the server free up a CAL?
And when you are in Per User/Device Mode the server keeps track of users -
and then you have to revoke users if they no longer work there or else new
employees or employees who move from branch to branch will be denied access.

Is this correct?
Does each computer keep a registry entry of is license status in the domain?

QUESTION #3: IF SOMEONE PRINTS TO A PRINT QUEUE AT A REMOTE OFFICE DOES
THAT COUNT AS A CAL?

Joe

 

FYI The license logging service does not work as expected. It is an after
thought add-on that was put there to help the admin keep track of licenses.
But it does not work and has not worked since the NT 4.0 days. On *every*
server I roll out the license logging service is the first thing I stop and
disable.

I would suggest you stop and disable the license logging service and keep
track of your licenses manually as if in per seat mode. If ever audited and
the license logging service is stopped you are assumed to be in per seat
mode.

150 users in 11 sites? Buy 150 CALs and be done with it. Don't add them to
the server, just be able to prove you have them in case of an audit.

hth
DDS

 

thanks for your response.
I thought the license logging service only reported what was going on. Are
you saying that it actually causes people to be denied access?

 

If you have the license logging service running and have licenses set up in
"per server" for say 100 users, connection 101 will get denied access.

hth
DDS