# Solved: Remote Desktop Services Licensing



## kb892 (Aug 6, 2010)

Hi,

We are setting up an environment where there are multiple Server 2008 Standard systems that users can remote desktop into to accomplish thier work. We are setting up one licensing server to handle the user CALs. My question is: Do I need 1 license per user per system, or just one license per user?

In other words if we assign a user a license can they use it to work on system A today and system B tomorrow? Can we just have one license per user that floats around the remote desktop cluster to whichever computer they happen to be logged into remotely?

Thanks


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## srhoades (May 15, 2003)

Are users remoting into the server or directly to their desktops? If directly to their desktops there is no license required for that.


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## kb892 (Aug 6, 2010)

srhoades,
All users will be sitting at thier individual workstations and running remote desktop client to remote into one of the servers (the server they remote into will vary from day to day).

I'm not sure what you mean by 'directly to thier desktop'.

The idea is that we have different applications installed on different servers. Individuals will be assigned tasks that require them to log into a particular server for the day, but the next day they may have a different task and need to log into a different server. They will always be logging in via remote desktop from thier individual workstations. They will only be remoted into one server at a time, and all servers will be configured to use the same remote desktop services license server.

Thanks


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## AQ78 (Mar 30, 2010)

you need to decide on per user or per device.

If you have more pc`s than users then choose per user CALs, if you have more users than pc`s then choose per device CALs


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## kb892 (Aug 6, 2010)

AQ78,
We have already decided on per-user licenses. What I need to understand is how many licenses we need to purchase. If we have two 2008 standard servers, and 5 individuals where each individual will be remoting into a single server at a time, do I need 5 CALs or 10? Both servers will use the same remote desktop license server.
Thanks


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## AQ78 (Mar 30, 2010)

well, just 5..you have ONE RDS license server, and it holds the licenses, then you point your RDS servers to the license server...


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## kb892 (Aug 6, 2010)

AQ78,
Great!! Thats what I needed to know. Wasn't sure if the license server assigned the license to a specific user AND server, or just the user and could be used by multiple servers.

Thanks for the help.


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