Windows Server Licensing Concepts for PowerEdge

Table of Contents

Per-Core Licensing
User/Device Client Access Licenses (CALs)
Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs)
Microsoft SQL Server Standard
Microsoft SQL Server Standard "Additional Server"
Windows Server Essentials 2022

"Per-Core" Licensing

Recent versions of Windows Server (2016/2019/2022) use the "per core" licensing model. In summary:

• There has to be 1 "per core" license for each CPU core on the target server to meet compliance.
• "Per core" licenses are sold in packs of 2 or 16.
• You must license at least eight cores on each processor. Even if you have fewer cores than that.
• You must license at least 16 cores on each server. Again, even if you have less total cores than 16.
• Per-core licensing applies to both Standard and Datacenter editions of Windows Server.
• In addition to licensing the server with the "per-core" model, each user or device accessing that server’s services requires a Client Access License (CAL).

The table below shows the number of cores on the most common CPUs available from Dell and the amount of "per core" licenses required by Windows Server:

Client Access Licenses (CALs)

Every user or device that connects to a Microsoft Windows server to access its services should be licensed to do so with a corresponding CAL. For example:

• A user connects over the network to a server to access a file located on a shared folder.
• A group of users use a single computer that is connected to a server for printing.
• Users authenticate against an active directory domain controller.

There are two types of CALs: USER CALs and DEVICE CALs

• Device CALs are more convenient in a scenario where the server’s services are accessed by a big number of users sharing a few computers.
• User CALs, in turn, would be preferable if a few users share a huge number of computers, phones, and other devices.
• You can buy a single CAL (1) or "packs" of 5, 10 or 50 for instance.
• Purchased CALs do not come with product keys.
• Purchased CALs are not activated.
• Device/User CALs are not enforced. This means that a server continues servicing client requests even if the right number of CALs were not purchased. However, the server would be non-compliant and this can lead to legal and financial consequences if discovered during an audit.
• CALs are managed through documentation and records of purchase. Purchased CALs ship with a document that looks like the one on the figure below:
  

Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses

• RDS CALs are needed when the users must connect to a server by using remote desktop.
• You can buy RDS CALs in "packs" of 5, 10 and 50 for instance.
• RDS CALs are enforced. That means that if there is not the right number of RDS CALs to cover the number of users or devices accessing remote desktop services, the server restricts or deny connections using the RDP protocol.
• RDS CALs must be installed on a license server and this license server must be activated in the Microsoft clearing house as well. (https://activate.microsoft.com/)
• RDS CALs packs sold with a PowerEdge Server and Microsoft Windows ship with a product key. This product key is tied to the number of licenses that were purchased. The product key ships on a document that looks like the one in the figure below:
  

You can find more details about the RDS licenses installation and server activation process on the following articles:
Install and Activate an RDS Session Host without a Connection Broker (Workgroup) - Windows Server 2022

Microsoft SQL Server

You can buy the Standard edition of SQL Server when buying a PowerEdge server in https://www.dell.com/.

Recent versions of Microsoft SQL Server use two licensing models:

1. Server + CAL licensing model: With this model, you install a Microsoft SQL Server license on the server (whether its physical or virtual) and you do not have to worry about the number of CPU cores present on that server. However, in addition to that server license, you must purchase a CAL for each user or device that connects to this SQL Server.
   
   

2. Core licensing model: With this option, you license the physical or virtual server where SQL is installed and running. You must purchase the right number of SQL per-core licenses to cover all the cores in the server. However, you do not need to purchase SQL Server CALs for users or devices - you get unlimited access for internal and external users.
   
   

In both licensing models note the following:

• A server ordered with SQL Server properly licensed ships with a product key for use exclusively with SQL during installation or activation. This key is different than the Windows Server Product key, and it may be on its own COA sticker.
• SQL server itself does not actively enforce license compliance by refusing connections based on the number SQL CALs or the number of per-core licenses available. Instead, compliance is enforced through licensing audits conducted by Microsoft.

Microsoft SQL Server Standard, OEM, Additional Server

This SKU is sometimes selected thinking that it is a scaled down version of SQL server because of the lower price listed. It is not.
The "Additional Server" SKU allows you to license an additional instance of SQL on a server that already has a licensed SQL server installation.

In simpler terms, an SQL Server instance can be thought of as a unique installation or copy SQL Server that runs as a separate/independent service within Windows. You can run multiple instances of SQL on a single computer. If you do that, each instance of SQL server requires its own separate license.

• The "Additional Server" SKU does not come with a product key.
• A customer that purchases the SQL Additional Server SKU without first selecting the primary instance license would need to get in touch with Sales or Customer Care to order the primary server instance and return the Additional Server SKU if they discover it is not needed.

Windows Server Essentials 2022

• This is an OEM only option. Meaning it has to be purchased along the server hardware.
• It is an available option for servers that have a single CPU with 10 cores or less.
• You do not need to purchase per-user or per-device CALs for users connecting to the server’s services.
• There is a maximum of users and devices that you can have: Twenty-five users / 50 devices

When a server is ordered with Windows Server Essentials 2022, it arrives with a COA sticker that has a product key. To activate the OS, you can use this product key in a DISM command that looks like this.

Dism /online /Set-Edition:ServerDatacenter /ProductKey:ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXY /AcceptEula

Notice that you must specify the standard edition in the command even though the Product Key is for the Essentials edition. This is because there is no specialized installation media for Windows Server Essentials. Licensing compliance is enforced by the product key. The server shuts down if it detects that there are more users or devices than what is permitted by the EULA.

You can find more information about the Essentials edition in these articles:
Windows Server 2022 Essentials Showing as Windows Server 2022 Standard with No Essentials Features
PSQN | Windows Server 2022 Essentials Branding Explained

Secondary OS

Purchasing Windows Server as a secondary OS is an option when selecting the software for some Dell Hardware. This allows to install and license Windows Server on the same hardware that will run another third-party Operating System. The Secondary OS SKUs are almost invariably used in virtualization scenarios. For example, a physical server runs on a VMware hypervisor to host Windows VMs. In such a scenario, the same licensing points discussed above pertaining to per-core licensing, virtualization rights, and so on, are applicable to the Windows Virtual machines completely independent from the third-party OS licensing requirements.

See also

Enabling RDS Cal with MPSA license