Featured Article — Windows Server Track and manage licenses and licensing modes
Windows Server and server applications such as Exchange Server work in conjunction with Microsoft's licensing features to help you enforce licensing requirements and ensure that your organization has purchased the appropriate number (and correct type) of licenses for clients and server applications.
You have two tools at your disposal to help you track and manage licensing. The first of these tools is the Licensing applet in the Control Panel. You can use the Licensing applet to change the licensing mode for Windows Server from Per Server to Per Seat, add or remove licenses for applications licensed in Per Server mode, and configure properties for replication of licensing data to a site license server.
The Licensing console in the Administrative Tools folder offers a broader range of management features to enable you to manage licensing across the network. You can use the Licensing console to view per server and per seat licenses for the site or a group in the site, add or remove licenses for server applications, review usage statistics by user for specific applications and servers, manage licensing for remote servers licensed in Per Server mode, and manage license replication.
A good understanding of Microsoft's licensing models is a requirement to use these tools effectively. See http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sam/lic_cal.mspx to learn more about licensing modes, CALs, and licensing in general. |
