MOSS 'SQL' license question

Question

Hi,

If I have a SQL Server - 1 Processor - license.  Does this mean that my MOSS intranet users do not need a SQL CAL. 

I know there is a SQL Server license...however I see there is also a more expensive one for SQL Server I processor.

NB I understand that I also need moss CAL for every user...this question is particularly about sql server for moss.

Thanks...

Answer 1

When you use SQL for MOSS you typically license it on a server level per processor, in which case User's don't need a CAL for SQL.  Quad proc server's are best as I believe they are still counted as one processor.

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My SharePoint Blog - http://www.davehunter.co.uk/blog

Answer 2

> When you use SQL for MOSS you need to license it per processor.  User's don't need a CAL for SQL. 

I wonder if this is strictly true.

Yes: if you have a per processor license you don't need CALs.

BUT is there really a compulsion that connects MOSS usage to *requiring* per processor licensing.


As far as I am aware what is required is appropriate licensing for SQL Server 200x which for instance imo could also mean that you could have SQL Server + SQL Server CALs for every user of the SharePoint system that uses that SQL Server system. (If you know of a MS URL (or MS text extract) that proves me wrong, please add it to this thread!)

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WSS FAQ sites: http://wssv2faq.mindsharp.com and http://wssv3faq.mindsharp.com
Total list of WSS 3.0 / MOSS 2007 Books (including foreign language) http://wssv3faq.mindsharp.com/Lists/v3%20WSS%20FAQ/V%20Books.aspx

Answer 3

From my understanding server products like MCMS and SharePoint run under a system account, because of this individual users don't need direct database access and therefore don't need CALs.  I would speak to your Microsoft Account Manager or MS Reseller as they are experienced in answering questions like these.

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My SharePoint Blog - http://www.davehunter.co.uk/blog

Answer 4

Note that I was comparing product+CALS licensing to per processor licensing.

To my mind both are options. Your original post said per processor licesing was compulsary for MOSS - i.e. there was a direct relationship between MOSS and per processor licensing.

I am saying that SQL Server licensing requirements would also be satisfied with a license type that was product+CALs and then in that case it would mean that
there would need to be a SQL Server CAL bought for every user who accesses the SharePoint system.


In most cases SQL Server per processor licensing would be the best option but you wrote that it was the only option and that was what I was querying.


>I would speak to your Microsoft Account Manager or MS Reseller as they are experienced in answering questions like these.

This is always the case although I would replace "Microsoft Account Manager" with "Microsoft Licensing Specialist" as probably usually the Account Manager is only the middle-man

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WSS FAQ sites: http://wssv2faq.mindsharp.com and http://wssv3faq.mindsharp.com
Total list of WSS 3.0 / MOSS 2007 Books (including foreign language) http://wssv3faq.mindsharp.com/Lists/v3%20WSS%20FAQ/V%20Books.aspx

Answer 5

Thanks Mike, amended my reply above.

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My SharePoint Blog - http://www.davehunter.co.uk/blog

Answer 6

Ireland,

If you're using a socket/processor license, then you do not need SQL CALs for your end users.

If you're using a multi-core processor, it's still counted as a single processor.  If you're using a dual processor system however, you would require two processor licenses - unless you want to have one processor's affinity tied to the underlying Windows OS and the other tied to the SQL instance.

In terms of SQL CALs vice processor CALs, completely depends on the situation.  With large organizations you may benefit from a processor license where as in smaller organizations you may have a better cost benefit ratio with user or device CALs.

HTH!

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http://www.spdan.com