Linux system conneting to Windows server -- is a CAL required???

Hi folks,

I have a question that many moving to Linux at the corporate level
might know the answer to. If you have several Windows 2000 servers
and you're conneting to them via Samba, according to MS (screwed-up)
licensing, do you require a Windows Server CAL for each Linux box?
The only license tracking I'm aware of is Terminal Services (RDP) on
Windows 2000, which will log even Linux connections via Citrix or
rdesktop, but do these systems need a Windows Server CAL since they
are getting authenticated access to a Windows box ??

I know most won't purchase these CAL's, but I'm just wondering if
Microsoft would debate this argument if they audited a business with
mixed Linux/MS workstations where only the Windows clients had CAL's.

Later,

Alex.

Alex wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I have a question that many moving to Linux at the corporate level
> might know the answer to. If you have several Windows 2000 servers
> and you're conneting to them via Samba, according to MS (screwed-up)
> licensing, do you require a Windows Server CAL for each Linux box?
> The only license tracking I'm aware of is Terminal Services (RDP) on
> Windows 2000, which will log even Linux connections via Citrix or
> rdesktop, but do these systems need a Windows Server CAL since they
> are getting authenticated access to a Windows box ??
>
> I know most won't purchase these CAL's, but I'm just wondering if
> Microsoft would debate this argument if they audited a business with
> mixed Linux/MS workstations where only the Windows clients had CAL's.
>
> Later,
>
> Alex.
My guess is they would try to twist your arm for the money for the linux
boxes. If I remember they wrote their CAL in part so they could try to
sqeeze some free money out of people using linux instead of windows. I
think however, there is a samba2 project out there, which allows for the
creation of trust relationships between linux based and windows based
PDC's. You may want to try setting up two domains, where linux clients
connect to the linux PDC, and windows to windows, and then jsut network
between the two with a trust relationship. If you do this you can get
around the need for a CAL (I think), or at least limit your need to 1
CAL for the trust account btw. the PDC.

Of course, I might be wrong. Or at least M$soft will tell me I am. Its
something to investigate though.

HTH Neil

--
/************************************************** *
*Neil Horman
*Software Engineer
*Red Hat, Inc.
*(E-Mail Removed)
************************************************** */

Neil Horman wrote:
> Alex wrote:
>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I have a question that many moving to Linux at the corporate level
>> might know the answer to. If you have several Windows 2000 servers
>> and you're conneting to them via Samba, according to MS (screwed-up)
>> licensing, do you require a Windows Server CAL for each Linux box? The
>> only license tracking I'm aware of is Terminal Services (RDP) on
>> Windows 2000, which will log even Linux connections via Citrix or
>> rdesktop, but do these systems need a Windows Server CAL since they
>> are getting authenticated access to a Windows box ??
>>
>> I know most won't purchase these CAL's, but I'm just wondering if
>> Microsoft would debate this argument if they audited a business with
>> mixed Linux/MS workstations where only the Windows clients had CAL's.
>>
>> Later,
>>
>> Alex.
>
> My guess is they would try to twist your arm for the money for the linux
> boxes. If I remember they wrote their CAL in part so they could try to
> sqeeze some free money out of people using linux instead of windows. I
> think however, there is a samba2 project out there, which allows for the
> creation of trust relationships between linux based and windows based
> PDC's. You may want to try setting up two domains, where linux clients
> connect to the linux PDC, and windows to windows, and then jsut network
> between the two with a trust relationship. If you do this you can get
> around the need for a CAL (I think), or at least limit your need to 1
> CAL for the trust account btw. the PDC.
>
> Of course, I might be wrong. Or at least M$soft will tell me I am. Its
> something to investigate though.
>
> HTH Neil
>
Sorry, its not samba2, it sambatng
Neil

--
/************************************************** *
*Neil Horman
*Software Engineer
*Red Hat, Inc.
*(E-Mail Removed)
************************************************** */