Windows Server 2022 Licenses: CAL and RDS

Question

Windows Server 2022 Licenses: CAL and RDS

Anonymous

Aug 2, 2024, 9:20 AM

Hello,

as part of a Privileged Access Management project, I need an RDS server that works like JumpServer to allow users to connect to different resources. I would therefore like to understand the difference between two types of licences:

Windows Server 2022 Remote Desktop Services
Windows Server 2022 CAL

Also do you know if these licences have annual subscription, perpetual subscription or both?

Thank you,

Roberto

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question. To protect privacy, user profiles for migrated questions are anonymized.

Accepted answer

0 additional answers

Answer 1

Hello,

The main functions and differences between Windows Server CAL and Windows Server RDS CAL are as follows:

Windows Server CAL:

Allows users or devices to access basic Windows Server services, such as file sharing and printing services.

(Image source: Client Access Licenses (CAL) & Management Licenses | Microsoft Volume Licensing)

Windows Server RDS CAL:

RDS CAL is specifically used to access remote desktop services on Windows Server. If a user or device needs to connect to a server via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), RDS CAL is required.

(Image source: License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs) | Microsoft Learn)

Differences:

Windows Server CAL is used for basic server function access, while RDS CAL is an access license specific to remote desktop services, and often the two licenses are used in combination to meet production needs.

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please contact us.

Best regards

Jacen

The future is yours

Share via

Windows Server 2022 Licenses: CAL and RDS

0 additional answers