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SBS 2003

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by nigel.baldry

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We currently run oem version of windows SBS 2003 with 15 additional CALS. We need to upgrade our server and obviously cannot transfer the oem software, however.

1/. Is it possible to transfer the additional CALS if we were to purchase another copy of SBS 2003

2/. If we were to retain our current server with the software on as a backup, is it possible to purchase a second server license and run both servers woith the same 15 additional CALS as we would only be accessing one server at any time.

6 replies

by oh smeg

[i]1/. Is it possible to transfer the additional CAL'S if we were to purchase another copy of SBS 2003[/i]

No it is not permissible as CAL's are tied to the Original Hardware that they where first used on. Even then if you switch to a different Version of Server 2003 they also have different CAL's to go with that version.

[i]2/. If we were to retain our current server with the software on as a backup, is it possible to purchase a second server license and run both servers woith the same 15 additional CAL'S as we would only be accessing one server at any time.[/i]
No it is not permissible to use the Existing CAL's on a different version of the OS. see above for the technical reasons.

If you want to look at the Legal Reasons this is because M$ consider this a form of Piracy and will hit the Business with a $250,000.00 Fine for Piracy for a First Offense as well as settling out of Court with the Provision that they list the Name of the Company, The Principals of that Company and it's Address as well as possibly the Principals Addresses in their regular Enforcement Alerts.

If this isn't the First Offense the Settlement will be considerably greater and you will have 12 months of Legal Fees that you need to pay for in the form of your Defense at the very least so it will cost considerably more than the 1/4 Million $ and will effectively hold the Business & It's Principals up to Ridicule @ the very least.

Col

by cg it

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc747454.aspx

You'll have to activate the new install on new hardware by calling and talking to a MS rep but you shouldn't have any problem activating SBS on the new hardware. Just tell em your going to new hardware.

you can transfer your CALS however if you have a question see the link

To transfer the CALs
On the destination server, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Licensing. Details about your currently installed CALs appear in the details pane.

In the details pane, click Transfer Licenses to open the Transfer Licenses Wizard, and then follow the wizard instructions.

After completing the wizard, refresh the Licensing console to verify the successful transfer of your CALs.

For more information about transferring CALs, see "Compilation of Activation and Client Access Licensing Help" at the Microsoft Web site (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46577).

by oh smeg

2 days ago I was told that it didn't apply to a Migration from 2003 SBS to 2003 SBS R2 for a client.

I spoke to M$ Legal AU after getting 3 different stories from M$ Licensing so instead of potentially doing something that may cost my Client a lot of money I asked my contact in M$ Legal and they said that had been superseded recently.

I'm not 100% certain what is currently happening but Double Check it to be on the safe side or at the very least take a Copy of the stuff on that Web Site to use if things get nasty. :)

Col

by cg it

and don't understand migration. They are looking at it as trying to install 2 instances of SBS rather than migration. They also probably are going on Windows Server standard rather than SBS. SBS is different than Standard Edition in the way CALs are handled.

by oh smeg

From different people in Licensing that where so very different I personally don't think anyone at M$ have a clue on this either. It seems that any advice you are given depends solely on who you speak to on that day and it may be different if you ask again.

But no matter what you [b]MUST DO[/b] is make a copy of what it is you are using as confirmation that what you are doing is within the M$ Guidelines. Not only where it was located on the Web but it's actual contents as M$ can change the web page and land you in it.

The scary thing here is with the amount of money involved when things go wrong you can not afford to make a mistake when giving advice on this one subject.

It seems to me that no one at M$ actually knows what it is that they are actually doing so maybe that explains why every new OS doesn't work either. Not even the M$ Reps who are assigned to a company actually seem to know what is actually going on but then again they also change around quite a bit as well.

After I read this last night I rang M$ Licensing again today and got yet another different story again. It's just like dealing with Bureaucrats all over again. That is it only stops hurting when you stop trying to do the right thing and just do what should be done. :0

Col

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