I am trying to purchase licenses for a SBS2003 server and, separately, purchase MSSQL server with enough licenses to do what we need to do. I cannot get a straight answer from my reseller - Dell - about how Per User CALs work. I understand the difference between computer and user CALs. What I don't get relates to user CALs only. The question is: How many user CALs do I need: one for every possible user that may EVER use the system, or just enough to cover the maximum CONCURRENT users at any given time? My UTTER FRUSTRATION comes from the following: 1) We have SBS2003 standard with 5 user CALs. I have at least 20 user names in the "Manage Users" list. The number of concurrent users has been creeping up as more and more people are working in the office at the same time. We started getting the message: "Warning: License usage for a product licensed in per server mode is at a maximum number of licenses purchased. New license requests may not be granted. Consult the Application event log or Licensing from the Administrative Tools folder for more information." So I check the licensing folder and it says: "installed licenses: 5, Maximum usage: 12" How can that be? Why doesn't SBS just deny any more logins after the 5th? I think I just recently got a denied login on a client workstation. Once we logged one user off of the server, the other one logged in fine. So the server DOES seem to deny logins. To further confuse the matter, I call Dell to buy more SBS licenses as well as SQL and SQL licenses and they say you need one license for each POSSIBLE USER. The Microsoft licensing specialist there had no explanation for my SBS scenario other than saying the licenses are on the "HONOR SYSTEM"!!! Like you're on your honor to purchase a thousand licenses for a thousand employees. She said the server doesn't stop allowing more logins than there are licenses!! I was flabbergasted! WHO! WHAT! WHERE!?? My head was spinning. Why in the world CAN'T a server deny logins after a set number has been reached? And it seems that at least MY server was denying logins. Am I getting utter bogus information from the sales rep and the "specialist"?? AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! Help me I'm drowning! The other half of the licensing question is SQL server - same question, I guess. Does the same licensing info apply to SQL as SBS2003? At max, we'll have 18 users of SQL through a CRM program called "Maximizer", a sales force automation tool. But for most of the time, only 5 - 10 users will be on at any given moment. What do we do!? I hope someone can clarify this mess for me because I have to make some recommendations and there's a $2000 difference between 10 SQL licenses and 20. Thanks Everything's easy once you have the answer.

perhaps this will help http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/caloverview.mspx Golly gee wilerkers everyone. Learn to Internet Search

Yes, I think that did help, actually. How about SQL - does that work the same way as SBS in per server mode? In other words, does it work on maximum concurrent users? Everything's easy once you have the answer.