Advice for Microsoft products and programs

Support level: Administration of master services, consulting services for the purchase and for licenses of Microsoft products. Please show understanding that we cannot provide consultation about the content of Microsoft products.

Terms of license for Microsoft products

You can find all terms of use of Microsoft products in the Microsoft Product Terms:

Microsoft Product Terms

Besides the general  terms of license of the RRZK, there are the following additional points for Microsoft product:

• Right to downgrade: Microsoft Select Plus as well as the Microsoft Campus agreement are specific for one version. The newest version is always used for the application but you can use an older version instead of the newest version if you like to.
  

• No unbundling of Microsoft Office Suites: Office Suites are always licensed as one product. Single applications like Word or Excel can only be installed together on one computer and cannot be splitted up to several ones.

• No concurrent use: Concurrent use of application is not allowed. Concurrent use is a type of purchase or license agreement that is based on the number of simultaneous users accessing the software. It is not accepted to use the same license simultaneously! In case of a local network, it is necessary to purchase as many licenses as computers have access to the network. It is no concurrent use if products are installed locally on some computers and an adequate number of licenses was purchased. 

• Client-Access Licenses (CAL): Besides server licenses you also need Client Access Licenses (CAL) for server products in order to have access rights for all computers which are connected to the server. If you use different servers, for example Windows server and SQL server, you need to purchase different access licenses like Standard Client Access and SQL Client Access. Additionally, the CALs need to fit the server version. If you upgrade your server version, you need to purchase new CALs for this new server version.

  Two license models are possible: With the "User CAL" licensing the number of computers with access rights will be limited on every server. More common is the "Device CAL" where every computer in the network receives a Client Access license which works for every "similar" server. ( A "Device CAL" license for Windows server works for all Windows server in the network)

  The Campus agreement includes MS Core CAL suites. The Core CAL contains: Windows Server CAL, Exchange Server Standard CAL, SharePoint Server Standard CAL as well asConfiguration Manager Server CML and the Lync Server Standard CAL and the Product System Center Endpoint Protection.

• Windows basic license: Windows operarting systems from the programs Microsoft Select Plus and Microsoft Campus Agreement are generally upgrade licenses which require an already existing license for a basic Windows operating sytem.
  
  Generally, we recommend to purchase new computers which already have a pre-installed operating system (OEM license) as a basic license. Users of "empty" computers can purchase so called "system builder licenses" via the Select Plus contract as a basic license.

• License blend for upgrades: If you purchase an upgrade for a product, the old and the new product form a unit for which the license counts. This means you need to store your old versions. (you cannot sell or give them to anyone else.)

• Documentation obligation: Yor are obligated to document the whole upgrade path in the context of your license management. You might need it in order to have a proof for the manufacturer.

• Generally speaking the product and program specific End User License Agreements (EULA) always apply.