There are two types of RDS CALs:
- RDS Per Device CALs
- RDS Per User CALs
When you use the Per Device model, a temporary license is issued the first time a device connects to the RD Session Host. The second time that device connects, as long as the license server is activated and there are available RDS CALs, the license server issues a permanent RDS Per Device CAL.
When you use the Per User model, licensing is not enforced and each user is granted a license to connect to an RD Session Host from any number of devices. The license server issues licenses from the available RDS CAL pool or the Over-Used RDS CAL pool. It's your responsibility to ensure that all of your users have a valid license and zero Over-Used CALs—otherwise, you're in violation of the Remote Desktop Services license terms.
RDS CAL version compatibility
The RDS CAL for your users or devices must be compatible with the version of Windows Server that the user or device is connecting to. You can't use RDS CALs for earlier versions to access later versions of Windows Server, but you can use later versions of RDS CALs to access earlier versions of Windows Server.
The following table shows which RDS CAL and RD Session Host versions are compatible with each other.
| RDS 2008 R2 and earlier CAL | RDS 2012 CAL | RDS 2016 CAL | RDS 2019 CAL | RDS 2022 CAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008, 2008 R2 session host | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 session host | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2012 R2 session host | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 session host | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 session host | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2022 session host | No | No | No | No | Yes |
The following table shows which RDS CAL and license server versions are compatible with each other.
| RDS 2008 R2 and earlier CAL | RDS 2012 CAL | RDS 2016 CAL | RDS 2019 CAL | RDS 2022 CAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008, 2008 R2 license server | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| 2012 license server | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2012 R2 license server | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| 2016 license server | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2019 license server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2022 license server | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Yes
|
More Information at: License your RDS deployment with client access licenses (CALs) | Microsoft Learn
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