Microsoft Licensing | CAL, External Connector, Per Core/Processor
<p>I am really new to this community (I am just active on Stackoverflow) and i hope you can help me with my problem.</p>

<p>An example:</p>

<p>I have a webshop hosted on my Windows Server 2012, and customers are able to sign up and buy some stuff. So they are authenticated to my server and those accounts are saved in a database (Microsoft SQL Server).</p>

<hr>

<p>And thats the point where my problem starts. I know that I need one CAL license for every person logged into my server. And that means for me, that i have to buy a CAL license for every user account. But how should i be able to buy e.g. 100,000 cal user licenses for 100,000 users? Or even a bit more concrete, if the amount of customers registered grow´s steadily how should I ensure providing the exactly right amount of CALs?</p>

<hr>

<p>I found this site <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Licensing/product-licensing/client-access-license.aspx#tab=2" rel="nofollow">"Client Access Licenses and Management Licenses"</a>.</p>

<p>And if I have a look at the rows "Windows Server" and "SQL Server" I can see that those servers are licensed per core / per processor. Does that mean I dont need CAL licences If i only run a database and a webserver (IIS)?</p>

<hr>

<p>Because there is this site as well: <a href="https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/volume-licensing/2014/03/10/licensing-how-to-when-do-i-need-a-client-access-license-cal/" rel="nofollow">Licensing How To: When do I need a Client Access License (CAL)?</a></p>

<p>And there it says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>5 – Do I need a CAL when my Windows Server is used to run a web
  server?</p>
  
  <p>Windows Server 2012 R2 configured to run Web Workloads ** do not
  require CALs or External Connectors.  Web workloads, also referred to
  as an internet web solution, are publically accessible (e.g.
  accessible outside of the firewall) and consist only of web pages, web
  sites, web applications, web services, and/or POP3 mail serving. 
  Access to content, information, and/or applications within the
  internet web solution must be publically accessible.  In other words,
  they cannot be restricted to you or your affiliate’s employees. </p>
  
  <p>If you have Windows Servers configured to run a “web workload” these
  users will not require CALs or External Connectors.  However, let’s
  say you are using Windows Server to setup an online store where
  customers can buy widgets.  You have front end Windows Servers setup
  to support your website, and backend servers (e.g. commerce servers)
  setup so customers can check out and buy your widgets.  The front end
  servers used to host your website would generally be considered as
  running “web workloads” and CALs or External Connectors will not be
  required to access these servers.  Once the customer adds a widget to
  their shopping cart, creates an account and enters their credit card
  and shipping information to complete the sale – <strong>they are now
  authenticated via your back end commerce servers/application (non-web
  workload).  Since users are accessing the backend commerce servers
  which web workloads are not running – CALs or External Connectors will
  be required for users to access these back end servers.</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>And that means to me I that have to buy a CAL for every registered user....</p>

<hr>

<p>Now which of my assumptions are right and which are wrong?
Do I really need one CAL for every customer or is the "per processor licensing" enough?</p>

<p>it would be a great pleasure to me if you could help me!!</p>

<p>CALs are just for people of my company (I don't even have a company).
I have to use the external connector model.</p>

<p>And so I just have to buy one external connector license to have an unlimited number of customers.</p>

licensing