licencing requirements for ADRMS?

Which type of licencing do we need for ADRMS?

Rights management service role in windows server gives you functionality to protect your files or emails with RMS templates and avoid unauthorised access of the documents. Many times I have been asked about the prerequisites for licencing as its vital thing while going for planning and budgeting for the same. We definitely need a licensed version of windows server to demonstrate the same feature in demo set up environment. In addition to it we also need something called ad CALs (Client Access Licenses) which are of two types for RMS server as well as for clients.

Hence you need following licence schemas

• Windows Server 2008 R2 Server License
• Windows Server 2008 Client Access Licenses (Windows Server CALs)
• Windows Rights Management Services 2008 Client Access Licenses (RMS CALs)

This means along windows server 2008, which provides you the ADRMS feature you additionally need server CALs for every machine serving as ADRMS servers and the entire user machines which use or create RMS templates to have client CALs.

There is another option called RMS 2008 External Connector (EC) which gives any organization an option to provide unlimited access to external users to ADRMS server hence no need of acquiring additional CALs for external users. The Windows Server 2008 EC license may be used as an alternative to Windows Server 2008 CALs.

For further information please go through the following links

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd772659%28v=ws.10%29.aspxhttp://microsoftplatform.blogspot.in/2012/07/windows-server-2012-licensing-faq-and.htmlhttp://mctexpert.blogspot.in/2010/08/do-you-need-extra-license-for-ad-rms.html