SQL Server 2000 Notification Services Licensing FAQ

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If you have the 120-day trial software version of SQL Server 2000, you can install and use Notification Services on your computers for demonstration, testing, examination, and evaluation purposes only. The fully functional trial software version of SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition will no longer function 120 days after initial installation. Your evaluation rights to Notification Services cease when your SQL Server 2000 evaluation period ends. You may not use Notification Services in a production environment during this evaluation period.

You can install and use Notification Services with SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition to design, develop, and test notification applications. When used with SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition, Notification Services may only be used by the individual authorized to use SQL Server Developer Edition. You may not use Notification Services in a production environment without acquiring the appropriate SQL Server licenses. For information on SQL Server retail licenses, refer to the SQL Server How To Buy page.

If you are using Server plus device CAL licensing for SQL Server, you may install and use one copy of Notification Services or any of its components on the computer that is running a licensed copy of SQL Server under the device CAL licensing model. A device CAL is required for any device that accesses Notification Services or any other SQL Server component.

You may install and use Notification Services or its components on one or more computers that are not running SQL Server, provided that those computers can access the services of the SQL Server database. The SQL Server database must be licensed under the Server plus device CAL licensing model. You will need to obtain a separate SQL Server device CAL for each computer running Notification Services.

If you are using Per Processor licensing, you may install and use one copy of Notification Services or any Notification Services component on the computer that is running the licensed copy of SQL Server. If the computer has more than one processor and you are licensed for each processor on that computer as described in the SQL Server End–User License Agreement (EULA), you do not need to obtain additional licenses for each processor on that computer to install and use Notification Services.

You may install and use Notification Services or any of its component on computers that are not running SQL Server provided that they are accessing the services of the computer that is running SQL Server under the Per Processor licensing model. You must obtain a separate SQL Server license for each such computer based on the edition of Notification Services you have deployed. If the computers on which you use and install Notification Services have more than one processor, you must obtain a separate SQL Server license for each processor on those computers.

Any device that accesses or uses the services of your notification application requires a CAL. This includes devices such as personal computers, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, mobile phones, embedded devices, and so on. Note that you do not need CALs for these devices if you are using Per Processor licensing for SQL Server.

With Notification Services Enterprise Edition, you can install and use any number of instances of Notification Services or Notification Services components on a single computer running a single SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition license. With Notification Services Standard Edition, you will need to obtain a valid SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition license for each instance of Notification Services.

Any device with a valid CAL may access or use the services of Notification Services. You must obtain a valid CAL for each device that accesses or uses the services of Notification Services.

Per Processor licensing eliminates the need to account for the licensing of every single device that connects to Notification Services. Per Processor licensing provides connection licenses for an unlimited number of devices accessing or using the services of Notification Services.

You do not need to obtain a separate SQL Server license or CAL to install and use and the client components on Web servers used to support communication between users and Notification Services.

You must deploy Notification Services Enterprise Edition in a clustered environment. You may not use Notification Services Standard Edition in a clustered environment.

For notification applications that send notifications to more than 100 client devices, it is recommended that you use the Per Processor licensing model for SQL Server. Per Processor licensing enables support for an unlimited number of client devices for the computer that you license, so you can grow your notification subscriber base without paying for additional CALs.