This licensing guidance explains Microsoft's two Client Access License (CAL) Suites: Core CAL Suite and the Enterprise CAL Suite. Both suites provide access rights to various server products and include a range of features.

Client Access Licenses (CALs) apply to server products licensed under the Server/CAL and Per Core/CAL licensing models. These models require you to license server software through Server or Core licenses and separately license access through CALs. CALs do not include any software or services; they only grant the right to access server software. CALs come in two types: per user and per device, similar to CAL Suites. User CALs allow the licensed user to access the server software from any device, while Device CALs allow any user to access the server software from the licensed device.

Many components of the Core CAL and Enterprise CAL Suite act as "base CALs," while certain parts of the Enterprise CAL Suite function as "additive CALs." Customers can choose to license the Enterprise CAL Suite upfront or as a step-up from a Core CAL Suite license. Having the Enterprise CAL Suite is like having both the Core CAL Suite and its exclusive additional components since it includes everything in the Core CAL Suite. For more information about base and additive CALs, refer to the Base and Additive CAL licensing guidance.

When you initially purchase CAL Suites, they come with Software Assurance coverage, which grants the right to access the most recent version of every server software product in the suite. If you choose not to renew your Software Assurance coverage, your perpetual licenses allow you to continue accessing the latest version of the server software available as of the last day of your Software Assurance term. For example, if your Software Assurance coverage for the Core CAL Suite expires on September 1, 2024, you will not have rights to versions of server components released on or after that date, such as Windows Server 2025, or to products added to the CAL Suite after that date. Access rights to Microsoft services components of the suites also expire if Software Assurance lapses.

CAL Suites also provide use rights equivalent to Client Management Licenses or Microsoft Online Services User Subscription Licenses. In all cases, under a CAL Suite, the customer’s use rights with respect to a particular product or online service are the same as if that component was licensed separately. The only exception is that both per-user and per-device options are available in CAL Suites even when both options are not available outside the suite. For instance, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager has per device use rights as part of Core CAL Suite and Enterprise CAL Suite, even though it’s offered under per user and per-operating system environment individually.

The Core CAL Suite grants rights equivalent to the Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager Client Management License. When licensed on a per-device basis, CAL Suites extend these rights to multiple operating system environments deployed on the same device, aligning with Server/CAL per-device licensing.

A license for the Enterprise CAL Suite with active Software Assurance coverage includes the rights to Exchange Online Archiving for Exchange Server, Purview Data Loss Prevention, and Exchange Online Protection.

The table below compares what each CAL Suite includes. This information, along with the CAL and ML equivalent rights included in Online

Service subscriptions CAL and ML Equivalency section of the Product Terms.

See FAQ page.