Licensing Considerations

Proper software licensing presents a challenge for software publishers and independent developers as well as for individual users and organizations. The licensing scheme must protect the software vendor but must not be so prohibitive that it constrains sales of the product. Users and organizations need to follow the rules of the license. Conversely, software developers need to make these rules flexible enough so that users and organizations can take advantage of the software. Organizations are responsible for ensuring that they have properly purchased and licensed the software they intend to use. Using software in the thin-client/server model is no different than using software on a desktop computer or a file server: you must have the appropriate licenses.

Software used in thin-client/server solutions must be properly licensed.

In general, the practice of making sure that you correctly purchase and license software promotes and maintains a healthy software industry. You can find comprehensive information about software licensing on the Software Publishers Association (SPA) Web site at:

http://www.spa.org/

Check out the SPA Web site.

At this Web site, you ll find both general information and information about specific tools and courses. Microsoft provides comprehensive guidelines for purchasing and managing Microsoft user and server software licenses on its Web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/

Check out the Microsoft Web site for licensing information.

When you purchase Citrix Systems WinFrame product, you must satisfy the thin-client/server licensing requirements, which include the base-system software license and the connecting software. Because WinFrame is built on Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 under license from Microsoft, you also receive the appropriate server licenses to get started. You must also acquire the appropriate licenses for any productivity, information, or thin-client/server applications you plan to deploy. Be sure to consider all licensing issues before you implement a network installation: if you wait, the sticker shock could kill your budget.

The following sections elaborate on the licensing issues you ll need to consider when setting up your thin-client/server computing environment.