Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2

Dynamics AX 2012 R2 – BASIC LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

All Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 customers need to license:
▶ Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution functionality, which is licensed through the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Server license, and
▶ Access to the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution functionality by users or devices, which is licensed through Client Access Licenses (CALs).

LICENSING MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012 R2 SOLUTION FUNCTIONALITY
Before you run any instance of the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Server software under a Server license, you must assign that license to one of your servers. That server is the licensed server for that particular license. You may assign other Server licenses to the same server, but you may not assign the same license to more than one server. A hardware partition or blade is considered to be a separate server. For each Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Server license you assign, you may run, at any one time, one instance of the server software in one physical or virtual operating system environment (OSE) on the licensed server. The Server license includes one application object server. If you want additional application object servers or additional server instances, you may purchase additional Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Server licenses.

LICENSING ACCESS TO MICROSOFT DYNAMICS AX 2012 R2 SOLUTION FUNCTIONALITY
Access to Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution’s functionality is licensed through CALs. Any time a user directly or indirectly accesses the solution functionality, that user must be licensed by a User CAL (which licenses a specific user for access via multiple devices) or the device being used must be licensed by a Device CAL (which licenses access through a specific device by any user).
Note: Only the user or the device requires a CAL, not both. If the user of a device is licensed with a User CAL, then the device does not need a Device CAL. Likewise, if the device is licensed with a Device CAL, then the user does not need a User CAL.

AVAILABLE CALS
There are four available CAL levels, each of which grants an increasingly wider spectrum of use rights. This gives customers the flexibility to license the solution based on how their users will use and derive value from the solution.

As you progress from the lowest level CAL (Self Serve) to the highest level (Enterprise), the user is licensed to use the solution in ways that will provide more value. Customers therefore have the flexibility to decide which level of investment to make for any given individual based upon the functions that user is performing on behalf of the organization.
Note: You can upgrade CALs to a higher level by acquiring additive CALs. For example, to upgrade from the Self Serve CAL to the Task CAL, you can acquire the Task Additive CAL.

ACCESS BY EXTERNAL USERS
External (third party) users do not require CALs. Third party users are users that are not either (i) the customer’s or the customer’s affiliates’ employees, or (ii) the customer’s or the customer’s affiliates’ contractors or agents. In this sense, the definition of third party users does not extend to onsite contractors, vendors, and users performing business processes on the customer’s behalf.
Note: Offsite vendors are considered external users when their time is shared in between multiple customer organizations (for example, IT support service vendors serving multiple customer organizations) and they are not in an employee-like relationship.

REASSIGNING CALS
Named CALs (either User or Device) cannot be shared. They can only be reassigned in specific cases as follows:
Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 R2 Licensing Guide | December 2012 | Customer Edition Page 4
▶ Permanently reassigning a CAL from one user or device to another, due to permanent personnel or device replacement.
▶ Temporarily reassigning a CAL to a temporary worker while the assigned user is absent or to a temporary loaner device while an assigned device is out of order.

MULTIPLEXING
Multiplexing is the use of hardware or software (including manual procedures) to reduce the number of devices or individuals that access or use the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution by pooling connections. Multiplexing does not reduce the number of licenses required to access the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution. Any user that accesses the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 —whether directly or indirectly—must be properly licensed.
Note: Licensed users may manually rekey information (when coming from non-licensed users) into the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 solution. This scenario is not considered to be multiplexing.

ADDITIONAL LICENSING GUIDANCE FOR SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES

Please refer to the Microsoft Dynamics AX website to check for any available industry-specific licensing guidance.

Scoping the Solution
The goal of scoping the solution should be to determine an estimated mix of CAL types that provides the right balance of the following:

As the mix of CALs becomes more heavily weighted toward Enterprise CALs, the licensing increases each of these four areas. Likewise, as you alter your mix to include lower CAL levels other than Enterprise CALs, you lower each of these four areas.

Each solution will have an optimal mix of CALs.

Licensing every user and/or device with an Enterprise CAL (Mix A above) maximizes each area:
➠ Simplicity: All you need to know is total number of users and/or devices being licensed.
➠ Flexibility: You can provide every user with access to any functionality they need.
➠ Assurance: You know that every user is licensed to access all functionality.
➠ Cost: Enterprise CALs have the highest price.
For many organizations, particularly smaller organizations, this may be the preferred approach, as the cost savings achieved by licensing a relatively small number of users with a lower level CAL may be negligible compared to the reduction in simplicity, flexibility, and assurance.
Larger organizations, for which licensing everyone with Enterprise CALs may be cost-prohibitive, may prefer to make some trade-offs in order to lower the cost. The extreme version of this would be to look at every single user in the organization and determine the lowest level CAL they will need. We do not recommend this approach, because you severely limit simplicity, flexibility, and assurance.
Instead, we recommend the following approach, in which you determine the mix of CALs based on Security Roles.

SCOPING BASED ON SECURITY ROLES

OVERVIEW OF SECURITY ROLES
Providing users with access to the solution functionality is done by assigning each user one or more Security Roles. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Security Roles combine meaningful bundles of solution functionality and access rights required to perform actions relevant to that role.

To make it easier to understand the licenses required, each of the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Security Roles has a pre-determined CAL. When you assign Security Roles to users, you then know what CAL those users require.
For example, in a retail organization, the Accounts, Store Managers, and Cashiers require different use rights. By assigning those user groups to the appropriate Security Role, they get the functionality they need and you know the CAL type that is required.

Notes:
▶ You can assign multiple Security Roles to one user, in which case the highest CAL type required covers all the user rights.
▶ You have the flexibility to configure or customize Security Roles. This may impact the license required for the new/modified Security Roles. Please refer to the Appendix I for more information about how such customization can impact licensing requirements.

COUNTING LICENSES
Using Security Roles as a proxy to count CALs provides a much more convenient and manageable process than trying to determine the required CAL for every individual in the organization. This approach involves identifying groups of users who will be satisfied by Security Roles that require lower level CALs and groups of users who will access the solution functionality through a licensed device, and then licensing all remaining users with the Enterprise CAL.

The following provides a step-by-step overview of this approach:
➠ Determine the total number of users.
➠ Determine groups of users who require only the Self Serve CAL (for example, maintenance employees).
➠ Subtract from this users who will access the functionality using a licensed device.
➠ The result is the number of required Self Serve User CALs.
➠ Count the number of devices that will be licensed with a Self Serve Device CAL for the users counted in step #3.
➠ Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 R2 Licensing Guide | December 2012 | Customer Edition Page 9
➠ Add the number of User CALs and Device CALs to get the total number of required Self Serve CALs.
➠ Repeat for Task, Functional, and Enterprise CALs.

As you continue through the purchasing cycle, you can continue to fine tune the CAL requirements and final costs using this exercise.

How Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 Licenses are Sold
Licenses for Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 are sold through the following three channels:

For more informations download the document:

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