Windows 2008 TS CALs and 2008 R2 RDS CALs

The following information is abridged from the noted sites:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2009/09/04/what-s-the-difference-between-a-rds-cal-and-a-ts-cal.aspx

The equivalence of Windows Server 2008 TS CAL & Windows Server 2008 RDS CAL

Microsoft changed the name of Terminal Services (TS) to Remote Desktop Services (RDS) in Windows Server 2008 R2. And as such, they renamed the CAL.

The new CAL is called a Windows Server 2008 RDS CAL (rather than 2008 R2 CAL). This is because R2 is a refresh release and while you need to buy new Windows Server licenses you do not need to buy new RDS CALs if you already own 2008 TS CALs.

This means you can use the Windows Server 2008 TS CALs with your Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services. If you have Windows Server 2003 TS CALs you will need to buy new RDS 2008 CALs.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2009/07/27/windows-server-2008-r2-rds-and-windows-server-2008-ts-cal-compatibility.aspx

Because they are compatible, you can install Windows Server 2008 TS CALs on Windows Server 2008 R2 license server and Windows Server 2008 RDS CALs on Windows Server 2008 license server. You need to request your Technical Account Manager (TAM) or Escalation Engineer (EE) for KB 968074 and install it on the license server.