Description of the License Logging Service in Windows Server operating systems (824196)

SUMMARY

License Logging Service (LLS) is a tool that was originally designed to help customers manage licenses for Microsoft server products that are licensed in the Server Client Access License (CAL) model. LLS was introduced with Windows NT Server 3.51. By default, LLS is disabled in Windows Server 2003. Because of original design constraints and evolving license terms and conditions, LLS cannot provide an accurate view of the total number of CALs that are purchased as compared to the total number of CALs that are used on a single server or across the enterprise. The CALs that are reported by LLS may conflict with the interpretation of the End User License Agreement (EULA) and with Product Usage Rights (PUR). LLS will not be included in future versions of the Windows operating system.

For example, when you use the Licensing snap-in (Llsmgr.msc) to view the purchase history of product licenses, the Purchase History window may be blank or inaccurate. However, when you access the purchase history from another server computer, the purchase history may be correct. You can add new licenses, even on computers where the purchase history is inaccurate.

Note This article does not apply to Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003. Do not disable the License Logging Service on SBS 2003. If you disable the License Logging Service on SBS 2003, the server will restart every 60 minutes.

MORE INFORMATION

LLS supports the following licensing modes:

Per Seat (changed to "Per Device" or "Per User" with Windows Server 2003)
Per Server

In Per Server mode, a maximum simultaneous connection limit on a server service is enforced. In Per Seat mode, a server logs all service connections and replicates this data to a master license server. The master license server provides an aggregate view of all replicated data. Each new client uses one license (even if the client connects to multiple servers). If no more licenses are available, LLS on the master server logs an Event ID 201 in the local Event Viewer application event log.

LLS Issues

To accurately track CALs, LLS must have two sets of information: the number of licenses that were purchased and the number of licenses that were used. The following are known issues with LLC:

The purchase information is not replicated from the master license server to a local server or from a local server to the master license server.
- There are two ways of modifying the purchase information: LLSMGR.exe can modify the information about the master server, and LICCPA.cpl can modify the information about the local server. Because there is no merge replication, the two sets of data result in inaccurate data.
Replication of the consumption information from the local server to the master server does not complete if network errors occur. LLS does not provide a diagnostic tool to help troubleshoot issues. For additional information about this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
198132 Replication of License Manager Information Unsuccessful
The method that is used by LLS to associate CALs (Per Seat, Per Device or Per User) with a user or a device may not represent the way that the product is actually licensed and may result in incorrect consumption of data and error messages.
When you use the License Manager tool, you may receive the following error message:
RPC server is too busy

For additional information about this error, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
204018 "RPC Server Is Too Busy" Attempting to Start License Manager
A restart of LLS may correct the problem; however, you may have to reset the License Manager information. When you reset the License Manager information, you need to manually delete the LLS configuration files and re-enter the purchase information. For additional information about how to reset the License Manager information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
153140 How to Reset License Manager Information
For additional information about how to reset the License Manager information in an enterprise, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
194065 How to Reset License Manager Throughout an Enterprise
Administrators can add as many licenses as they want without performing a verification process.

Additionally, server products do not consistently use LLS. For example:

Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, when it is installed on a member server: Setup places purchase information about the master server and does not create a local copy. In this configuration, you cannot change the licensing mode locally.
Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 when it is installed on a member server: Setup stores purchase information in the local store and does not replicate to the master server. You cannot track Per Seat CALs across the enterprise.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000: LLS support has been replaced by a SQL-specific CAL applet that permits the user to select Per Seat or Per Processor and the number of licenses. The Licensing Control Panel tool displays the information that is collected during Setup, but it does not provide additional functionality.
Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS): Activates LLS and keeps the service active.

Functionality Tests

Microsoft has confirmed that the following products and versions function correctly when LLS is disabled:

Windows NT Server 4.0 family, Windows 2000 Server family, and Windows Server 2003 family
Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition, Windows 2000 Terminal Services, and Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server
Exchange Server 2000 on a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server or on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003; Exchange Server 6.0 on a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server; and Exchange Server 5.5 on a computer that is running Windows NT Server 4.0
SQL Server 2000 on a computer that is running Windows NT Server 4.0 or on a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server; SQL Server 7.0 on a computer that is running Windows NT Server 4.0 or on a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server

Note You may receive the following error message if you run SQL Server 7.0 Setup when LLS is disabled:

The License Logging Service is not running on the destination computer, or the destination computer is not accessible.

Click OK to ignore the message, and then continue with Setup.