Linux® and Windows® Interoperability Guide

A Simple Infrastructure for Elsolutions

At Elsolutions we don't want to deal with license issues associated with Microsoft software unless necessary. The costs and complexity associated with Active Directory servers and client access licenses suggest that a simpler solution is needed for Elsolutions. As an example, each authenticated user to an Active Directory requires a Client Access License (CAL). More generally, any file service, print service, dial-up service, or authentication service offered by a Windows 2000 server requires a CAL for each connection, regardless of whether or not it is a domain controller. Active Directory is, among other things, an authentication server. CALs cost $40 per client. Since Elsolutions is small, there is no ...