Comments on: TFS licensing model demystification or what should I buy for my company in order not to step on the licensing mine? http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/ Take care of the sense, and the sounds will take care of themselves. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Johnny http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3572 Johnny Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:22:40 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3572 Great info, I sure will keep that in mind. Cheers Great info, I sure will keep that in mind.

Cheers

]]> By: Marisa Amkiling http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3567 Marisa Amkiling Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:05:45 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3567 When looking for top hosting -I thought all the money made from internet are scams. Now, i know and im enlightened. When looking for top hosting -I thought all the money made from internet are scams. Now, i know and im enlightened.

]]> By: Tomas http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3560 Tomas Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:44:38 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3560 "You do not need additional license when you are using TFS for only: * Create work items, bugs, etc. * Query for work items * Update work items" As some other posters pointed out: This does only apply to *your own* work items. You cannot query, access or modify other users' work items without a CAL. E.g. a CAL-less user is allowed to file a bug, but not query the database to find out if anybody else has already filed the same bug. Which makes it all pretty useless for practical use. Microsoft must fix this. Either by including unlimited work item access in the server price (like many other bug tracking vendors do) or they should introduce a Work Item CAL at a decent price. (The current TFS CAL price is about 4-500$. For those only using work items, this makes it the most expensive defect tracker on the planet) Best regards, /Tomas “You do not need additional license when you are using TFS for only:

* Create work items, bugs, etc.
* Query for work items
* Update work items”

As some other posters pointed out: This does only apply to *your own* work items. You cannot query, access or modify other users’ work items without a CAL.
E.g. a CAL-less user is allowed to file a bug, but not query the database to find out if anybody else has already filed the same bug. Which makes it all pretty useless for practical use.
Microsoft must fix this. Either by including unlimited work item access in the server price (like many other bug tracking vendors do) or they should introduce a Work Item CAL at a decent price. (The current TFS CAL price is about 4-500$. For those only using work items, this makes it the most expensive defect tracker on the planet)

Best regards,
/Tomas

]]> By: jackie http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3497 jackie Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:23:27 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3497 Hi! Great Blog. I will bookmark. Hi! Great Blog. I will bookmark.

]]> By: Joe Torres http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3452 Joe Torres Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:01:39 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3452 Thanks for the info. Is always good to learn. Regards Thanks for the info. Is always good to learn. Regards

]]> By: Dominic http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3340 Dominic Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:04:11 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3340 Any news about CAL and user that only access Team Foundation Server Web Access to manage requirement ?? Any news about CAL and user that only access Team Foundation Server Web Access to manage requirement ??

]]> By: Tamir http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3220 Tamir Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:51:52 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3220 Doug, Build machine which runs with tfsbuild user requires CAL, as I wrote in comments. The only concern by now is what "bug tracker" user meaning. But I hope to solve it soon and update the article according my findings Doug,
Build machine which runs with tfsbuild user requires CAL, as I wrote in comments. The only concern by now is what “bug tracker” user meaning.
But I hope to solve it soon and update the article according my findings

]]> By: doug bennett http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3219 doug bennett Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:57:32 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3219 If no CAL is required for the build machine, which is my understanding, shouldn't you update the "simulated results"? The article seems to contradict itself, leaving one a little more confused than before reading the article. If no CAL is required for the build machine, which is my understanding, shouldn’t you update the “simulated results”? The article seems to contradict itself, leaving one a little more confused than before reading the article.

]]> By: Buck Hodges http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3212 Buck Hodges Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:22:26 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3212 Tamir, I think you are mixing two things with regard to handling bugs. In your example, the secretary needs a CAL, but the people to whom she sends the data do not need CALs. So, she can copy and paste into an email, and the recipients don't need a CAL. However, if she sends them links to web access, reports, etc. that use TFS, then they would need a CAL. Regarding work items, you must have a CAL to use work item tracking except for the one scenario where either you are creating bugs or you are querying or modifying bugs that you created. That's a very narrow but important scenario. It allows for someone to build a web page inside a company for folks to file bugs about an internal application, for example, without every person in the company needing a CAL. The following statement needs to be fixed to clarify that the work items queried or updated must be work items you created yourself in order to avoid a CAL. "You do not need additional license when you are using TFS for only: •Create work items, bugs, etc. •Query for work items •Update work items" The phrase "or using TFS for only bug/issues tracking" should be removed. You could fix it, but it would end up being the same as the one above after it is fixed. "To summarize: Each TFS user does not need additional CAL when he has proper license for Visual Studio Team Suite or using TFS for only bug/issues tracking." There may be other issues that need to be fixed (and I'm not a licensing expert), but I noticed those issues in particular. Buck Tamir, I think you are mixing two things with regard to handling bugs.

In your example, the secretary needs a CAL, but the people to whom she sends the data do not need CALs. So, she can copy and paste into an email, and the recipients don’t need a CAL. However, if she sends them links to web access, reports, etc. that use TFS, then they would need a CAL.

Regarding work items, you must have a CAL to use work item tracking except for the one scenario where either you are creating bugs or you are querying or modifying bugs that you created. That’s a very narrow but important scenario. It allows for someone to build a web page inside a company for folks to file bugs about an internal application, for example, without every person in the company needing a CAL.

The following statement needs to be fixed to clarify that the work items queried or updated must be work items you created yourself in order to avoid a CAL.

“You do not need additional license when you are using TFS for only:

•Create work items, bugs, etc.
•Query for work items
•Update work items”

The phrase “or using TFS for only bug/issues tracking” should be removed. You could fix it, but it would end up being the same as the one above after it is fixed.

“To summarize: Each TFS user does not need additional CAL when he has proper license for Visual Studio Team Suite or using TFS for only bug/issues tracking.”

There may be other issues that need to be fixed (and I’m not a licensing expert), but I noticed those issues in particular.

Buck

]]> By: Tamir http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/comment-page-1/#comment-3211 Tamir Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:41:11 +0000 http://khason.net/itpro/tfs-licensing-model-demystification-or-what-should-i-buy-for-my-company-in-order-not-to-step-on-the-licensing-mine/#comment-3211 @Brian 1) That's exactly what I wrote. Build account requires CAL :) 2) Well this is very gray area. That's right that "A user does not need a CAL to create new work items or to view and update work items that user has created", however "A Team Foundation Server CAL is not required for users who views static data that has been manually distributed outside of TFS". Thus in this particular case, secretary who fills and dispatches bugs to development group and then looks via Excel, web access or any other 3rd party software on those bugs opened/closed reports for all bugs (even not opened by herself) does not need CAL. Am I wrong? @Brian
1) That’s exactly what I wrote. Build account requires CAL :)
2) Well this is very gray area. That’s right that “A user does not need a CAL to create new work items or to view and update work items that user has created”, however “A Team Foundation Server CAL is not required for users who views static data that has been manually distributed outside of TFS”. Thus in this particular case, secretary who fills and dispatches bugs to development group and then looks via Excel, web access or any other 3rd party software on those bugs opened/closed reports for all bugs (even not opened by herself) does not need CAL.
Am I wrong?

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