I feel your pain. We also seem to get a different response each time, which makes it hard to be sure what you say to the client is spot on correct, however, it does also mean you can keep asking until you get the response you want.

My advice, always get the MSFT representative to follow up with an email...

I'm not sure what you mean with your question but what you seem to be saying seems to be something Microsoft would never allow.

Always assume you need *more* licenses than you think.

Only yesterday for instance I found out that if you connect WSS 3.0 or MOSS 2007 to the Internet *ALL* the servers in the farm need the Server Internet Connector license (and in MOSS that is in addition to the MOSS Internet Connection license / MOSS for Internet product).

As Matt(ie) says always get something in writing when an MS person gives you what seems to be positive licensing information!

I agree with Mike and I think that the WSS/MOSS licenses are a bit screwed, especially if you are working with small or medium sized businesses.

Make sure that you always read the fine prints in the license agreements, especially note this when it comes to the MOSS for Internet Sites: "All content, information, and applications must be accessible to non-employees.".  How do you interpret this? This makes it impossible to combine an intranet and extranet site, doesn't it?

Hey everyone, Glad to read I'm not the only one struggling with this web of licensing.

I was wondering if the Search License is required for ALL servers in the farm?  As well, is this license required if the deployment will not be indexing outside of the actual MOSS site(s).  

btw -- "All content, information, and applications must be accessible to non-employees.".  How do you interpret this?

-- I whole-heartily agree.  

Bill,

The "accessible to non-employees" is for the MOSSFIS licence and basically means you can't use a MOSSFIS licenced farm to host an Intranet/internal user only site(s)/etc.

However, you can now (since licencing revision autumn last year) apply the server/CAL licence to a farm already licenced with MOSSFIS (ie; dual licence) (ie; $$$$$$$$!!!!!!!) so you can then host data for just employees on your MOSSFIS farm.

It's the MOSSFIS "accessible to non-employees" licence issue that is preventing at least two of our clients upgrading from CMS to MOSS (intranet use) as the server/CAL model is going to cost in excess of £11million for one and £7million for the other (just for CAL's, based on OTS pricing), hardly a viable option is it???  I think it's daft that the server/CAL model is the only model available (for internally facing use)...

</rant over>