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Client options

Lotus software

Lotus Notes and Domino

IBM Lotus Notes and Domino licensing
Client/server licensing Per user licensing PVU licensing
Server options Client options Lotus Domino Expressofferings priced per user CEO bundle Hosted offerings Lotus Domino Utility Server Express Lotus Domino Utility Server
Additional entitlements with Lotus Notes and Domino licenses

If you prefer client and server licensing, you pay for IBM® Lotus® Domino®server licenses and Client Access Licenses (CAL) separately. The table below outlines several client choices available for licensing in this manner:

Client license options

IBM Lotus Domino Enterprise Client Access License

Server access license that provides access to the full range of client software (including desktop, web and mobile clients) used to access Lotus Domino messaging and collaboration functions. These functions include teamrooms and the capability to use Lotus Domino applications. These applications may be developed in house using IBM Lotus Domino Designer software or acquired from independent software vendors.

A license to this CAL includes a user license to IBM Lotus Notes, IBM Lotus iNotes, IBM Lotus Notes Traveler, and Lotus Domino Designer. In addition, this license provides entitlement to the following software for 1 user: IBM Lotus Sametime Entry, IBM Lotus Quickr Entry, IBM Lotus Symphony, and IBM Lotus Mobile Connect clients

IBM Lotus Domino Messaging Client Access License

Server access license that provides access to the full range of client software (including desktop, web and mobile clients) used to access Lotus Domino messaging functions. These functions are limited to messaging, calendar and scheduling, personal information management (local address book and personal journal), blogging, discussion databases and reference databases. Degree of function available to the user is controlled by the administrator through a parameter in the Lotus Domino directory.

A license to this CAL includes a user license to IBM Lotus Notes, IBM Lotus iNotes, and IBM Lotus Notes Traveler. In addition, this license provides entitlement to the following software for 1 user: IBM Lotus Sametime Entry, IBM Lotus Quickr Entry, and IBM Lotus Symphony

Frequently asked Questions

Q. Who needs to purchase a client access license?
A. Any and every person who is either an employee or a contractor who is doing work for the company and is accessing Lotus Notes, Lotus iNotes or Lotus Notes Traveler for email must purchase a Messaging CAL to access email on their Lotus Domino server. They require a license and must have their own user name and password, e.g., joe@us.acme.comor m_houston@XYZ.com.

Q. How do you translate this into a usage scenario?
A . Consider a real estate company that has 350 independent agents in multiple locations. Each office has one PC and the people working there are using email to do work. None of them are employees, but rather are referred to as 'contractors' for the real estate agency. These real estate agents, or 'contractors' are receiving payment for their work from the real estate agency and are using the real estate agency's Domino email.

The agency has set up one Domino mail box and one directory entry for each location. One person logs on to this mail box and reads, sends or receives email. When s/he is done with their work, s/he person logs off and another person logs onto that exact same PC with the exact same identification. In this example each user must have their own identification (user name and password) to access email, and the company must pay for licenses for each of these users. If they do not, they are out of compliance.

Q. What constitutes a license? Do I receive CDs and documentation? Do client licenses include software or just a license to access the Lotus Domino server software?
A. Lotus Domino server and the appropriate CAL (Messaging or Enterprise) give you the right to install and use the software in accordance with the terms of the license. When you acquire licenses, the appropriate software and associated documentation are available to you for warranted use and are available to download from the Passport Advantage (PPA) Web site or xxx ibm.com web site. What you can access on the PPA site is determined by your entitlement. If you would like CDs and hardcopy documentation, one media pack per major release (e.g., 6.5, 7.0, 8.0) is available on request. Additional copies of media can be purchased.

Lotus Domino Messaging Client Access License and Lotus Domino Enterprise Client Access License includes both a license to use the client software and a CAL. A nonwarranted license (for example, included when initially downloaded from xxx ibm.com web site) does not include a CAL. For an additional charge, you can upgrade a non-warranted license to a full CAL .

Q. When do I need a client access license (CAL)?
A. A client access license (or per user charge if you are using per user licensing) is required for access to Lotus Domino capabilities that require authentication, except for Web browser access to Lotus Domino Utility Server or Lotus Domino Utility Server Express software.

Access to messaging capabilities is always authenticated because messaging requires secure validation of a user's unique identity, and the user is registered in the Lotus Domino Directory. Use of Lotus Notes is always authenticated because you are prompted for an ID when you start up the software.

A CAL is required for:

A CAL is not required for:

*Note that with the per user licensing model under the CAL, access to Lotus Domino capabilities is limited to the people for whom you have paid the per user charge.

Q. What determines how many client access licenses I need? Is it based on the number of named IDs in the Lotus Domino directory? Copies of client software installed? Individual people using Lotus Notes and Domino capabilities?
A. A client or per user license is required for each individual person who accesses Lotus Domino capabilities in a manner that requires a CAL (see previous Q&A) - no more, no less. This is true regardless of the number of workstations used, copies of software installed, number of unique user IDs in the Lotus Domino directory or number of mail files.

A single user needs exactly one CAL that covers the appropriate clients and capabilities he needs, regardless of the number of different IDs he may use or the number of workstations she may use. Here are some examples.

In each of the following scenarios, two client access licenses are required:

In each of the following scenarios, one client access license is required:

Q. Is a separate CAL required for a shared resource such as a shared Lotus Notes ID or mail-in database?
A. No. As long as each individual user who uses the shared ID or accesses the mail-in database has his or her own individual CAL, no separate license is required.

Q. Do ID or mail files that are used for testing require client access licenses (CAL)?
A. No. If developers or administrators create test IDs with fictitious user names, the IDs do not require client access licenses, provided that each user of the ID has her own unique CAL.

Q. Do generic IDs used for Lotus Domino administration tasks require a client access license (CAL)?
A. No. Companies often create generic IDs for tasks such as signing applications or running agents. These IDs do not require an additional CAL, but each user of the ID must have his or her own unique CAL.

Q. I am using the Domino Directory, and a select group of "non-CAL" users need to be added to provide authenticated access to non-Domino applications such as IBM Lotus Forms. Do these "non-CAL" users require a CAL?
A. No, if these users are not assigned an authorized user name/password in the Domino Directory and they do not access any Domino applications or databases, they do not need a CAL.

Q. Do Lotus Domino administrators need a specific client access license type?
A. No. The Lotus Domino server license entitles any licensed user the right to administer the server using either the Lotus Domino Administrator interface, or the Lotus Domino Web Administration interface. Both of these tools are supplied with the Lotus Domino server code at no additional charge. Furthermore, you do not need to acquire a CAL for anyone whose sole and exclusive function is to administer any IBM Lotus Domino server.

Q. Do names added to the Lotus Domino directory just for mailing addresses require a client access license?
A. No. Companies often add person documents to their Lotus Domino directory to be used for mail addressing to their customers, partners and suppliers. These person documents do not require a CAL if they are only used for mail addressing. If they are used for authenticating and accessing a Lotus Domino application, then a license is required.

Q. A shrink wrapped license of Lotus Notes software was included with my Lenovo workstation hardware purchase. Does this equate to a client access license?
A. No, Some Lenovo PC and ThinkPad computers may carry an entitlement for a standalone IBM Lotus Notes client license, allowing users to install and run this complete Internet client with rich e-mail and personal information management (PIM) features. In this context, the Lotus Notes client can be used to access Internet (POP3 or IMAP) e-mail, directory and Web servers that are not based on Lotus Domino. However, the standalone Lotus Notes license does not include a client access license to any IBM Lotus Domino server.

The standalone Lotus Notes client license would be considered a POP3, IMAP or basic Web browser client that requires a separately acquired client access license to access Lotus Domino capabilities. If you want to access a Lotus Domino server, OEM tradeup part numbers are available for you to upgrade standalone licenses to full Lotus Notes licenses at a reduced price. Consult your IBM representative or IBM Business Partner for more details.