This topic explains some of the terminology used in this guide. Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with it before continuing.
Parallels RAS stands for Parallels Remote Application Server.
Farm is a collection of Parallels RAS components maintained as a single logical entity. Each farm has its own unique management database and a local licensing server that keeps track of licenses used.
Site is a managing entity within a farm, usually based on a physical location. A farm consists of at least one site, but may have more if needed.
Parallels RAS Console is the primary graphical user interface used to configure and manage Parallels RAS features.
Parallels My Account is a web service that gives you access to tools for managing your Parallels subscriptions. A Parallels account is required to activate a Parallels RAS farm using your SPLA license key.
This guide is targeted towards Managed Service Providers (MSP) and Independent Software Vendors (ISV). It provides information about Parallels® Remote Application Server SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement), which is a licensing model designed for companies who offer their customers hosted software services.
To activate your SPLA subscription, you need a Parallels account. If you are currently a Parallels RAS customer and already have an account, your new subscription will be added to your account. If you are a new customer, an account will be created for you and your subscription will be registered.
Read the chapter that follows this one to learn how to activate Parallels RAS using your SPLA license key and how to use your Parallels account to manage SPLA subscription(s).
Please also read about Microsoft license requirements in Parallels RAS.
No upfront costs. Pay as you go only for licenses based on what you make available to your customers each billing period.
Ability to activate multiple farms using a single license key.
Ability to track usage history for each farm in Parallels My Account.
Automated usage accounting and billing.
Parallels Remote Application Server SPLA is licensed per peak number of concurrent users over a billing period. This information is automatically collected on a daily basis from each farm and is used to calculate the licensing cost at the end of a billing cycle.
To understand how Parallels RAS license usage is calculated, consider the following diagram:
On the diagram above:
A service provider activates one or more farms using a single SPLA license key.
As users connect to servers in different farms, each farm continually records the number of concurrent user connections. At the end of each day, all farms report their respective peak number of concurrent connections for that day to Parallels My Account, where it can be viewed by the service provider.
At the end of the last day of a billing period, the daily peak usage data for all farms is aggregated (more on this below) and the licensing cost for that billing period is calculated. The total amount to be paid will be determined as the licensing cost for the billing period (price per unit multiplied by the aggregated peak usage) less any prepaid amount.
Finally, an invoice is prepared and is emailed to the service provider.
Once the current billing period is closed, the next billing period begins and steps 2-3 above repeat for the duration of a given Parallels SPLA contract.
As was described earlier, the daily peak number of concurrent connections in each farm is automatically recorded and stored in Parallels My Account. At the end of a billing period, the daily data from multiple farms is aggregated to determine the total RAS licensing cost for that period. The following steps describe the aggregation procedure:
First, the peak number of concurrent connections is determined for each individual farm over the entire billing period. To do so, the highest number of all recorded daily peaks is identified and used as the peak number for the entire billing period.
Once the peak usage number is determined for each farm, the sum of these numbers is calculated, which becomes the total usage number for that billing period.
The following table shows license consumption by connection type and user rights:
* Maximum up to two connections of either type per RD Session Host server.
| Connection Type | User Rights | Consumes RAS License |
|---|---|---|
RAS desktop/published application connection
Non-admin
Yes
RDP desktop/published application connection
Non-admin
Yes
RAS published application connection
Administrator
Yes
RAS published desktop connection*
Administrator
No
Direct or tunneled RDP desktop connection*
Administrator
No