Step 2: License the Amazon DCV Server
After you have installed the Amazon DCV server software, you need to download and install the license to use Amazon DCV. The Amazon DCV licensing requirements differ depending on where you are installing and using the Amazon DCV server.
Important
The following licensing requirements only apply to Amazon DCV version 2017.0 and later.
Amazon DCV licensing requirements
Topics
Amazon DCV on Amazon EC2
You do not need a license server to install and use the Amazon DCV server on an EC2 instance, including instances running on AWS Outposts and AWS Local Zones. The Amazon DCV server automatically detects that it is running on an Amazon EC2 instance and periodically connects to an S3 bucket to determine whether a valid license is available.
Make sure that your instance has the following properties:
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It can reach the Amazon S3 endpoint. If it has access to the internet, it connects using the Amazon S3 public endpoint. If your instance doesn't have access to the internet, configure a gateway endpoint for your VPC with an outbound security group rule or access control list (ACL) policy that allows you to reach Amazon S3 through HTTPS. For more information, see Gateway VPC Endpoints in the Amazon VPC User Guide. If you experience any issues connecting to the S3 bucket, see Why can’t I connect to an S3 bucket using a gateway VPC endpoint?
in the AWS Knowledge Center. -
It has permission to access the required Amazon S3 object. Add the following Amazon S3 access policy to the instance's IAM role and replace the
region
placeholder with your AWS Region (for example,us-east-1
). For more information, see Create IAM Role.{ "Version": "2012-10-17", "Statement": [ { "Effect": "Allow", "Action": "s3:GetObject", "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::dcv-license.
region
/*" } ] } -
If you're using a Windows instance, ensure that the instance can access the instance metadata service. Access to this service is required to ensure that the Amazon DCV server can be properly licensed. For more information about the instance metadata service, see Instance Metadata and User Data in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.
If you're using a custom Windows AMI, you must install either EC2Config Service (Windows Server 2012 R2 and earlier) or EC2Launch (Windows Server 2016 and later). This ensures that your instance can access the instance metadata service. For more information, see Configuring a Windows Instance Using the EC2Config Service or Configuring a Windows Instance Using EC2Launch in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.
If you're installing and using the Amazon DCV server on an Amazon EC2 instance, you can skip the rest of this chapter. The rest of this chapter only applies to all other use cases for the Amazon DCV server.
Other use cases for Amazon DCV
For all other use cases, a license is required to install and use the Amazon DCV server. The following licensing options are available:
Automatic evaluation license— This type of license is automatically installed when you install the Amazon DCV server. This type of license is valid for a period of 30 days after it's installed. After the license expires, you can no longer create and host Amazon DCV sessions on the server. These licenses are suitable for short-term testing and evaluation. To test for a longer period, request an extended evaluation license.
Note
The Amazon DCV server defaults to the automatic evaluation license if no other license is configured.
Extended evaluation license— An extended evaluation license is an evaluation license that extends the initial 30-day evaluation period provided by the automatic evaluation license. The period is determined by AWS on a case-by-case basis. Extended evaluation licenses are invalid after they reach their expiration date, and you can no longer create and host Amazon DCV sessions on the server. Extended evaluation licenses must be requested from an Amazon DCV distributor or reseller listed on the How to Buy
page of the Amazon DCV website. The licenses come as a license file that must be installed on the Amazon DCV server. Production license—A production license is a full license that you purchase from Amazon DCV. Production licenses are floating licenses that are managed by a license server. With floating licenses, you can run multiple Amazon DCV servers in your network. At the same time, you can also limit the number of concurrent Amazon DCV sessions you can create across all of the servers. You need one license for each concurrent Amazon DCV session. Production licenses are distributed as a license file that you must install on a Reprise License Manager (RLM) server. There are two types of production licenses:
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Perpetual Licenses— Perpetual licenses don't have an expiration date and can be used for an indefinite period.
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Subscriptions— Subscriptions are valid for a limited period of time, typically one year. The expiration date of the license is indicated in the license file. After the license expires, you can no longer create and host Amazon DCV sessions on your Amazon DCV servers.
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For information about how to purchase a Amazon DCV perpetual license or a subscription, see
How to Buy
Licensing requirements
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Amazon DCV clients don't require a license.
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Amazon DCV server license files are backward compatible with previous versions of the Amazon DCV server. For example, you can use a Amazon DCV server version 2021 license with Amazon DCV server version 2019.
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Amazon DCV server versions require at least the same version of the Amazon DCV server license. For example, if you use a Amazon DCV server version 2021, you need a license version 2021 or later. If you upgrade to a later Amazon DCV server version, you must request compatible license files. For more information, contact your Amazon DCV distributor or reseller.
Note
For information about the Amazon DCV server compatibility, see Compatibility considerations.
Microsoft licensing requirements for remotely accessing Windows Server
Microsoft requires that, in addition to a Windows Server Client Access License (CAL), you must have a Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CAL for your version of Windows Server for each user that remotely accesses the server’s graphical user interface (GUI). This regardless of the remote display protocol that you use. This license is also required if you use Amazon DCV to access the GUI of a remote Windows Server host.
If you run a Amazon DCV server on an Amazon EC2 instance and you use a Windows Server
AMI
For more information, see the Microsoft
Product Terms Site