Summary of Support Issues with Small Business Server Client Add Packs (236867)

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Small Business Server Client Add Packs are used to add Client Access Licenses (CALs) to a computer running Small Business Server. Client Add Packs are distributed on floppy disks and are sold in packs of 5 or 20 CALs through Microsoft Authorized Resellers. Small Business Server Client Add Pack version 4.0 should be applied only to Small Business Server 4.0. The Small Business Server Client Add Pack version 4.5 can be applied to either Small Business Server 4.0 or 4.5.

Applying a Client Add Pack

To apply a Client Add Pack, verify the version of Small Business Server and the current number of installed licenses by clicking the About Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server link from the Console. Small Business Server 4.0 is limited to 25 licenses. Small Business Server 4.5 is limited to 50 licenses. Attempting to apply a Client Add Pack in excess of these license limits generates an error message. Next, when you click the link to add licenses, follow the steps outlined in the Add License Wizard. Restart the server to complete the update process.

Error Messages Are Received When Attempting to Apply the Client Add Pack

The most common problem with applying Client Add Packs occurs because Small Business Server requires the ability to write to the disk during the Add License process. Do not enable the write-protect notch on the disk, because the software must be able to write information to the floppy disk. If the disk is write protected, Small Business Server reports that the floppy disk could be damaged.

For additional information, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Another common problem occurs when there is an attempt to reuse a Client Add Pack on a different server. If you perform this action, you are prompted to enter a password. Contact Microsoft Technical Support at (800) 936-4900 to obtain the password.

The following is an example of an error message you may receive: For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Applying a Client Add Pack Out of Order

With Small Business Server 4.0 and Client Add Pack version 4.0, it is important to mark the Client Add Packs, noting the order in which they are used. If the server should need to be reinstalled, the Client Add Packs must be reapplied in the same order. If a Client Add Pack is reapplied out of order, the disk is rendered defective and must be replaced. See the Replacing Defective Media section at the end of this article.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Client Add Pack Diskettes Can be Damaged After Small Business Server 4.0 Reapply, Reinstall, and Upgrade to Small Business Server 4.5

If you did not apply the Small Business Server 4.0 Client Add Pack diskettes before upgrading to Small Business Server 4.5 after a reinstall of Small Business Server 4.0, you can use the Client Add Packs Upgrade utility to make a one time, one-way conversion of the diskette so it can be applied to Small Business Server 4.5. The utility can be downloaded from the following Microsoft Web site: Using the Convert Utility is fully documented in: If you have already attempted to reapply a Small Business Server 4.0 Client Add Pack diskette to a Small Business Server 4.5 Server, for example, if a Client Add Pack was reinstalled using Small Business Server 4.0 and then immediately upgraded to Small Business Server 4.5, before the Small Business Server 4.0 Client Add Pack was reapplied, the Small Business Server 4.0 Client Add Packs diskette may become corrupted and unusable.

Running the Client Add Pack Upgrade utility on a Small Business Server 4.0 Client Add Pack diskette may not successfully convert the diskette to a useable Small Business Server 4.5 Client Add Pack.

The only resolution to this situation is to obtain a replacement diskette in exchange for the damaged one.

To exchange a damaged diskette, see the following section.

Replacing Defective Media

If you are experiencing a problem with defective Client Add Packs, contact Microsoft to request replacement media. The full replacement procedure is outlined in the following article: