Frequently Asked Questions about MSDN(AA)

Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about the MSDN(AA) program of the institute of computer science. If your questions are not answered below, you can use the Helpdesk to send your question to the support group Neubau.

Questions

Answers

Does MSDNAA cost anything?

No. The software is completely free for use in research and teaching.

May registered participants burn the software onto CD?

Yes. Germany has a derogation for the license, which is explained in the German MSDNAA FAQ. Because of copyright law you may create a personal safety copy, i.e. one copy per product and person. This copy may not be lent. This copy may not be created by the University and neither may it be distributed by the same.

May an institution that is responsible for the infrastructure, eg Computer science, use MSDNAA?

Yes. Here a quote from the EULA (end user license agreement):
1.5 "Use" shall mean the non-commercial use of the Product by Faculty, Staff and/or Students solely to: (a) develop, support, and conduct educational classes, labs or related programs offered by Qualified Educational User which have been approved for participation in the MSDN Academic Alliance Program.

May the secretary of an institute use MSDNAA?

No. This activity is neither in the field of research nor in teaching.

May a researcher e.g. install Windows XP on his computer at home?

Yes, because he will use this for researching purpose. It's the same with teachers.

May the software be installed on computers in a computer pool of the institute?

Yes. The following procedure is recommended: The computers in each pool will receive MSDNAA licenses, on the servers the server products will be installed as full versions.

Are server products in the MSDNAA limited technically or only by the license?

Server products are both technically and legally limited in the number of supported clients (generally 10).

Can I get a MSDNAA key to my legally acquired Microsoft product, such as Windows XP?

No. The MSDNAA keys are only valid on software acquired through MSDNAA. Both software and key, must come from the MSDNAA.

On how many computers can I install MSDNAA software per key?

The software may only be installed on one computer per key.

How many keys can I get through MSDNAA?

Each person can register up to three product keys per product. The 2nd and 3rd key can only be enabled by the administrator of the support group Neubau (SGN). You have to justifiy those extra keys to the admin.

May my hostel install software licensed by MSDNAA?

No.

Can the software be used after the end of the study or employment?

No.

Can the software be used after the expiry of the subscription?

Yes.

Will personal data of users be send to Microsoft?

No. Only your email address will be send to Microsoft, as part of the registration.

Can I get alpha versions from the MSDNAA program?

No, there are no alpha versions in the MSDNAA program.

What can I do, when I have no SGN account?

If you are an employee of the institute of computer science and don't have a SGN account, please report directly to the SGN via email. We will grant you a direct access to the ELMS site as fast as possible. Here is the initial address to the ELMS site. On the initial page, click ELMS login (below right).

How can I mount a hard drive under Unix?

If you are in the intranet of the institute of computer science via VPN and are a registered MSDNAA user, you can mount the hard drive containing the MSDNAA downloads with the Unix operating system. The commands are system dependent. It is essential to note that Unix is case-sensitive. In addition, you must use "sgn\ \username" as your username, but you still have to substitute the username with yours. The first \ (backslash) indicates that the next character is a Unix specialcharacter - which in this case is another \ (backslash)
Example:

$ smbmount //talos.informatik.uni-bonn.de/MSDNAA-Downloads /mnt/test -o username=sgn\\username

$ smbclient //talos.informatik.uni-bonn.de/MSDNAA-Downloads -U sgn\\username

Requires the SGN domain password.

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