HCL Domino Licensing Explained: CCB, CCX and Counting Users
HCL Domino is sold almost only one way today: per user. The licence is called CCB. It gives access to everything in Domino, no matter how many servers you have. External users can be covered more cheaply with CCX. Here we explain how it fits together, how to count users, and which mistakes we often see.
In short
- You pay per user and not per server.
- CCB covers employees and consultants with their own login.
- CCX covers external users, such as customers and partners, with fewer rights.
- Guests on the web without login are free.
- HCL has a free tool, DLAU, that counts your users.
- You only get prices through an HCL partner or HCL itself.
What is CCB?
CCB stands for Complete Collaboration Business. HCL calls it a model where you pay per user for everything. A CCB user may use all clients and all protocols on all servers. So you can have as many Domino servers as you like.
According to HCL, CCB is the only licence that gives access to all features, updates and add ons in Domino. That includes for example Verse, Traveler for mobile, Nomad and the Domino REST API.
Who counts as a user?
A user counts when three things are true:
- The person has a Notes ID or another login.
- The person is not in an active group that denies access.
- The person has access to at least one Domino server.
It is the login that counts, not whether the person actually uses the system. IDs for signing code, administrators and test users also count. A licence is tied to a specific person.
Guests are free
Users on the web without login are free. The same goes for registered guests who may only read. If you have a website or a portal on Domino, the visitors do not cost extra.
What is CCX?
CCX is an add on to CCB. It is for external users, such as customers, suppliers and partners. A CCX user may work in your applications up to the Editor level in the ACL. But the person may not create new applications and gets no mailbox of their own.
CCX is counted differently from CCB. You look at how many external users were active in the busiest month. A licence can pass to another person after 30 days without use. CCX is always bought as a term licence.
Term or perpetual licence
There are two kinds of CCB:
| Perpetual | Term | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | You own the right to use it | You rent it for a period |
| Support and updates | Requires a yearly agreement | Always included in the price |
| Domino IQ | Not included | Included |
| Domino Leap | At most 5 applications | Unlimited |
| If you stop | May keep running the old version | The software must be removed |
Note two things in particular. Domino IQ is only included in the term licence. And if you have perpetual licences, all of them must be covered by the yearly support agreement. HCL does not allow only part of the licences to be renewed.
Old licences from the IBM days
Many companies still have licences from when IBM owned Notes. They were called for example Enterprise Server, Messaging Server and Utility Server. HCL has stopped them. Utility Server lost its support on 30 June 2024. Companies with the old licences must move to CCB when they renew if they want support.
If you only have users who read mail, there is still a term licence for that, called Messaging Express. Ask your partner if it suits you.
How to count your users
HCL has made a free tool called DLAU. It reads the server's log files and setup and creates a report on how many CCB and CCX licences you need. HCL says it does not touch your data and complies with GDPR. The report usually comes after a few hours.
In Domino 14.5 there is also a built in overview of licences on the server. It keeps the numbers up to date all the time. HCL requires a count when you renew your agreement.
Common mistakes
- Old users are not closed. People who have left still have access. Then they count and cost money.
- External users are counted as internal. Customers and partners can often be CCX instead of CCB. But only if they are marked as external and their rights stay within the limit.
- Test and service IDs are forgotten. They count too. Collect them, and delete the ones you do not use.
- Guests have a login. Users who only need to read can often be guests, who are free.
- Support is not renewed. Then you may not use new versions. That makes it expensive to come back later.
What you can do now
- Run DLAU, or look at the licence overview in Domino 14.5.
- Clean up the Domino Directory. Close users who have left, and delete unused IDs.
- Mark external users correctly, so they can be counted as CCX.
- Consider whether a term licence makes sense. It gives Domino IQ and unlimited Domino Leap.
- Get a price from an HCL partner based on the cleaned up report.
Licence rules and prices may change. Always check the current price list and your own contracts with an HCL partner before you decide anything.
How we help
We help you review and manage your licences. We run the count, clean up users and groups and show where you can save. We can do this as part of our server monitoring and Notes support, or as a single task, for companies across Europe. Read also where Lotus Notes stands in 2026, and what Notes 2026 and Domino 2027 bring. Contact us, and let us talk about your licences.