Step 2: Installing and Configuring Remote Desktop Session Host

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1

To install and configure a Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server, you must add the RD Session Host role service. Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 includes the option to install the RD Session Host role service by using Server Manager. This topic explains how to install and configure the RD Session Host role service on the RDSH-SRV computer in the CONTOSO domain.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, on the RD Session Host server that you plan to configure, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To install the RD Session Host role service

  1. Log on to RDSH-SRV as CONTOSO\Administrator.

  2. Open Server Manager. To open Server Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.

  3. Under Roles Summary, click Add Roles.

  4. On the Before You Begin page of the Add Roles Wizard, click Next.

  5. On the Select Server Roles page, select the Remote Desktop Services check box, and then click Next.

  6. On the Introduction to Remote Desktop Services page, click Next.

  7. On the Select Role Services page, select the Remote Desktop Session Host check box, and then click Next.

  8. On the Uninstall and Reinstall Applications for Compatibility page, click Next.

  9. On the Specify Authentication Method for Remote Desktop Session Host page, click Require Network Level Authentication, and then click Next.

Note

If client computers that are running Windows XP will use this RD Session Host server, select Do not require Network Level Authentication.

  1. On the Specify Licensing Mode page, select Configure later, and then click Next.

Note

For the purposes of this guide, a Remote Desktop licensing mode is not configured. For use in a production environment, you must configure a Remote Desktop licensing mode. For more information about configuring a Remote Desktop Licensing (RD Licensing) server, see the Deploying Remote Desktop Licensing Step-by-Step Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=141175).

  1. On the Select User Groups Allowed Access To This Remote Desktop Session Host Server page, click Next.

  2. On the Configure Client Experience page, click Next.

  3. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, verify that the RD Session Host role service will be installed, and then click Install.

  4. On the Installation Results page, you are prompted to restart the server to finish the installation process. Click Close, and then click Yes to restart the server.

  5. After the server restarts and you log on to the computer as CONTOSO\Administrator, the remaining steps of the installation finish. When the Installation Results page appears, confirm that the installation of the RD Session Host role service succeeded, and then click Close to close the RD Session Host configuration window. Also, close Server Manager.

Note

You may see warnings on the Installation Results page. For the purposes of this guide, you can safely ignore these warnings.

The RD Session Host role service is now installed. For users to be able to connect to this server, you must add the user accounts to the local Remote Desktop Users group on RDSH-SRV. For the purposes of this guide, we will add Morgan Skinner to the local Remote Desktop Users group. In a production environment, you should create an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) group, add this group to the Remote Desktop Users group, and then add the user accounts that should have access to the RD Session Host server to the AD DS group.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, on the RD Session Host server that you plan to configure, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).

To add Morgan Skinner to the Remote Desktop Users group

  1. Log on to RDSH-SRV as CONTOSO\Administrator.

  2. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.

  3. Expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Groups.

  4. Right-click Remote Desktop Users, and then click Add to Group.

  5. In the Remote Desktop Users dialog box, click Add.

  6. In the Select Users, Computers, Service Accounts, or Groups dialog box, in the Enter the object names to select box, type mskinner, and then click OK.

  7. Click OK to close the Remote Desktop Users dialog box.

You have installed and configured your Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server. Now you can proceed to Step 3: Configuring RemoteFX on a Remote Desktop Session Host Server.