Remote Desktop Licensing Configuration Guidelines
Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2
RD Licensing manages the Remote Desktop Services client access licenses (RDS CALs) that are required for each device or user to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server. You use RD Licensing to install, issue, and track the availability of RDS CALs on a Remote Desktop license server.
You must configure RD Licensing correctly for your RD Session Host server to accept connections from users or devices. The following is a list of things to consider when configuring RD Licensing:
How should the RD Session Host servers be configured to contact the license server? For more information, see Remote Desktop License Server Discovery and Specify a License Server for an RD Session Host Server to Use.
What type of RDS CALs need to be installed on the license server? For more information, see Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs) and Specify the Remote Desktop Licensing Mode on an RD Session Host Server.
Do you need to be able to track and create reports about which users have been issued RDS Per User CALs by the license server? For more information, see Track the Issuance of Remote Desktop Services Per User Client Access Licenses.
Do you need to control which RD Session Host servers are issued RDS CALs by the license server? For more information, see Control the Issuance of Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs).
Do you need to control which version of RDS CALs is issued to RD Session Host servers by the license server? For more information, see Control the Issuance of Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs).
You can use Review Configuration in the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager tool to review the configuration of a license server. You can use Review Configuration to help identify possible RD Licensing configuration problems on a license server that would prevent the license server from doing the following:
Being contacted by RD Session Host servers.
Issuing RDS CALs to users or devices connecting to an RD Session Host server.
Tracking and reporting the issuance of RDS Per User CALs.
For more information about Review Configuration, see Review the Configuration of a Remote Desktop License Server.
Review Configuration is used to identify possible RD Licensing configuration problems on a license server, not configuration problems on an RD Session Host server. To be alerted to possible licensing configuration issues for the RD Session Host server, use Licensing Diagnosis in the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration tool. For information about Licensing Diagnosis, see the topic "Identify Possible Licensing Problems for the RD Session Host Server" in the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration Help in Windows Server 2008 R2.
For more information about RD Licensing, see the Remote Desktop Services page on the Windows Server 2008 R2 TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=140434).