Terminal Server Licensing and Internet Communication

Applies To: Windows Server 2003 with SP1

This section provides information about:

• The purposes of Terminal Server Licensing

• How Terminal Server Licensing communicates with sites on the Internet

• How to control Terminal Server Licensing to limit the flow of information to and from the Internet

  Note

  In Microsoft Windows Server 2003, several components that use technology related to Terminal Server have different names than they had in Windows 2000. Terminal Server was previously known as Terminal Services in Application Server mode. Remote Desktop for Administration was previously known as Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode.

Purposes of Terminal Server Licensing

Terminal Server Licensing is an administrative tool that helps manage your Terminal Server licenses. Terminal Server Licensing can be installed on Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. If you install Terminal Server, you must also install Terminal Server Licensing (although not necessarily on the same computer). However, there is a grace period of 120 days during which you can use Terminal Server even though you have not set up license servers yet and have not installed client license key packs.

When you set up Terminal Server on a server, users can access applications running on that server, which means they can run the applications you provide even if they are working from hardware that might not otherwise support the applications.

Microsoft has introduced new licensing options to address business customer needs and to complement the technical capabilities of Windows Server 2003. For details about these changes, see the Windows Server 2003 licensing overview at:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46007

Overview: Using Terminal Server Licensing in a Managed Environment

You can control the communication that occurs between the Terminal Server Licensing component and sites on the Internet by choosing the server or servers on which to install the Terminal Server Licensing component, and by choosing among three methods for activation. (You also choose among the same three activation methods for obtaining client license key packs, which are digital representations of a group of client access licenses.) The three methods for activation are as follows:

• Automatic. This method requires the server running Terminal Server Licensing to have an Internet connection.

• Web Browser. This method requires an Internet connection, but the connection can be made from any computer, not just the computer that is running Terminal Server Licensing.

• Telephone. This method is used to contact the nearest Customer Support Center and receive an ID number to activate the Terminal Server License Server by phone.

For more details on these methods, see the subsections that follow.

How Terminal Server Licensing Communicates with Sites on the Internet

A server running the Terminal Server Licensing component communicates with the Microsoft Clearinghouse (a database for managing licensing) on the Internet only when you activate Terminal Server Licensing or when you initiate subsequent transactions with Microsoft to obtain client license key packs. The following list describes the communication that occurs when you activate or obtain client license key packs directly over the Internet or when you connect to the Microsoft Clearinghouse from a computer other than the one where Terminal Server Licensing is installed.

The rest of this subsection describes various aspects of the data that is sent to and from the Internet from Terminal Server Licensing and how the exchange of information takes place.

• Specific information sent or received: The information sent to the Microsoft Clearinghouse includes company name, first and last name of the user, license server name, and license server ID. Client license key packs are returned to the Terminal Server License Server.

• Default and recommended settings: Terminal Server Licensing is not installed by default.

• User notification and triggers: The administrator triggers activating, obtaining client license packs, or deactivating Terminal Server Licensing by performing the steps described in the subsection “Procedures for Configuring Terminal Server Licensing.” When the Terminal Server Licensing component starts, the administrator is notified that activating, obtaining client license packs, or deactivating will initiate communication with Microsoft.

• Logging: Terminal Server Licensing logs events in the system log. The events can be viewed through Event Viewer.

• Encryption: Terminal Server Licensing uses the HTTP protocol over SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to communicate on the Internet and the Web.

• Access: The Microsoft Clearinghouse is the database Microsoft maintains to activate license servers and to issue client license key packs. Microsoft customer service representatives have access to the licensing information and are able to successfully re-create the information on your Terminal Server License Server if technical problems occur. The information you provide might also be used internally at Microsoft to perform aggregate quality testing of the Terminal Server Licensing program.

• Privacy statement: To see the privacy statement for Terminal Server Licensing, click Microsoft’s Terminal Server Licensing privacy policy at the following Terminal Services Web site:

  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46192

• Transmission protocol and port: HTTPS over port 443, and remote procedure call (RPC) over port 135.

• Ability to disable: Terminal Server Licensing is not installed by default. Once installed, however, it can be disabled by the procedures described later in this section.

External Connector license

In place of individual Terminal Server client access licenses (TS CALs), you have the option of purchasing the Terminal Server External Connector license. This license enables external users to access a company’s terminal servers without the need to purchase individual TS CALS for them or their devices. Generally speaking, an external user is a person who is not an employee or similar personnel of a company or its affiliates, and who is not a customer of hosted services (for specific information, see the External Connector license).

It is beyond the scope of this white paper to describe all aspects of maintaining appropriate levels of security in an organization running servers that communicate with the Internet. For more information about security and the Internet, see the introduction to this white paper, or see the Microsoft TechNet Web site at:

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=29482

Controlling Terminal Server Licensing to Limit the Flow of Information to and from the Internet

You can control the communication that occurs between the Terminal Server Licensing component and sites on the Internet in the following ways:

• Install the Terminal Server Licensing component on selected servers only. This follows the basic principle of stopping unnecessary services and keeping computers (especially servers) free of unnecessary software. For information about choosing which computer or computers on which to install Terminal Server Licensing, see the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit on the Microsoft Web site at:

  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46078

  When searching in documentation about Terminal Server Licensing, use the phrases “domain license server” and “enterprise license server” to discover information about these two options.

• Review the method you want to use for activating Terminal Server Licensing before starting the licensing wizard. Automatic activation is the fastest method, but if you prefer, you can activate by the other methods mentioned previously (connecting to a Web site from a computer other than the one where Terminal Server Licensing is installed, or activating by phone).

  You are required to activate a license server before it can issue licenses to Terminal Server clients. You are required to activate a license server only once. When you activate the license server, Microsoft provides the server with a limited-use digital certificate that validates server ownership and identity. Microsoft uses the X.509 industry standard certificate for this purpose. Using this certificate, a license server can make subsequent transactions with Microsoft and receive client license key packs.

Procedures for Configuring Terminal Server Licensing

Terminal Server Licensing servers can be configured in several ways as described previously. This subsection provides procedures for:

• Installing and uninstalling Terminal Server Licensing

• Activating Terminal Server Licensing

• Deactivating Terminal Server Licensing

• Viewing Help for Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing

To Install or Uninstall Terminal Server Licensing

1. Click Start, and then either click Control Panel, or point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components (on the left).

4. Select Terminal Server Licensing, click Next, and then do one of the following:

   • If Terminal Server Licensing is installed and you want to remove it, clear the check box for Terminal Server Licensing and complete the licensing wizard.

   • If Terminal Server Licensing is not installed and you want to add it, select the check box for Terminal Server Licensing and then click Next.

5. In Terminal Server Licensing setup, do one of the following:

   • If your network includes several domains, click Your entire enterprise, and then provide the database location. An enterprise license server can serve terminal servers on any Windows Server 2003 domain.

   • If you want to maintain a separate license server for each domain, or if your network includes workgroups or Windows NT 4.0 domains, click Your domain or workgroup, and then provide the database location.

6. Follow the instructions to complete the Windows Components Wizard.

To Activate a License Server

As mentioned previously in this section, you must activate a Terminal Server License Server before it can issue licenses to Terminal Server clients. Use Terminal Server Licensing to activate a Terminal Server License Server through the Microsoft Clearinghouse.

You can find procedure checklists along with complete instructions for configuring and activating Terminal Server License Servers in Help and Support Center. For more detailed instructions, see the procedure below titled, “To view Help for Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing” and "To view Help topics specific to Terminal Server Licensing."

Deactivating a license server

If Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing are already installed and you want to deactivate the license server, use one of the following procedures. You might need to deactivate a license server when the certificate of the server has expired, when the server becomes corrupted, or when the server is being redeployed. Note that when a license server’s registration has expired, you are prompted to reactive the license server (not deactivate it). When you deactivate a license server, you will not be able to license additional clients from this server until the license server is reactivated.

To Deactivate a License Using the Automatic Method

1. Click Start, and then either click Control Panel, or point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Terminal Server Licensing.

3. In the console tree, right-click the license server you want to deactivate, point to Advanced, and then click Deactivate Server. The licensing wizard starts.

4. In Information Needed, confirm that your name, phone number (optional), and e-mail address (required if you are using the Internet method) are correct, and then click Next.

5. Your request to deactivate the license server is sent to Microsoft where it is processed.

   Note

   The information sent to the Microsoft Clearinghouse during deactivation is the same information sent during activation, which includes company name, first and last name of the user, license server name, and license server ID.

6. Click Finish.

To Deactivate a License Using the Telephone Method

1. Click Start, and then either click Control Panel, or point to Settings and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Terminal Server Licensing.

3. In the console tree, right-click the Terminal Server License Server you want to deactivate, point to Advanced, and then click Deactivate Server. The Terminal Server License Server Wizard starts.

4. Select Telephone and then click Next.

5. Specify your location and then click Next.

6. Call the telephone number displayed in the wizard, and give the customer support representative the product ID that is displayed below the telephone number.

7. Type the 35-digit confirmation code provided by the customer support representative in the boxes in the wizard, and then click Next.

8. Click Finish.

   Note

   Deactivating a license server does not remove the component. As mentioned previously, follow the basic principle of stopping unnecessary services and keeping computers (especially servers) free from unnecessary software by removing the Terminal Server Licensing component if you no longer plan to use it as a license server.

   Note

   You cannot deactivate a license server using either the fax or Internet connection methods.

To View Help for Terminal Server and Terminal Server Licensing

1. Click Start and then click Help and Support.

2. Click Software Deployment and then expand Terminal Services.

To View Help Topics Specific to Terminal Server Licensing

1. Click Start and then click Help and Support.

2. Click Software Deployment and then expand Terminal Services.

3. Expand Terminal Server and then expand Checklists: Setting up Terminal Server.

   When you are finished viewing appropriate checklists, collapse the items you were viewing.

4. Expand Terminal Server Licensing.

5. To get information about the following procedures, expand How To:

   • Install Terminal Server Licensing

   • Activate Terminal Server Licensing server

   • Install client license key packs

   • Deactivate a Terminal Server Licensing server

   • Reactivate a Terminal Server Licensing server

   • Repeat the installation of a client license key pack

   • Connect to a Terminal Server Licensing server

   • Change Terminal Server Licensing server properties

Related Links

• For details about new licensing options for Windows Server 2003, as well as information about the licenses necessary with Terminal Server, see the Windows Server 2003 licensing overview at:

  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=46007

• For descriptions of other ways you can use Terminal Server, see the overviews on the Microsoft Web site at:

  https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=24427

• For information about controlling the issuance of Terminal Server licenses, on a server running Windows Server 2003, open Help and Support Center and search for the topic “To control the issuance of Terminal Server licenses.”