Configuring Terminal Services with Group Policy

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Configuring Terminal Services with Group Policy

You can use Group Policy to configure Terminal Services connection settings, set user policies, configure terminal server clusters, and manage Terminal Services sessions. You can enable Group Policy for users of a computer, for individual computers, or for groups of computers belonging to an organizational unit of a domain. To set policies for users of a particular computer, you must be an administrator for that computer. To set policies for an organizational unit in a domain, you must be an administrator for that domain.

Enabling Group Policy on an individual computer

To set Terminal Services policies setting for a particular computer or for users of that computer, open the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in to edit the local Group Policy. For more information, see Group Policy overview.

When you open the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in, click to expand Administrative Templates, and then click the Terminal Services folder containing the policies you want want to set. The settings for those policies appear in the details pane.

Where?

  • policy_name Policy/Computer Configuration (or User Configuration)/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Terminal Services

To determine the Enabled, Disabled, and Not Configured behavior of each policy, see the explain text for that policy in the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in.

For more information, see Group Policy overview.

Enabling Group Policy for an organizational unit in a domain

To set Terminal Services policies for a domain, you must use a computer that is configured as a domain controller and you must be an Administrator for that domain.

After you configure your computer as a domain controller, the Active Directory Users and Computers console appears in the Administrative Tools folder on the Programs menu. You can use this tool to set policies for organizational units in the domain. Before you begin, you need to confirm that Group Policy is selected (on the Extensions tab in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box). Then you need to confirm that the Administrative Templates (Users) extension is selected for Group Policy.

Note

  • Terminal Services Group Policies can be used to administer only computers running one of the Windows Server 2003 family operating systems.