This step-by-step guide walks you through the process of setting up a Remote Desktop license server for a Remote Desktop Services infrastructure in a test environment. During this process, you will create a test deployment that includes the following components:

• A Remote Desktop license server
  
  
• An RD Session Host server
  
  
• A Remote Desktop Connection client computer
  
  

This guide assumes that you previously completed the steps in the Installing Remote Desktop Session Host Step-by-Step Guide (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=147292), and that you have already deployed the following components:

• An RD Session Host server
  
  
• A Remote Desktop Connection client computer
  
  
• An Active Directory Domain Services domain controller
  
  

As you complete the steps in this guide, you will:

• Set up the necessary servers in the CONTOSO domain.
  
  
• Activate the Remote Desktop license server.
  
  
• Install Remote Desktop Services client access licenses (RDS CALs) on the Remote Desktop license server.
  
  
• Configure the RD Session Host server to support RD Licensing.
  
  
• Verify RD Licensing functionality.
  
  

The goal of RD Licensing is to manage the Remote Desktop Services client access licenses (RDS CALs) that are required for each device or user to connect to an RD Session Host server. You use RD Licensing to install, issue, and track the availability of RDS CALs on a Remote Desktop license server.

What this guide does not provide

When a client—either a user or a device—connects to an RD Session Host server, the RD Session Host server determines if an RDS CAL is needed. The RD Session Host server then requests an RDS CAL from a Remote Desktop license server on behalf of the client attempting to connect to the RD Session Host server. If an appropriate RDS CAL is available from a license server, the RDS CAL is issued to the client, and the client is able to connect to the RD Session Host server.

Although there is a licensing grace period during which no license server is required, after the grace period ends, clients must have a valid RDS CAL issued by a license server before they can log on to an RD Session Host server.

Important
Remote Desktop supports two concurrent connections to remotely administer a computer. You do not need a license server for these connections.

To use Remote Desktop Services, you must also have at least one license server deployed in your environment. For small deployments, you can install both the RD Session Host role service and the RD Licensing role service on the same computer. For larger deployments, it is recommended that the RD Licensing role service be installed on a separate computer from the RD Session Host role service.

You must configure the Remote Desktop license server correctly in order for your RD Session Host server to accept connections from clients. To allow ample time for you to deploy a license server, Remote Desktop Services provides a licensing grace period for the RD Session Host server during which no license server is required. During this grace period, an RD Session Host server can accept connections from unlicensed clients without contacting a license server. The grace period begins the first time the RD Session Host server accepts a client connection. The grace period ends after whichever of the following occurs first:

• A permanent RDS CAL is issued by a license server to a client connecting to the RD Session Host server.
  
  
• The grace period of 120 days is exceeded.
  
  

We recommend that you first use the steps provided in this guide in a test lab environment. Step-by-step guides are not necessarily meant to be used to deploy Windows Server® features without additional deployment documentation and should be used with discretion as a stand-alone document.

Upon completion of this step-by-step guide, you will have a Remote Desktop license server managing the Remote Desktop Services client access licenses (RDS CALs) that are required for each device or user to connect to the RD Session Host server. You can then test and verify this functionality by connecting to the RD Session Host server from the Remote Desktop client as an authorized remote user, and reviewing license usage.

The test environment described in this guide includes four computers connected to a private network using the following operating systems, applications, and services.

Important
The automatic activation method used by this scenario requires Internet connectivity from the license server (RDL-SRV).

The computers form a private network and are connected through a common hub or Layer 2 switch. This step-by-step exercise uses private addresses throughout the test lab configuration. The private network ID 10.0.0.0/24 is used for the network. The domain controller is named CONTOSO-DC for the domain named contoso.com. The following figure shows the configuration of the test environment.