Enabling Terminal Server Using an Automated Installation Method

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

One way to ensure that your servers have a consistent configuration is by using an automated installation method to install Windows Server 2003 with Terminal Server enabled. The following automated installation methods are available in Windows Server 2003:

  • Unattended Setup

  • Sysprep

  • Remote Installation Services (RIS)

If you are deploying Terminal Server with several configurations, you can enable Terminal Server on all of the servers by using an automated installation method, and then configure the servers individually after the installation.

You cannot configure settings such as Group Policy settings within the automated installation itself. However you can set up the installation to run scripts that can configure these settings and perform a wide variety of other configurations after the setup is complete. For more information about the options for automated installations, see the design chapters for the various automated installation methods in Automating and Customizing Installations of this kit and the "Microsoft Windows Corporate Deployment Tools User’s Guide" in the \Support\Tools folder of the Windows Server 2003 operating system CD.

Tip

  • If you deploy Terminal Server for use in a load-balanced farm, an automated installation method is an easy way to ensure an identical configuration on all the servers in the farm.

Unattended Setup

Unattended Setup uses an answer file to automate the setup of Windows Server 2003. It is the only way to automate an upgrade to Windows Server 2003. Unattended Setup is a good choice for installing Terminal Server if, for example, you are planning to deploy terminal servers with a few applications for different purposes. For more information about designing an Unattended Setup, see "Designing Unattended Installations" in Automating and Customizing Installations of this kit.

For Terminal Server, you need to make entries in a few of sections of the answer file (Unattend.txt) in order to complete the automated installation:

[Components]

The [Components] section contains entries for installing the components of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 operating systems. These components use the values On or Off to install or not install the component.

Note

  • The entries in this section can also be set in the Sysprep Factory mode, sysprep -factory, which is used for the preinstallation of Windows in an OEM manufacturing environment.

For Terminal Server, you can install the following components:

  • LicenseServer. Set this to On if you are setting up the server as a license server for Terminal Server.

  • TerminalServer.Set this to On if you are setting up the server as a terminal server.

    Important

    • When you install Terminal Server through Unattended Setup, it is installed by default with Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration enabled for administrators, and disabled for users. To change Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration during Unattended Setup, you can configure IEHArdenUser and IEHArdenAdmin, also found in the [Components] section of the answer file. For more information about Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration settings, see "Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.
  • TSWebClient. Set this to On to install the ActiveX control and sample pages for hosting Remote Desktop client connections over the Web.

  • IEHardenUser. This is set to Off by default, which removes the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration from members of the Restricted Users and Guests groups. For more information about Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration settings, see "Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

  • IEHardenAdmin. This is set to On by default, which applies the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration to members of the Administrators and Power Users groups. For more information about Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration settings, see "Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration" in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

[TerminalServices]

If you set the TerminalServer entry to On in the answer file, you also need to set the following entries in the [TerminalServices] section:

Note

  • You can also set these settings through the TSCC. If these settings are changed in TSCC after the installation, the new settings take precedence.

  • AllowConnections. When set to 1 this entry enables Terminal Server by allowing connections. The default for this setting is 0. You can also set this through Group Policy.

  • LicensingMode. This setting configures how Terminal Services manages CALs — PerDevice or PerUser. The default for this setting is PerDevice. For more information about choosing a licensing mode, see "Choosing the Licensing Model" earlier in this chapter.

  • PermissionsSetting. This setting allows you to choose the security mode for Terminal Server users during terminal server sessions. This entry maps to the Permission Compatibility setting in TSCC. The default setting for this entry is 0, which maps to Full Security in TSCC.

    Important

    • Only set PermissionSetting to 1, which maps to Relaxed Security in TSCC, if you are running older applications and your testing has determined that your applications will not run properly with the setting at 0. For more information, see "Designing the Terminal Server Configuration" later in this chapter.

Sysprep

Sysprep is an image-based method that you can use for clean installations of Windows Server 2003 with Terminal Server enabled. Using Sysprep is the quickest way to install Terminal Server along with many applications. Sysprep is a good choice for installing Terminal Server if, for example, you are deploying a terminal server farm.

If you plan to use a single image for many server configurations, you can use Sysprep in factory mode. For Terminal Server, you can configure the entries in the [Components] section of the Winbom.ini file for use with Sysprep in factory mode. These settings are the same as for the [Components] section of the Unattend.txt file for Unattended Setup discussed earlier in this section. For more information about using Sysprep for automated installations, see "Designing Image-based Installations with Sysprep" in Automating and Customizing Installations of this kit.

RIS

RIS requires the deployment of a network infrastructure specifically for its use and requires that you install Active Directory in your organization. Plan to use RIS for the automated installation of Terminal Server only if you are planning to use it throughout your organization for installing Windows Server 2003. If you do plan to use RIS for installing Terminal Server, you need to be sure to image a terminal server that does not already have licenses. You need to install licenses on the servers after the installation. For more information about using RIS for automated installations, see "Designing RIS Installations" in Automating and Customizing Installations of this kit.