I’ve deployed a windows 2012 server (RTM) recently and set up the license server for my 10-CAL licenses. That’s ok. But I can not see a way to point my server to see the license server. Every time I log in, I receive a message that the RD services will expire in 119 days.
Using the diagnosis tool it says that licensing mode isn’t set up. Where I can find the tool to set up this licensing mode?
On my 2012 server entering gpedit did not cut it, I had to type the entire file name with extension (gpedit.msc) and voila! I was at the correct GUI and then followed the rest of the steps
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Licensing
“Use the specified RD license servers” = myservername
“Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode” = Per User
BAM!
My server is not in a domain; it is stand alone.
This is no direct way to configure the licensing mode in Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop environment. We could configure it via the following steps:
1. Settings that apply to every Remote Desktop Services server in deployment, such as licensing settings, are configured using the Deployment Properties user interface in RDMS. From this interface and administrator can configure settings for Remote Desktop Gateway, Remote Desktop Licensing, digital certificates, and Active Directory.
To configure global deployment settings, do the following:
- Open Server Manager and Click on the Remote Desktop node in the left pane.
- Click on Collections, and then in the Collections tile, click on the Tasks Menu and then click on Edit Deployment Properties.
- By default, an RD Gateway server is not configured. To use an RD Gateway server to connect to the servers in the deployment, click on either Automatically Detect RD Gateway server settings or Use these RD Gateway Server settings and specify the FQDN of the RD Gateway server. If the RD Gateway server name is manually configured then the LogOn method must also be set, the default setting is Password Authentication.
- Click on RD Licensing in the left pane and enter the RD Licensing server name and the Licensing mode. If multiple RD Licensing servers are used then configure the order in which they will be used by using the Move Up or Move Down buttons.
- Click on RD Web Access in the left pane and modify the URL for the RD Web Access site if you do not wish to use the default site.
- Click on Certificates to manage certificates for the deployment. Details are in the following section titled Certificate Management.
- Click on Active Directory in the left pane to configure Active Directory settings. These settings are only required for VDI deployments and virtual machine collections.
- Click on Export Location and configure the export path for virtual machine collection creation. This setting is only required for VDI deployments and virtual machine collections.
2. Using Group Policy.
I’ve found only one way to set up a licensing mode for a simple one server deployment in the workgroup scenario. That way is setting up a license server in server local policy (gpedit.msc). Policy settings are located in:
Computer Configuration - Windows Settings - Remote Desktop Services - Remote Desktop Session Host - Licensing.
I hope that helps.
Server 2012 RTM (both TS and LS)
Type of Licenses: Per User
Domain: NOT IN DOMAIN (both TS and LS are in the workgroup)
If the above configuration matches your environment, Per USER CALS in 2012 won’t work in the workgroup.
Either change it to Per Device or Use a domain environment.
I have successfully managed to install RDS Licensing and also the 10 RDS CALS, by specifying the following 2 settings :
“Use the specified RD license servers” = myservername
“Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode” = Per User
My Terminal and Licensing Server are both on the same Server and work in Workgroup / Per User Mode.
That worked for me.
Set server GPO.
You can also specify a license server for the RD Session Host server to use by applying the
Use the specified Remote Desktop license servers Group Policy setting. This Group Policy setting is located in
Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Licensing
and can be configured by using either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). Note that the Group Policy setting will take precedence over the license servers configured in Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration. Check this for more details on setting up RD Session Host Server.
In order to be able to connect to a session host with more than two concurrent connections, you need to change one more setting in the Group policy on the session host itself.
Within gpedit.msc, navigate to –
Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Connections
Then find the “Restrict Remote Desktop Services users to a single Remote Desktop Services session” and disable it,
Changing this setting will now allow more than two connections to that session host and hopefully resolve your problem!
This has been driving me insane for the last few days, but I finally have got it working.
I had a similar issue with server 2012, if it was set to per-user mode (after the 120 days expired) no user could logon, it would say no license server was available even though the license server was active and it was specified.
If I switched the mode to per device they could logon but would get a temp device license.
I called Microsoft support, their solution was as follows, he mentioned there should be a KB article released in the future.
Issue: Unable to do RDP in the per-user mode
Resolution: Deleted the following key from registry
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\RCM\Grace Period
Note: Take registry backup before making any changes.
winPE, and load the registry offline:- Start
REGEDT32 - Highlight the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE-window and select the root of the tree.
- In the menu select “Registry” -> “Load Hive“.
- Select the wanted registry database file:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SYSTEM] (%windir%/system32/config/system)
- Name it somehow.
- Modify Registry, unload hive, reboot the system.
You don’t need to be a part of a domain to use RDS – it works with workgroup too. Please follow this article and it will work for you:
As I understand reading this post – most of us missed this step to Configure the Remote Desktop Session Host role with to use the local Remote Desktop Licensing server. Follow these steps:
- Open an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt
- Type the following command on the PS prompt and press Enter:
$obj = gwmi -namespace "Root/CIMV2/TerminalServices" Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
- Run the following command to set the licensing mode:
Note: Value = 2 for Per device, Value = 4 for Per User
$obj.ChangeMode(value)
Run the following command to replace the machine name with License Server:
$obj.SetSpecifiedLicenseServerList("LicServer")
Run the following command to verify the settings that are configured using the above-mentioned steps:
$obj.GetSpecifiedLicenseServerList()
You should see the server name in the output.
Open gpedit.msc from Run.
then set following configuration:
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Licensing
“Use the specified RD license servers” = myservername
“Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode” = Per User.
if your server is not in the domain use PowerShell and paste
$obj = gwmi -namespace "Root/CIMV2/TerminalServices" Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
$obj.SetSpecifiedLicenseServerList("myservername").
This will work, and you don’t need a domain server.
I can not confirm this. As far as I can tell, I’ve got that configuration, and after setting the server license mode via gpedit, it works for me, using either “per device” or “per user” licenses.