Category Archives: IT Support

Windows Server 2016 RDS Client Server

IT Support, Staff Tech Reviews

<![CDATA[Windows Server 2016 : Remote Desktop Services
This guide will walk you through how to setup Remote Desktop Session Host on Server 2016.  Our application of this role is to provide a central connection server for thin client users.  There are two parts of this guide, the licensing server and connection server.  This guide covers the connection server, and assumes you have already setup a licensing server named “TRAIL5”.

Connection Server
After creating a new Windows Server 2016 server, open the server dashboard and add “Remote Desktop Services”. (figure 1-1)

figure 1-1
figure 1-1

Continue through the wizard by clicking next, without adding features.  The next screen will display role services for remote desktop services.  Add “Remote Desktop Gateway” and “Remote Desktop Session Host” and then finish the wizard. (figure 1-2)
figure 1-2
figure 1-2

After Installation completes, restart the server as required.  Once restart has completed, create a group policy to define the licensing information.  This can be achieved on the local machine by running “gpedit.msc” or by creating a group policy object applied to the container in which this server resides.  Local policy can be applied at the following path: Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Licensing.  This is where you set the licensing server and type. (figure 1-3)
figure 1-3
figure 1-3

A policy that is applied through group policy rather than locally would be below. (figure 1-4)
figure 1-4
figure 1-4

Once this policy is applied, you may restart the server.  After a restart, it will be fully licensed and ready to use.

This guide was to setup the client access server portion of a remote desktop environment.  To setup the licensing server to process CAL’s, please see this post.]]>