Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

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We've just built out a new 2016 server to replace an existing 2008R2 RDS server. It serves up a couple of applications. Wow - RDS changed a lot from Server 2008 R2 to 2016.

We have a Citrix PVS server 2016 environment, so already have the correct RDS licensing / CAL's. Per User CAL's. I know exactly where the license server is, it's working and set up correctly. The existing 2008R2 server sees it. I know that because it's very easy to look for that in RDS on a 2008 server. Not finding that to be the case in 2016. We struggled to get the roles set, but that is done.

RDS installs of today are geared toward entire server farms. We are just standing up one little old single RDS server and want it to see the license server.

Is there a powershell command or cmd line command to see if the server was able to locate the already existing RDS license server in our network? There is very little documentation anywhere for this. It's all for how to create a license server. We don't need that. Just need to point our new RDS machine to it.

Any help is greatly appreciated.


Best Answer

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Poblano OP              Inga         Aug 7, 2019 at 22:53 UTC

Well - in hopes that this helps some other poor soul someday - we started this RDS VM from scratch. Did all the standard things including patching, disable Ipv6, etc. Got the PowerShell Remoting error thing worked out - that was first major hurdle. Here's what worked for us:

Registry settings:
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!AllowAutoConfig = 1
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!IPv4Filter = *
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!IPv6Filter= *

Reboot

Proceed with the simple steps here:https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/how-to-setup-a-single-server-rds-deployment-using-server-2016/

But for us even this didn't work. We would end up with this:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Even though our sysadmin got the fail and cancelled on the installs, it looked as if the roles were there, so he kept trying to proceed as if it was all ok. We couldn't point to a licensing server, nothing was showing up correctly under the RDS toolbar.

Found another article - (in Spiceworks of course) - which turned out to be the magic ticket. This was the fix for us:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

"Use Domain Admin account to install" - but ours are in an OU that has redirected folders. This guy had the answer - I moved one of the domain admins out of that OU, tried it all from scratch - clean install - perfect.

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

We used what was suggested by Justin1250 above, GPO's to point it to the license server and all is good.

Thanks for your help guys!


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Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

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10 Replies                · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Pure Capsaicin OP                    DragonsRule

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Jul 31, 2019 at 21:15 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          99 Best Answers        329 Helpful Votes

The existing one is Server 2016, right? Just want to double check that, because 2008 won't work.

As for checking it - in the Server Manager, RDS, Overview you should see the Licensing server listed in the lower right panel.
  0          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Poblano OP                    Inga         Jul 31, 2019 at 21:54 UTC

DragonsRule wrote:
The existing one is Server 2016, right? Just want to double check that, because 2008 won't work.

As for checking it - in the Server Manager, RDS, Overview you should see the Licensing server listed in the lower right panel.

By existing you mean RDS license server? If so yes - it's 2016.

When we go to Server Manager > RDS > Overview > here's what we see:

"A remote Desktop Services deployment does not exist in the server pool. To create a deployment, run the Add Roles and Features Wizard and select the Remote Desktop Services installation option."

The roles have already been installed. I wasn't too worried about this because I see the same thing on a different RDS 2016 server. I have a feeling something didn't get configured right. I wasn't involved with the role configuration, but I'm involved now. I do know roles were initially installed via Quick Start - which should be right.

When you go to Server Manager > Tools > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Licensing Manger - that should point to the RDS licensing server in the network, or - give you the option to Connect > Connect to License Server - and enter in the licensing server. When we do that, it puts it into the main window, gives it a green checkmark, and the Discovery Scope is forest. Exactly as it should look. But as soon as we close out of Server Manager and go back in, it's gone.

As I said, most documentation for setting up 2016 RDS is for a server farm with all separate servers - Gateway, etc.

Kind of feel like at this point we need to strip it all down and start over.   0          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Pure Capsaicin OP                    DragonsRule

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Jul 31, 2019 at 21:59 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          99 Best Answers        329 Helpful Votes

If you go to Server Manager, then on the left click on All Servers:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Do you see the licensing server? If not, Right click on All Servers and choose Add and select it. That should add it into your RDS setup, which should then allow you to use it.
  0          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Pure Capsaicin OP                    DragonsRule

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Jul 31, 2019 at 22:03 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          99 Best Answers        329 Helpful Votes

Inga wrote:

I doubt it. Adding a licensing server isn't that big of a deal and shouldn't require any major changes.

As for using a single server, that's exactly what Quick Start is for:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016


And here's a how-to that I found about it, too:

https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/how-to-setup-a-single-server-rds-deployment-using-server-2016/   0          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Mace OP                    Justin1250

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Jul 31, 2019 at 22:10 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          143 Best Answers        174 Helpful Votes

I still prefer to use GPO for license server settings. It just seems to work better.

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016


  2          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Poblano OP                    Inga         Aug 1, 2019 at 20:56 UTC

DragonsRule wrote:
Inga wrote:
I doubt it. Adding a licensing server isn't that big of a deal and shouldn't require any major changes.

As for using a single server, that's exactly what Quick Start is for:
And here's a how-to that I found about it, too:
https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/how-to-setup-a-single-server-rds-deployment-using-server-2016/

Yep - that's the article I pointed sysadmin to. Looks easy peasy.

Not sure where it all went wrong. At this point I've had him start over, and we'll carefully go through the Quick Start together this time and will stop at the point of adding a license server. But now that you mention it, it's not the end of the world to add a 3rd LS if it happens again - it's still the same licensing. We have 2 on redundant servers for fail-over right now. Thanks for the confirmation of this.   1          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Poblano OP                    Inga         Aug 1, 2019 at 21:02 UTC

Justin1250 wrote:
I still prefer to use GPO for license server settings. It just seems to work better.

Thanks Justin - we did eventually try that, but I think things had gotten so messed up - I think it was in the process of trying to work with an actual server pool - not sure the Quick Start got used first time around.

I got a screenshot of your GPO settings to double check against what we have on file. I appreciate that. Thank you.   1          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Poblano OP  Best Answer                   Inga         Aug 7, 2019 at 22:53 UTC

Well - in hopes that this helps some other poor soul someday - we started this RDS VM from scratch. Did all the standard things including patching, disable Ipv6, etc. Got the PowerShell Remoting error thing worked out - that was first major hurdle. Here's what worked for us:

Registry settings:
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!AllowAutoConfig = 1
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!IPv4Filter = *
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WinRM\Service!IPv6Filter= *

Reboot

Proceed with the simple steps here:https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/how-to-setup-a-single-server-rds-deployment-using-server-2016/

But for us even this didn't work. We would end up with this:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Even though our sysadmin got the fail and cancelled on the installs, it looked as if the roles were there, so he kept trying to proceed as if it was all ok. We couldn't point to a licensing server, nothing was showing up correctly under the RDS toolbar.

Found another article - (in Spiceworks of course) - which turned out to be the magic ticket. This was the fix for us:

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

"Use Domain Admin account to install" - but ours are in an OU that has redirected folders. This guy had the answer - I moved one of the domain admins out of that OU, tried it all from scratch - clean install - perfect.

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

We used what was suggested by Justin1250 above, GPO's to point it to the license server and all is good.

Thanks for your help guys!


  1          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Pure Capsaicin OP                    DragonsRule

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Aug 7, 2019 at 23:16 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          99 Best Answers        329 Helpful Votes

Nice find! I've never heard of that one, but I've also never used an admin account with redirected folders so I guess that's why.
  0          · · ·

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

Mace OP                    Justin1250

Install Remote Desktop license server 2016

This person is a verified professional.                   Verify your account to enable IT peers to see that you are a professional.                Aug 8, 2019 at 00:43 UTC              Microsoft Remote Desktop Services expert          143 Best Answers        174 Helpful Votes

I do want to add that disabling IPv6 can cause random weird issues in newer versions of Windows.
Here's a short older list. It will only break more things as time goes on.

https://windorks.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/known-issues-with-disabling-or-unbinding-ipv6
  0

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