Terminal Server 2003 Licensing Overview

8/17/2019 Terminal Server 2003 Licensing Overview

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Terminal erver 2003 !icensing "verview

Written on Aug 06 2007 6,383 views, 2 comments

by Brian Madden

Before addressing the technica com!onents that wi ma"e u! your icensing infrastructure,

et#s review Microsoft#s icensing !oicy$ Microsoft icenses can be divided into two grou!s%

• &icenses re'uired for each server$

• &icenses re'uired for cients$

(ermina )erver im!ementation wi re'uire both cient and server icenses$

!icenses #e$uired for %ach Terminal erver

Microsoft re'uires one icense for each server in a (ermina )ervices environment$ (his

icense, "nown as a *server icense,* is +ust the standard Windows )erver 2003 icenseyou

don#t need anything s!ecia to run (ermina )erver$ -t is the same icense used for the base

server o!erating system of any Windows 2003 serverwhether that server is an ./change

)erver, a )& )erver, or a fie and !rint server$ 1owever, uni"e some Microsoft server

a!!ications that re'uire s!ecific server icenses i"e ./change or )& )erver, no additiona

server icenses are re'uired to use (ermina )erver$

)ome features as described in 4ha!ter 5 re'uire the *.nter!rise* edition of Windows )erver2003$ or those you woud need an .nter!rise version of a Windows )erver 2003 icense for

your server$

&icrosoft Terminal erver 'lient (ccess !icenses

Before you get too e/cited about the fact that you don#t need a s!ecia server icense to run

(ermina )ervices, remember that you# need a cient icense for everyone that connects to a

Windows 2003 (ermina )erver$

rior to Windows )erver 2003, a (ermina )erver 4ient Access &icense () 4A& wasre'uired for every com!uter device that connected to a (ermina )erver$ (his icensing system

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is "nown as *!er device* icensing$ Microsoft defined one *device* as a uni'ue !iece of

hardware used to access a server$ -f you had two com!uters and you accessed the same server

from each of them, you had two different devices and needed a se!arate *!er device* icense

for each$ )uch was the case even if you never used both devices at the same time$ aturay

this method of icensing eicited numerous com!aints$

-n Windows )erver 2003, Microsoft added a second () 4A& o!tion$ (his *!er user* cient

icensing o!tion aows you to !urchase one icense for each user account$ A user can then

access a (ermina )erver from muti!e cient devices using one icense$ *er user* () 4A&s

are associated with user accounts, so two users cannot share a icense even if they never og

on at the same time$ -f two users share the same !hysica com!uter, then it might be

!referabe to em!oy the *!er device* icense o!tion discussed in the !revious !aragra!h$

Microsoft aso offers an *e/terna connector* (ermina )erver cient access icense that you

buy for a server and ets you connect an unimited number of non9em!oyees to the server$

&et#s oo" at the three different (ermina )erver cient icense o!tions$

"ption ). Terminal erver *+evice* 'lient (ccess !icense

(ermina )ervices icensing has traditionay been handed by the (ermina )erver device

4ient Access &icense () :evice 4A&$ ;ne icense is assigned to each s!ecific cient

device$ .ach uni'ue cient device that accesses a (ermina )erver re'uires a singe () :evice

4A&$

What is this icense good for< -f your environment has wor"stations that are used by a

muti!e users, as in round9the9coc" environments such as factory foors, ca centers, andnursing stations, this icense is the most effective since your users coud share a singe ()

:evice 4A&$

"ption 2. Terminal erver *,ser* 'lient (ccess !icense

A (ermina )erver user 4ient Access &icense () =ser 4A& is assigned to a user account$ -t

then *foows* that user no matter which server he ogs on to and no matter which cient

device he ogs on from$

(his icense is idea for mobie wor"ers that roam from ocation to ocation whie using

(ermina )ervers to access their a!!ications$ Aso, if your users use muti!e cient devices!erha!s their wor" 4 and home 4, this mode may save your com!any significant

icensing doars$

"ption 3. %xternal 'onnector !icense

A chaenge to using !er9user and !er9device 4A&s is the fact that they have to be assigned to

a s!ecific user account or a s!ecific cient device$ Whie ade'uate for em!oyees of the

com!any that bought the icense, what ha!!ens if a com!any wants to e/tend its (ermina

)erver environment to business !artners where the names of users and cient devices woudn#t

be "nown< What ha!!ens if a com!any wants to e/tend an a!!ication via a (ermina )erver

to the -nternet< (echnicay foowing the Microsoft terms, you woud need to buy a icense

for each uni'ue user or com!uter that connected to your server$


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4eary this is not feasibe$ (o address this chaenge, Microsoft introduced the ./terna

4onnector &icense .4&, designed to be used when systems are e/tended to e/terna !arties,

incuding business !artners and the !ubic$

.4&s are avaiabe for a new Microsoft !roducts e/ce!t !roducts that are icensed on a !er9

!rocessor basis since !er9!rocessor icenses aready account for unimited users and cientdevices$ -n (ermina )erver 2003 environments, .4&s !rovide a sim!e way to buy

*concurrent* user icenses for those who need to connect to your server$ -f you wanted to o!en

u! a server to trading !artners, you woud buy a (ermina )erver .4&$

At this !oint you might be wondering why you can#t +ust buy .4&s and forget a this !er9user

and !er9device garbage$ Microsoft has strict rues governing the use of .4&s, and users of the

() .4&s cannot be em!oyees of the organi>ation that bought the icense$

&icrosoft indows erver 'lient (ccess !icenses

ow that you understand the difference between the three (ermina )erver9s!ecific 4A&s,

you need to "now that each cient device aso needs a standard Windows )erver 2003 4A&$

(o egay access a Windows 2003 (ermina )erver, each cient seat re'uires each of the

foowing icenses%

• Windows )erver 2003 4ient Access &icense$

• Windows )erver 2003 (ermina )erver 4ient Access &icense$

!icense ). indows erver 'lient (ccess !icense erver '(!

Any user needs this Windows )erver 4A& to access a Windows 2003 server$ (his icense

!rovides the *basic* access rights that aow users to store fies, !rint, and be !art of an Active

:irectory$ -f you have a unified Active :irectory with ?000 users, then you# have ?000

Windows )erver 4A&s$

!icense 2. indows erver 2003 Terminal erver 'lient (ccess !icense T '(!

We discussed the () 4A& either !er9device, !er9user, or ./terna 4onnector &icense in the

!revious section$ -t buids u!on the reguar Windows )erver 4A&, adding the ega right for

users to access a *remote contro* session on a (ermina )erver$

-f you have a ?0009user Active :irectory environment with a few (ermina )ervers that

!rovide a!!ications for 300 users, then you# need ?000 Windows )erver 4A&s and 300

(ermina )erver 4A&s$

pecial !icensing cenarios

rior to Windows )erver 2003, there were s!ecia icense rues for s!ecific situations$

Microsoft has changed the way these situations are handed with the introduction of Windows

)erver 2003$

T '(! #e$uirements when 'onnecting to a Terminal erver from indows 1


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rior to Windows )erver 2003, cient wor"stations that ran Windows (, 2000, or @

rofessiona had the right to obtain a *free* () 4A&$ (he ony re'uirement was to !urchase a

() 4A& for cient devices that ran an o!erating system ower than the (ermina )erver

o!erating system$ or e/am!e, Windows 2000 rofessiona wor"stations did not re'uire

!urchase of a () 4A& to connect to a Windows 2000 (ermina )erver since Windows 2000

cient devices had the right to obtain a free Windows 2000 () 4A&$ Aso, since these icenseswere bac"wards com!atibe, the Windows 2000 () 4A& woud aso a!!y if you were using a

Windows @ rofessiona cient to connect to a Windows 2000 (ermina )erver$

)ince Windows @ was reeased over a year before Windows )erver 2003, many !eo!e

bought Windows @ rofessiona with the assum!tion that it woud incude a *free* Windows

)erver 2003 () 4A&$ 1owever, with the reease of Windows 2003, Microsoft removed the

*free* () 4A& icense that was buit9in to Windows @ rofessiona$ =nfortunatey, this

announcement came we after many organi>ations bought muti!e co!ies of Windows @

assuming that its free () 4A& woud wor" with Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers$

egative res!onse to this announcement !rom!ted Microsoft grant a free Windows 2003 ()4A& to anyone who owned a Windows @ rofessiona icense on A!ri 23, 2003 the day

before the reease of Windows )erver 2003$ :oes your co!y of Windows @ come with a free

Windows )erver 2003 () 4A&< -f you bought it before A!ri 2, 2003, then it does$ -f you

bought if after that it does not, and you# have to buy a Windows 2003 () 4A&$ -f you had

() 4A&s that were enroed in Microsoft .nter!rise Agreements or )oftware Assurance, then

you automaticay 'uaified for the Windows 2003 () 4A& u!grade$

-nterestingy, the added () 4A& costs of (ermina )erver on Windows )erver 2003 has u!set

some com!anies so much that they are caiming it as the soe reason that they wi "ee! their

(ermina )ervers running on Windows 2000$

The or-at-ome T '(!

Microsoft icensing agreements aso used to !rovide *wor"9at9home* icenses for (ermina

)ervers$ (hese were additiona, chea! () 4A&s for users that used an office com!uter to

access (ermina )ervers and then went home and accessed (ermina )ervers from a home 4$

With the advent of Windows 2003#s new !er9user () 4A&, the wor"9at9home icense is no

onger an o!tion$

)imiar to () 4A&s, any !rior wor"9at9home icenses that are enroed in an .nter!rise

Agreement or )oftware Assurance may be u!graded to current icenses$

indows 2003 Terminal erver !icensing 'omponents

Windows ( )erver $0 (ermina )erver .dition used the *honor system* for trac"ing

icenses$ Whie you were egay su!!osed to !urchase the correct icenses, there was nothing

technicay sto!!ing you from connecting more users than you !aid for$ Whie the honor

system wor"ed we for system administrators and thieves, it has not wor"ed as we for

Microsoft sharehoders$

As auded to in the o!ening sentences of this cha!ter, this system changed when Windows

2000 was reeased$ -n (ermina )ervices for Windows 2000, a Microsoft *(ermina )ervices

&icensing )ervice* is re'uired to run on one or more servers on your networ"$ (his (ermina


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)ervices icensing service is res!onsibe for monitoring, distributing, and enforcing () 4A&

usage$ Microsoft im!emented this icensing service as a *service to their customers* who

were *dee!y concerned that they might accidentay forget to !ay for a icense or two, every

once in awhie$* -n (ermina )erver environments running on Windows 2000 !atforms, this

icensing service infrastructure guarantees that there be no *accidentay forgetting* to

!urchase a the needed icenses$

Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers aso ma"e use of icensing serversathough the e/act

manner de!ends u!on for which of three icensing o!tions a server is configured !er device,

!er user, or the e/terna connector icense$

-n Windows 2003 environments, there are four main technica com!onents that ma"e u! the

(ermina )ervices icensing infrastructure%

• (ermina )ervices icensing servers$

• (he Microsoft icense cearinghouse$

• Windows 20002003 (ermina )ervers$

• &icenses$

Figure 4.1: Microsoft licensing components

&et#s ta"e a oo" at the icensing9reated roes of each com!onent$

Terminal ervices !icense erver

(he (ermina )ervices icense server is a standard Windows 2003 server with the *(ermina

)erver &icensing )ervice* instaed$ (his icense server stores digita certificates for () 4A&s

that are distributed to cient devices$ &i"e Windows 2000 environments, a Windows 2003icense server is res!onsibe for issuing icenses and trac"ing their use$

&icrosoft !icense 'learinghouse

() icense servers and () cient access icenses must be activated be Microsoft before they

can be used$ (he Microsoft icense cearinghouse is a arge -nternet9based certificate authority

that authori>es and activates these icenses and servers$ Microsoft does this to ensure that no

() 4A&s are stoen, co!ied, or !irated which is why more and more Microsoft software

re'uires activation after you in!ut your icense codes$


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A () icense server wi function before it#s activated via the Microsoft cearing9house,

however, an unactivated icense server wi ony !ass out tem!orary () 4A&s that e/!ire after

C0 days$ -n order for a icense server to distribute !ermanent icenses, it must be activated$

Terminal erver

Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers understand that cient devices must be icensed$ (o that end,

when you enabe (ermina )ervices, the server immediatey begins trying to ocate a icensing

server$ -t then communicates with the icensing server to ensure that cient devices are

icensed !ro!ery$

.ach (ermina )erver must be configured to use !er9user, !er9device, or e/terna connector

icenses$

!icenses

(he icense service that runs on a Windows 2003 server "ee!s trac" of seven different ty!es of

icenses$ (hese incude four ty!es of icenses for Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers and three

ty!es for bac"ward com!atibiity for Windows 2000 (ermina )ervers$ (he seven ty!es of

Windows 2003 cient icenses incude%

• Windows Server 2003 TS Device CALs. (his icense is the !er9device 4A& that is

issued to uni'ue cient hardware devices$ -t aows the cient device to access

Windows 2000 and 2003 (ermina )ervers$

• Windows Server 2003 TS User CALs. (his is the !er user 4A& that#s assigned to

uni'ue user accounts$ (his icense aows a user to access Windows 2000 and 2003(ermina )ervers$ -f the cient device has a vaid () :evice 4A&, then this () =ser

4A& is not needed, and vice versa$

• Windows Server 2003 TS External Connector Licenses$ When assigned to a (ermina

)erver, this .4& icense aows unimited non9em!oyee connections$ When this .4&

is used, () :evice 4A&s and () =ser 4A&s are not needed$

• Windows 2000 TS CALs. (hese are !er9device icenses for devices connecting to

(ermina )ervers running Windows 2000$

• Windows 2000 TS Internet Connector Licenses. (hese icenses are essentiay the

Windows 2000 version of the Windows 2003 () .4&$ When assigned to a Windows

2000 (ermina )erver, this icense aows 200 simutaneous connections$ (hese

connections must be made by non9em!oyees, across the -nternet, via anonymous user

accounts$

• Windows 2000 Builtin Licenses. (hese buit9in icenses are used for Windows 2000

and Windows @ wor"stations that are connecting to Windows 20009based (ermina

)ervers$ Demember from the !revious section that Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers do

not su!!ort the use of buit9in icenses$ Which is why even if your Windows @

wor"stations 'uaify for *free* Windows 2003 () 4A&s, you have to obtain ():evices 4A&s from Microsoftthey#re not automaticay buit in$


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• Te!"orar# Licenses$ -f a icensing server ever runs out of activated icenses, it wi

issue tem!orary icenses to any cient devices re'uesting !er9device () 4A&s

a!!icabe to Windows 2000 or 20039based (ermina )ervers$ (he number of

tem!orary () 4A&s a icensing server can grant is unimited, athough the tem!orary

4A&s themseves e/!ire after C0 days and cannot e/tended$

The Terminal ervices !icensing ervice

Written on Aug 06 2007 ?,552 views, 0 comments

by Brian Madden

As you#re starting to see, the Windows 2003#s (ermina )erver icensing environment is

e/tremey com!e/$ -t#s !robaby aso fairy obvious that the icensing service !ays a centra

roe$ -n Windows 2003, this service buids on the icensing functionaity that was avaiabe in

Windows 2000$

T !icensing ervice 4nstallation 'onsiderations

(he () icensing service is se!arate from the actua (ermina )erver com!onents that aow

users to run remote sessions$

-n Windows 2003 (ermina )erver environments, the () icensing service must be instaed

on a Windows 2003 server$ (hat server can be any server in your environment, and it doesn#t

have to be a server that#s running (ermina )erver$ Most com!anies insta the () icensing

service on a standard Windows 2003 fie and !rint server$

(he () icensing service can be instaed on any Windows 2003 server$ -t does not have to be

instaed on a domain controer$ urthermore, this instaation can be done at the time of the

;) instaation or at any time after that via the 4ontro ane 4ontro ane E Add Demoverograms E Windows 4om!onents E (ermina )ervices &icensing )ervice$

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(here is no need to buid a dedicated icensing server$ (he () icensing service can run on any

Windows 2003 server without adversey affecting !erformance$ -t adds very itte 4= or

memory overhead, and its hard dis" re'uirements are negigibe$ (he average memory usage

is ess than 50MB when active, and the icense database wi grow in increments of ony ?

MB for every 6,000 icense to"ens issued$ (he icense server does not re'uire -nternet access$

T !icensing ervice cope

As !art of the icensing service setu!, the instaation routine as"s if you want to set u! the

icense server for your *.nter!rise* or *:omain or Wor"grou!$* (he o!tion chosen here

caed the *sco!e* dictates how the icense server communicates with your (ermina )ervers

and ets you contro which (ermina )ervers can receive icenses from your icensing server$

Fou can configure your icense server so that it !rovides icenses for either%

• An entire Active :irectory site$ .nter!rise icensing server

• An entire domain or wor"grou!$ :omainwor"grou! icensing server$

%nterprise cope

-f you choose the *.nter!rise* instaation o!tion, your icensing server wi res!ond to a

icense re'uest from any (ermina )erver in the same Active :irectory site$ -f (ermina

)ervers from muti!e domains e/ist in that Active :irectory site, the icense server wi

!rovide icenses for a of them$

(his o!tion re'uires that your (ermina )ervers be !art of an Active :irectory domain$ When

the icensing service starts, it registers itsef with a domain controer and creates a *()9&icensing* ob+ect in the directory, aowing (ermina )ervers from any domain to 'uery a

domain controer to ocate the icense server$

+omain / orgroup cope

4hoosing the *Four domain or wor"grou!* o!tion causes the icense server to behave

differenty, de!ending on whether it#s !art of an Active :irectory domain$

-n A: environments, this choice causes your icensing servers to ony res!ond to icense

re'uests from (ermina )ervers in the same Active :irectory domain$ -f an Active :irectory

domain crosses muti!e Active :irectory sites, the icensing server wi fufi re'uests from

muti!e sites$ (his o!tion is usefu in situations where there are muti!e business units

!artitioned into different domains on the same networ"$ A icense server from one domain

won#t give icenses to cients connecting to (ermina )ervers from a different domain$

-n non9A: environments, choosing this o!tion means that your icense server wi not attem!t

to register itsef with a domain controer, and your (ermina )ervers wi have to find your

icense servers on their own$ More on this ater$

T !icensing erver (ctivation


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After the () icensing service is instaed on a server, it must be activated by the Microsoft

cearinghouse via the (ermina )ervices &icensing too$ (his activation gives the icense

server the digita certificate it wi use to acce!t and activate () 4A&s$

(he icense server activation is fairy straightforward )tart E rograms E Administrative (oos E

(ermina )ervices &icensing E Dight9cic" on server E Activate$ Activation can beaccom!ished directy via the -nternet or via a web !age, fa/, or tee!hone ca$ -f you run the

icensing too on a com!uter other than the icense server, the com!uter that you are using

must have access to the -nternetnot the icense server$

Fou must insta a () icensing server within 520 days of using (ermina )ervices on a

Windows 2003 server$ (his was increased from C0 days with Windows 2000$ -f a Windows

2003 (ermina )erver can#t find a icense server after it#s been used for 520 days, the (ermina

)erver wi refuse connections to cients without vaid () 4A&s$

ow Terminal ervers find !icensing ervers)ince you can insta the icensing service on any Windows 2003 server in your environment,

the rea fun begins when you try to get your (ermina )ervers to ta" to your icense servers$

Merey instaing a icense server on your networ" does not necessariy mean that your

(ermina )ervers wi be abe to find it$

&icense server *discovery* is the technica term for the !rocess by which (ermina )ervers

ocate and connect to icensing servers$ As soon as the (ermina )erver roe is added to a

Windows 2003 server, the server immediatey begins the discovery !rocess$ &icense server

discovery can ha!!en in a number of ways, de!ending on which of the foowing

environments the (ermina )erver finds itsef in%

• o domain wor"grou! mode$

• Windows ( $0 domain$

• Active :irectory domain, with the () icense servers o!erating in domain mode$

• Active :irectory domain, with the () icense servers o!erating in enter!rise mode$

ard-'oding 1referred !icense ervers

Degardess of which of these four situations a (ermina )erver is in, you aways have the

o!tion of manuay s!ecifying a icense server or servers that each (ermina )erver shoud get

icenses from$ Fou can manuay configure any (ermina )erver to get icenses from any

icense serverthere#s no need to stay within domain, subnet, ocation, or site boundaries$

Fou can configure a (ermina )erver to use a s!ecific icense server via the (ermina )erver#s

registry$ Be carefu though, because this registry edit is not i"e most others$ -n this case,

rather than s!ecifying a new registry vaue and then entering data, you have to create a new

registry "ey or *foder*$ (o do this, browse to the foowing registry ocation%

1G&MH)F)(.MH4ontro)etH)ervicesH(erm)erviceHarametersH


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Add a new "ey caed *&icense)ervers$* =nderneath the new &icense)ervers "ey, create

another "ey with the etB-;) name of the icense server that you want this (ermina )erver

to use$ Fou don#t need to add any vaues or data under this new "ey$

Add muti!e "eys for muti!e servers if you wish, athough the (ermina )erver wi ony

communicate with one icense server at a time$ ;nce you#re done, reboot the server for it tota"e affect$

As you# see, this manua !rocess is needed in situations where the (ermina )ervers cannot

automaticay *discover* the icense servers$ -t#s aso usefu if you want to override the defaut

icense server that a (ermina )erver discovers$

+iscover5 in indows 6T 7 +omains or orgroup %nvironments

-n non9Active :irectory environments, a (ermina )erver first oo"s to the &icense)erver

registry ocation to see if any icense servers have been manuay s!ecified$

-f the registry "ey is em!ty or if the server or servers s!ecified there cannot be contacted, the

(ermina )erver !erforms a etB-;) broadcast to attem!t to ocate a icense server$

etB-;) broadcasts are not routabe, so ony icense servers on the same subnet as the

(ermina )erver ma"ing the broadcast wi res!ond$ -f muti!e icense servers res!ond, the

(ermina )erver remembers their names and chooses which it wi use e/cusivey$

;nce the (ermina )erver !ic"s a icense server, the (ermina )erver !eriodicay verifies that

it e/ists$ )ee igure $2$ -f the icense server ever fais to res!ond to the verification !o

from the (ermina )erver, the (ermina )erver attem!ts to connect to one of the other icense

servers that res!onded to the origina etB-;) !rocess$ -f no connection can be made to aicense server, the (ermina )erver attem!ts to find a new icense server by starting the entire

discovery !rocess over again$

• &icensing Mode% ( domain or wor"grou!

o &icense server verified to e/ist if no activity every 520 min

o -n not found, discovery !rocess occurs every 5? min

• &icensing Mode% :omain mode


o -n not found, discovery !rocess occurs every 5? min

• &icensing Mode% .nter!rise mode


o -n not found, discovery !rocess occurs every 60 min

Figure 4.2: Terminal Servers periodically verify that they can contact license servers


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+iscover5 in (ctive +irector5 %nvironments

When a (ermina )erver is a member of an Active :irectory domain, the icense server

discovery !rocess is entirey different$

5$ irst, the (ermina )erver attem!ts to contact the icense server or servers s!ecifiedin its &icense)ervers registry "ey$ -f a icense server is discovered at any !oint through

this !rocess, the remainder of the discovery !rocess is aborted$

2$ -f that attem!t fais, the server ne/t oo"s for an enter!rise sco!e icensing server by

!erforming an &:A 'uery for the foowing ob+ect in its Active :irectory site%

&:A%4I()9.nter!rise9&icense9)erver,4IJsite9

nameK,

4Isites,4Iconfiguration,:4IJdomainnameK,:4Icom

3$ -f that attem!t aso fais, the (ermina )erver begins 'uerying every domain controer

in the site, oo"ing for *enter!rise sco!e* icensing servers$

$ -f the (ermina )erver sti has not found a icense server, it wi 'uery every other

domain controer outside of its site to see if any are configured as a domain sco!e

icense server$

;ne thing that you might have noticed about this discovery !rocess is that domain sco!e

icense servers must be instaed on domain controers in order for your (ermina )ervers to

discover them$ :omain sco!e icense servers do not register themseves with other domain

controers and (ermina )ervers ony 'uery domain controers to see if they are icense

servers$

(here#s nothing wrong with instaing a domain sco!e icense server on a nondomain

controer$ Lust be aware than you# need to manuay configure the registries of your (ermina

)ervers to find those icense servers$ .nter!rise sco!e icense servers are not affected, since

they register themseves with the domain controers, even when not instaed on a domain

controer$

-f a (ermina )erver does not find a icense server via this discovery !rocess, the whoe

!rocess is started over once every hour$

-f icense servers are found, the (ermina )erver "ee!s a ist of them in its registry$ .nter!riseicensing servers are stored in the 1G&MH)oftwareHMicrosoft

HM)&icensingHarametersH.nter!rise)erverMuti registry ocation, and domain icensing

servers are stored in the 1G&MH)oftwareHMicrosoft

HM)&icensingHarametersH:omain&icense)erverMuti registry ocation$ By storing these

server names in the registry, a (ermina )erver is abe to 'uic"y !ic" a new icense server if

its !rimary choice is not avaiabe$ ;nce a icense server is found, the (ermina )erver wi

ony start the discovery !rocess over again if it can#t connect to any of the servers in the

registry$

Troubleshooting !icense erver +iscover5


12/22

Fou are i"ey to run into situations in which one of your (ermina )ervers cannot find a

icense server and the reason is not a!!arent$ ortunatey, the Windows )erver 2003 Desource

Git incudes a (ermina )erver &icense )erver viewer too, &)-.W$.@.$ &)-.W is a

N=-9based too that is run on a (ermina )erver$ -t !rovides you with the names and ty!es of

each icense server that it can discover$

Figure 4.3: Microsoft license server discovery process

The Terminal erver 2003 !icensing

1rocess


13/22

Written on Aug 06 2007 ,866 views, 0 comments

by Brian Madden

&et#s ta"e a oo" now at how the entire icensing !rocess wor"s$ (he e/act !rocess that ta"es

!ace is different de!ending on whether the (ermina )erver is configured to use device9based

or user9based () 4A&s$

Terminal ervers 'onfigured for +evice-8ased T '(!s

When a (ermina )erver is configured to use () :evice 4A&s )tart E Administrative (oos E

(ermina )ervices 4onfiguration E )erver )ettings E &icensing, each cient device needs tohave its own icense$

5$ (ermina )erver 4A&s are !urchased and instaed into the icense database on the

!reviousy activated () &icensing )erver$

2$ (he () 4A&s are activated via the Microsoft &icense cearinghouse$ (he activated

icenses remain on the icense server, waiting for assignment to cient devices$

3$ A user ma"es an D: connection to the (ermina )erver$

$ )ince the (ermina )erver is in !er device icensing mode, the (ermina )erver chec"sfor the device#s () 4A& in the form of a digita certificate$

?$ -f the cient device does not !resent a vaid () 4A&, the (ermina )erver connects to

the icense server to obtain one$

6$ -f the icense server does not have any more () 4A&s, it wi route the (ermina

)erver to another icense server that does have avaiabe () 4A&s if "nown$

7$ (he icense server sends the (ermina )erver a digita certificate for a tem!orary C09

day () 4A&$

8$ (he (ermina )erver !asses this certificate down to the cient$

C$ (he user#s credentias are vaidated$ -f the user successfuy authenticates, the (ermina

)erver contacts the icense server a second time$ (his time around, the (ermina )erver

informs the icense server that the () 4A& that was sent to the cient shoud be

mar"ed as *vaid$* -f the user did not successfuy authenticate, i$e$ the connection

was from an ina!!ro!riate user, the (ermina )erver wi not contact the icense

server, and the icense that was sent out wi not be mar"ed *vaid$*

50$ (he ne/t time that cient device connects, it !resents its C09day tem!orary () 4A& tothe (ermina )erver$

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14/22

55$ (he (ermina )erver contacts the icense server$ )ince the icensing server mar"ed the

4A& as vaid the first time the user authenticated, the cient device#s tem!orary 4A& is

u!graded to a fu 4A&$ -f, for some reason, a of the icense servers have de!eted

their inventories of () 4A&s, the cient device "ee!s its tem!orary C09day () 4A&

certificate$ As ong as the C09day certificate has not e/!ired, the cient device can sti

connect, even with no avaiabe icenses on any icense servers$

An unicensed cient device wi aways be granted a tem!orary C09day () 4A& at the time of

its first connection$ ;ny after successfu authentication and a second ogon is the tem!orary

() 4A& u!graded to a fu () 4A&$ (his two9stage icensing !rocess is used to ensure that

() 4A&s are ony assigned to authenticated users$ reviousy before hotfi/ 287687 or

Windows 2000 )ervice ac" 3 any user that connected was assigned a fu () 4A&, even if

he did not beong on the system$ (he fu () 4A& certificate was granted at connection time,

before the ogon screen even !o!!ed u!$ -f a user thought, *;o!s, - don#t beong on this

systemO* it was too atehis cient device had aready received a fu () 4A& certificate,

even if the administrator never meant for him to access the system$ (his circumstance often

ed to icense servers running out of () 4A&s$

:uring this !rocess, if the icense server does not res!ond to the (ermina )erver, the (ermina

)erver wi try to connect to one of the other icense servers from the ist of servers it

maintains in the registry that was buit as a resut of the icense server discovery !rocess$ -f it

can#t connect to any of them, it wi start the icense server discovery !rocess again$

-f a cient device does not have a () 4A& and the (ermina )erver cannot contact a icense

server, the user#s session wi be denied$ (he ony e/ce!tion to this is for new (ermina

)ervers$ -n Windows 2003, you have a 5209day *grace !eriod* during which a (ermina

)erver wi function even if it cannot contact a icense server$ 1owever, 525 days after you

insta (ermina )ervices onto a Windows 2003 server, that server must be abe to contact a

icensing server or no new users wi be abe to connect$ A of this action ta"es !ace a soon

as the connection is madebefore the user even authenticatesO

T '(! !icense 'ertificate torage on 'lient +evices

As mentioned earier, when a cient device receives a () :evice 4A& from a (ermina )erver,

it receives it in the form of a digita certificate from a icense server$ or this reason you must

activate the icense server with the Microsoft cearinghouse which is +ust a certificate

authority$ (he digita certificate is an actua certificate co!ied to the cient device even with

Windows 4.$ ;nce a cient device connects to a (ermina )erver, a () 4A& digitacertificate is transferred from the icense server to the cient device$ (he icense server oses

one of its icenses from its inventory, and the cient device has the digita certificate that it can

!resent to any (ermina )erver on future connections$

(he digita certificate is stored in different ocations de!ending on the o!erating system$ ;n

329bit Windows !atforms, the () 4A& digita certificate is stored in the registry at

1G&MH)oftwareHMicrosoftHM)&icensingH)toreH&icense00/$

Anyone who has been in the com!uter industry for more than five minutes can !robaby s!ot

a !otentia faw in this !an$ 4ient devices tend to brea"$ Windows9based terminas have their

D;Ms refashed$ ;!erating systems are reinstaed on wor"stations$ 4s are reimaged$Whenever this ha!!ens, the () 4A& digita certificate stored on the cient device is ost


15/22

forever$ (he () 4A& doesn#t e/ist on the icense server after it#s transferred to a cient device$

When that cient connects bac" to a (ermina )erver, it has no digita certificate to !resent$

(he server thin"s that it has no icense, and instructs the icense server to issue a new () 4A&

in the form of a new digita certificate$ -n effect, that one cient device ends u! consuming two

() 4A&sthe od one that was ost and the new one that was +ust issued$ -f the cient device

were reset again, a third () 4A& woud be used$

-n Windows 2003 and Windows 2000 )3, when a (ermina )erver re'uests a () 4A& from

the icense server for a cient device, a fu () 4A& certificate is granted with an e/!iration

date randomy seected between ?2 and 8C days from the current date$ (he icense server

"ee!s trac" of the e/!iration date and it is aso embedded into the digita certificate that

re!resents the actua icense !assed down to the cient device$

.very time the cient device connects to a (ermina )erver, it !resents its () 4A& certificate

to the server$ (he server chec"s not ony whether the cient device has a vaid certificate, but

aso the e/!iration date of that certificate$ -f the e/!iration date of the certificate is within 7

days of the current date, the (ermina )erver connects to the icense server to renew theicense for another random !eriod of ?2 to 8C days$

(he icense server aso trac"s the e/!iration date of () 4A&s$ -f for some reason the cient#s

4A& is never renewed and e/!ires, the icense server returns that () 4A& to the inventory of

avaiabe unused icenses$ -f a cient device with a () 4A& were to bow u! or be rebuit, the

icense server woud automaticay add the () 4A& bac" into its avaiabe icense !oo after it

e/!ired a ma/imum of 8C days$

-f the (ermina )erver is not abe to obtain a () 4A& renewa when the cient device#s ()

4A& certificate e/!ires after the ?2 to 8C days, the cient is denied access$ A tem!orary C09

day certificate cannot re!ace a fu certificate that has e/!ired, but this shoudn#t ever be a

!robem for you uness you don#t have enough () 4A&s$

)omeone at Microsoft deserves an award for the fact that the tem!orary () 4A&s are vaid

for C0 days and the fu () 4A&s are vaid for a ma/imum of 8C daysconvenienty one day

ess than the tem!orary icenses$ 4onsider the foowing scenario%

Assume that a cient device successfuy authenticates to a (ermina )erver and is granted a

fu () 4A& certificate that was worst case randomy seected to e/!ire at the 8C day

ma/imum$ When it !asses down the certificate, the icense server decrements its tota ()

4A& icense count by one, aso noting that !articuar certificate#s e/!iration date$ ow,assume that a catastro!hic event occurs at the cient, causing its oca o!erating system to be

reinstaed and its oca () 4A& certificate to be ost$ When that cient authenticates to a

(ermina )erver, the (ermina )erver wi re'uest a new () 4A& certificate from the icense

server and the icense server again decrements its () 4A& inventory by one$ At this !oint

there have been two () 4A& icenses given out to that one cient, but the first one wi never

be renewed because the certificate was ost when the cient was rebuit$ After 8C days the

randomy seected duration of the first certificate, the first () 4A& is returned to the !oo by

the icense server$

(he administrator in this situation !robaby bought +ust enough () 4A&s to cover the e/act

number of cient devices$ 1e did not buy e/tras to cover the ?2 P 8C day !eriod during whichone cient device had two 4A&s assigned$ By !urchasing the e/act amount of () 4A&s, the


16/22

icense server woud not have any more () 4A&s to give out when the cient device as"ed for

the new () 4A& certificate after the first was ost$ -n this case, the icense server woud grant

a tem!orary C09day () 4A& certificate to the cient device because the cient device a!!ears

to the server as a brand new machine$

Because the tem!orary () 4A& certificate is aways vaid at east one day onger then the fu4A& certificate C0 days versus a ma/imum of 8C days, the od, ost fu () 4A& wi aways

be returned to the inventory on the icense server at east one day before the tem!orary ()

4A& certificate woud e/!ire$ or e/am!e, after day 88, the cient device#s tem!orary ()

4A& certificate wi e/!ire in 2 days, but the icense server is trac"ing the e/!iration of the

fu () 4A& that was originay granted for 8C days$ (hat fu () 4A& ony has 5 day eft

before it e/!ires$ (he foowing day, when the cient device#s tem!orary () 4A& certificate

has ony 5 day remaining, the icense server wi add the origina () 4A& bac" in its

inventory !oo, ma"ing it avaiabe to grant to the cient as a !ermanent icense for another

random !eriod of ?2 P 8C days$

(rue gee"s wi en+oy tracing the entire icensing fow in Windows 2003 (ermina )erverenvironments in igure $ on the facing !age$

Figure 4.4: The Terminal Server 2003 evice!"ased TS #$% %icensing &rocess

&ultiple !icense Timeframes %xplained


17/22

(hroughout this icense distribution and ac'uisition !rocess, we have discussed two different

icense timeframes$ Whie both are reated to Windows 2003 (ermina )ervices icensing, they

are actuay com!etey different$

• A Windows 2003 (ermina )erver wi wor" without a icense server for 520 days$

• -f a icense server runs out of () 4A&s icenses, it wi issue C09day tem!orary ones$

(he first item reates to the !resence of a icense server$ -f a (ermina )erver cannot ocate a

icense server, it wi sti aow unicensed cient devices to og on$ (he (ermina )erver itsef

does not grant C09day tem!orary icenses if it cannot find a icense server$ -nstead, if a icense

server cannot be ocated, the (ermina )erver sim!y *oo"s the other way* for 520 days$ After

the grace !eriod ends, unicensed cient device connections are refused$ (his 5209day

countdown begins the first time a (ermina )ervices cient device connects to the server$

rom a ega stand!oint, you must have a vaid () 4A& for each cient device that connects to

a (ermina )erver, even during the first 520 days$ (he 5209day threshod is not a free

evauation !eriod$ Dather, it gives you a chance to set u! your (ermina )erver environment

and get the bugs wor"ed out before you activate your icense server$

(he second item reates to the icense server itsef$ -f, over the course of business, a ()

icensing server runs out of icenses, it wi begin to grant C09day tem!orary icense

certificates to cient devices$ =ni"e Windows 2000, Windows 2003 icense servers do not

have to be activated to hand out C09day tem!orary () 4A&s$

(hese tem!orary icenses can ony be re!aced by fu () 4A& icensesthey cannot be

re!aced by additiona tem!orary icenses$ (here is no imit to the number of tem!oraryicenses that a icense server can grant$ Aso, the C09day timer for the e/!iration of the ()

4A&s is cient s!ecific, meaning that different tem!orary icenses can e/!ire on different days

even if they were a granted by the same icense server$

Terminal ervers configured for ,ser-8ased '(!s

.verything discussed in the !revious section is a!!icabe ony when (ermina )ervers are

configured in *!er device* icensing mode$ When a user connects to a (ermina )erver

configured in *!er user* icensing mode, a different !rocess ta"es !ace$

5$ When (ermina )ervices is instaed on a Windows 2003 server, the server verifies that

it can find via the discovery !rocess outined !reviousy a icense server$

2$ (here is no )te! (wo$

(hat#s right$ A this () 4A& digita certificate, tem! icense, transfer mumbo9+umbo ony

a!!ies when (ermina )ervers are configured for *!er device* icenses$ With !er user

icenses, a you have to do is ma"e sure that the (ermina )erver can find a icense server$

(he icense server doesn#t even have to be activatedO ;ther than !eriodicay verifying that it

e/ists, there#s no communication between a *!er user* configured (ermina )erver and a

icense server$


18/22

1ow did this come to be< When Windows 2003 was in beta testing, Microsoft was !anning

to offer a *!er !rocessor* icensing mode$ At the ast minute with Deease 4andidate 2,

Microsoft changed its mind and decided to go with a *!er user* o!tion instead$ (his decision

was a !o!uar move on Microsoft#s !art$ (he ony !robem was that it was so ate in the game

that Microsoft didn#t have time to buid the *!er user* technica icense com!iance

infrastructure athough you can bet we# see it in future versions of Windows$

&anaging 5our T !icensing ervers


by Brian Madden

;nce your environment grows to become a (ermina )erver !owerhouse serving thousands of

customers with hundreds of servers, you# need a few toos to ensure that everything is going

according to !an with regards to icensing$

Managing Windows 2003 (ermina )ervices icense servers shoud not ta"e much of your

time$ (here are ony a few tas"s you# need to "now about%

• Adding new icenses to the icense !oo$

• Administering the icense server$

• De!orting on icense usage$

• (roubeshooting cient device icense ac'uisition$

(dding !icenses to a T !icense erver

A newy9!urchased (ermina )erver 4ient Access &icenses must be instaed into a ()

icense server database$ )ince Windows )erver 2003 aso su!!orts Windows 2000 icenses,

you can aso insta your Windows 2000 () 4A&s onto a 2003 server$ (hese icenses cannot

be used for Windows 2003 (ermina )ervers, but at east you# be abe to centray manage a

your icenses$

() 4A&s are !urchased +ust i"e any Microsoft icense$ (raditionay, if you bought a 4ientAccess &icense !ac", that !ac" ony contained a icense agreementnothing more than a

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19/22

!iece of !a!er$ ow when you buy a () 4A& icense !ac", it comes with a 2?9character

icense code$ (his code must be entered into the () &icensing Wi>ard for the () icensing

servers$ -f you buy icenses through a voume icense agreement such as )eect or an

.nter!rise Agreement, then you# need to enter that agreement number into the &icensing

Wi>ard when you add the icenses$

After the icenses have been instaed, you must activate them$ &icenses are activated via the

same three methods you use to activate the icense server -nternet, web, or !hone$ ;nce

activated, the icenses are ready to be distributed to cient devices$ 4ients that !reviousy

received the C09day tem!orary icenses wi be u!graded to fu icenses the ne/t time they

connect$

-n some situations, adding or removing icenses to a icense server wi cause that server to

notify other icense servers$

• A domain sco!e icense server wi notify other icense servers within the same

domain$

• An enter!rise sco!e icense server wi notify other icense servers in its Active

:irectory site$

• An enter!rise sco!e icense server wi notify other icense servers in its domain$

-n a of these cases, adding or removing icenses to a Windows 2000 or Windows 2003

icense server wi cause the server to notify the a!!ro!riate Windows 2003 icense servers as

mentioned$ A Windows 2003 icense server wi not notify a Windows 2000 icense server$

As outined earier in this cha!ter, this notification aows the icense servers to redirect cient

re'uests to other icense servers shoud the first server run out of icenses$

#emotel5 (dministering !icense ervers

(he () icensing service is mainy a *set it and forget it* "ind of service$ (heoreticay, it ony

needs to be administered when new icenses are !urchased or od icenses are removed$

1owever, there are times when it woud be convenient to administer () icensing servers

remotey$ or technica reasons, the () &icensing (oo cannot be run via a remote (ermina)ervices session$ 1owever, this too can be e/ecuted ocay on any Windows 2003 com!uter

and used to connect bac" to one or more () icense servers$ (o do this, co!y the icmgr$e/e

and the rwi>d$d fies from the Hsystem32H directory of the () icensing server to the

Hsystem32H directory of the com!uter you woud i"e to use$ Dun icmgr$e/e to use the too$

As was mentioned !reviousy, running the too in this manner can be he!fu when activating

() icensing servers or () 4A& !ac"s$ :uring the activation, the machine running the ()

&icensing (oo needs access to the -nternetnot the actua icense server itsef$ (his method

wor"s we in scenarios in which the (ermina )ervers are not connected to the -nternet but

there are certain administrator wor"stations connected to the -nternet and the interna networ"$


20/22

Maintaining () icense servers is sim!e$ ;ne () icensing consoe can connect to a of the

icense servers in your environment, faciitating centrai>ed administration$

#eporting on !icense ,sage

(he (ermina )erver &icense De!orting too, sre!ort$e/e, from the Windows )erver 2003

Desource Git can be used to view and anay>e the data contained within the icensing server

database$ (his too out!uts the information in the database into a tab9deimited format that

aows you to create re!orts of who is using your icenses$ Dun *sre!ort


21/22

(pplication !icensing


by Brian Madden

A this wor" on the (ermina )erver icensing might amost ma"e you forget that you have to

!ro!ery icense your a!!ications as we$ Whie the !ur!ose of this boo" is to focus on

(ermina )erver, there are some common threads worth !ointing out regarding a!!ication

icensing$

Because there are so many different ways that a!!ications can be icensed, it#s im!ossibe go

into s!ecifics here$ 1owever, in amost a cases, the a!!ication usage icense is tied in some

way to the number of users or cient devices$ Most a!!ication icenses are not in"ed to the

number of times the a!!ication is instaed because the a!!ication vendors don#t want you to

buy one co!y of the a!!ication for each (ermina )erver that you have and then ma"e that

a!!ication avaiabe to hundreds of users !er server$

Most a!!ications today have icensing agreements that fa into one of two categories%

• $er %a!ed User $ ;ne icense for each user that coud e/ecute the a!!ication$

• $er Concurrent User $ ;ne icense for each concurrent co!y of the a!!ication that is

e/ecuted$

%nforcing 6amed ,ser (pplication !icenses

A!!ications that are icensed *!er named user* re'uire that you have a icense for each userthat coud access the a!!ication$ -f you have 500 users with access to an a!!ication but no

more than 50 ever connect at the same time, you sti need to !urchase 500 a!!ication

icenses$ Most Microsoft a!!ications are icensed this way, in addition to many e/!ensive

ine9of9business a!!ications$

(he "ey to !ro!ery enforcing !er named user a!!ication icenses is !ermitting or !reventing

users from being abe to access the a!!ications$ An easy way to do this is to create a domain

grou! with a the user accounts of the users that wi need to access the a!!ication$ (hen, add

these users to the Demote :es"to! users grou! on the (ermina )erver hosting the a!!ication

so that ony members of that domain grou! can use it$ (his can aso be done by setting ()

!ermissions on the e/ecutabe if users that don#t use this a!!ication connect to the same(ermina )erver$

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22/22

Another o!tion is to create a )oftware Destriction oicy to restrict that a!!ication to ony a

certain grou! of users$ (his !oicy coud be a!!ied in the Nrou! oicy at the ;= eve for a

arge number of (ermina )ervers$

By restricting access to the a!!ication itsef, you guarantee that ony a!!ro!riate users wi

ever use the a!!ication$ When it comes time to !ay for your a!!ication icenses, a you haveto do is count the number of users that are in your a!!ication grou! and buy that number of

icenses$

%nforcing 'oncurrent ,ser (pplication !icenses

A!!ications whose icenses are based on the number of concurrent users ony re'uire that an

a!!ication icense is !urchased for each concurrent connection$ -f you have 500 users that

have access to an a!!ication but no more than 50 ever connect at the same time, you ony

need to !urchase 50 icenses$ Four com!any#s accountants wi a!!reciate a!!ications that are

based on concurrency$ Fou wi !robaby not a!!reciate them because they are harder toenforce from a technica stand!oint$

Within (ermina )erver, there are two ways to enforce concurrent users%

• &imit the number of connections on the (ermina )erver hosting the a!!ication$ (his

can be done in the (ermina )erver 4onfiguration utiity by editing the D:

connection !ro!erties$

• 4reate a batch fie that writes to a fag fie before an a!!ication is aunched$ (hat

batch fie can be configured to chec" the fag fie to see how many other instances of

the a!!ication are running$ or environments in which a!!ications are e/ecutedacross more than one server, the fag fie can be stored on a networ" drive$ When users

'uit the a!!ication, the fag fie is u!dated to refect the user change$ (he ony

!robem with this other than the com!e/ity of writing the scri!ts in the first !ace is

that the fag fie is not u!dated if users do not e/it the a!!ication !ro!ery$

ardware +ongles in Terminal erver %nvironments

(he ony additiona item worth mentioning about a!!ication icensing reates to a!!ications

that re'uire a hardware "ey$ -f you have an a!!ication that re'uires a hardware "ey, or

*donge,* it !robaby won#t wor" on a (ermina )erver$ Microsoft has intentionay disabedthis functionaity because the soe !ur!ose of a hardware "ey is to !revent muti!e users from

using an a!!ication, and (ermina )ervices# soe !ur!ose is to aow muti!e users to use an

a!!ication$

-f your hardware "ey vendor did not use the standard Microsoft A-s when writing the

a!!ication, the hardware "ey may wor" on a (ermina )erver$ -f this is the case for your

a!!ication you must ensure that its use in a (ermina )erver environment is acce!tabe from a

icensing stand!oint$

Terminal Server 2003 Licensing Overview

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