This means it’s better to create a new server and install the licensing role with the newest CAL version.
Upgrading the license server requires the need to delete the license database and then upgrade the server.There is no way to convert old licenses to 2016.The compatibility runs backward but not forward, meaning that a licensing server using Windows server 2012 could not host licenses for Windows server 2016. Licenses for any previous versions can be hosted on Windows server 2016. Your chosen RDS licensing server must be version 2016.CALs must be the same Windows server version as that to which the user or device will be connecting.Other details to keep in mind for your Remote Desktop Services licensing are as follows: But multiple users can still login from the same device if you wanted to purchase one license for a specific computer to be used for the purposes of RDS access. Your pool of CALs will provide the access until they are all used up, then other users will not be able to logon and will have to wait for an available CAL. Licensing on a per device basis means that only a certain number of devices will be allowed connection via RDS at any given time. Since licenses can be expensive, if you have a large number of people who will be accessing VM’s but not constantly, then you may want to consider CALs per device. The second mode of licensing is per device. A server will accept any and all connections in this mode, however it is important to remember to buy the correct number of licenses and that they remain current with the agreement. Using this mode, a licensed user can even use more than one device at a time since the licenses are associated with specific accounts. You must make sure that your CALs are added so that affected users can all log on and manage servers remotely. In this mode it does not matter how many devices are being used, but rather the number of users that are licensed. First is per user mode which means you must purchase a CAL for each and every person who will be using RDS to access your VM’s. With RDS licensing, there are two different modes which you can use.
Once you have your license server installed then you must activate it and add your purchased CALs. Next you need to make sure you have a license server installed on your network within 120 days of implementation or RDS will stop functioning. To start your RDS licensing, make sure you install the RDS role on all your servers. Licensing Modes and Other ConcernsĮvery server comes with two Client Access Licenses (CAL) for accessing the operating system which is useful depending on the number of people who will log on your VM’s.
Before we get into how to setup the license server, let’s discuss the types of licensing and other requirements.
However, RDS is subject to licensing so let’s take a look at how this process works as well as how you can implement license access to your virtual server environment. This management is especially vital when servers exist in the cloud as virtual deployments. With Microsoft server 2016, this is accomplished with Remote Desktop Services so that administrators can access and manage servers. Accessing your remote server implementations is highly important.