Windows NT Redundant Terminal Server Licensing Issues

[Terminal Servers Licensing Issues]

Hello All, I am new to this forum and I am in dire need of some help. Here
is my situation.

Two Windows Server 2003 (standard) servers that I want to run redundantly.
Windows XP (SP 2) clients. I think I want the servers setup to be each both
a terminal server and a licensing server in case one fails. I have
implemented NLB with these servers but I am not sure if this is going to act
the way I want. I have 10 TS CALS on each machine and each is registered as a
licensing server. I think I also need to setup Session Directory for these
servers. I essentially want the client to be able to connect and get a TS
CAL (per device) no matter if either server is down. I am running into
issues do to lack of experience with this. If anyone can help out I would
greatly appreciate it

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

No, you don't need Session Directory, at least not to ensure
license server redundancy.
Session Directory requires that all Terminal Servers run Windows
2003 Enterprise, so with your current OS, it's not even possible.

The only thing you have to do is to configure both TS Licensing
Servers as preferred Licensing Servers on both Terminal Servers.
You can do that in the Terminal Services Configuration tool, or in
a Group Policy:

Computer Configuration - Administrative templates - Windows
Components - Terminal Services
"Use the specified Terminal Server license servers"

Note that if you installed both TS Licensing Servers as Enterprise
LS, then they are advertised in Active Directory and both Terminal
Servers should already automatically find them anyway. You can run
the Resource Kit utility lsview on each server to check which
License Servers it discovers.

_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?VGVybWluYWwgU2VydmVycyBMaWNlbnNpbmcgSXNzdWVz?= <Terminal
Servers Licensing Issues@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 17
jul 2007 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hello All, I am new to this forum and I am in dire need of some
> help. Here is my situation.
>
> Two Windows Server 2003 (standard) servers that I want to run
> redundantly. Windows XP (SP 2) clients. I think I want the
> servers setup to be each both a terminal server and a licensing
> server in case one fails. I have implemented NLB with these
> servers but I am not sure if this is going to act the way I
> want. I have 10 TS CALS on each machine and each is registered
> as a licensing server. I think I also need to setup Session
> Directory for these servers. I essentially want the client to
> be able to connect and get a TS CAL (per device) no matter if
> either server is down. I am running into issues do to lack of
> experience with this. If anyone can help out I would greatly
> appreciate it

 

[Terminal Servers Licensing Issues]

So with this clustered setup I have if one server goes down, and both TS has
available CALS and are themselves LS then this should act redundantly as
planned?

How can I check if my LS is running as enterprise or domain?

Thanks so much for your help...

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> No, you don't need Session Directory, at least not to ensure
> license server redundancy.
> Session Directory requires that all Terminal Servers run Windows
> 2003 Enterprise, so with your current OS, it's not even possible.
>
> The only thing you have to do is to configure both TS Licensing
> Servers as preferred Licensing Servers on both Terminal Servers.
> You can do that in the Terminal Services Configuration tool, or in
> a Group Policy:
>
> Computer Configuration - Administrative templates - Windows
> Components - Terminal Services
> "Use the specified Terminal Server license servers"
>
> Note that if you installed both TS Licensing Servers as Enterprise
> LS, then they are advertised in Active Directory and both Terminal
> Servers should already automatically find them anyway. You can run
> the Resource Kit utility lsview on each server to check which
> License Servers it discovers.
>
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?VGVybWluYWwgU2VydmVycyBMaWNlbnNpbmcgSXNzdWVz?= <Terminal
> Servers Licensing Issues@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on 17
> jul 2007 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > Hello All, I am new to this forum and I am in dire need of some
> > help. Here is my situation.
> >
> > Two Windows Server 2003 (standard) servers that I want to run
> > redundantly. Windows XP (SP 2) clients. I think I want the
> > servers setup to be each both a terminal server and a licensing
> > server in case one fails. I have implemented NLB with these
> > servers but I am not sure if this is going to act the way I
> > want. I have 10 TS CALS on each machine and each is registered
> > as a licensing server. I think I also need to setup Session
> > Directory for these servers. I essentially want the client to
> > be able to connect and get a TS CAL (per device) no matter if
> > either server is down. I am running into issues do to lack of
> > experience with this. If anyone can help out I would greatly
> > appreciate it
>

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

One a client connects to a TS, the TS should always be able to
access the TS Licensing Server which is located on the same server
as the TS itself.
But I'm not sure that clients would be able to connect without
problems if one server is still running (the OS, so it still
answers a ping request), but the TS service is not responding. You
should test this scenario.

From
http://ts.veranoest.net/ts_faq_licensing.htm#LS_role

Q: How can I see if a TS Licensing Server is installed as
Enterprise or Domain LS?

A: Check the following registry key (do not modify this key):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services
\TermServLicensing\Parameters

The Role value has either a '0' (Domain/Workgroup License Server)
or a '1' (Enterprise License Server).
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?VGVybWluYWwgU2VydmVycyBMaWNlbnNpbmcgSXNzdWVz?=
<TerminalServersLicensingIssues@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
on 18 jul 2007 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> So with this clustered setup I have if one server goes down, and
> both TS has available CALS and are themselves LS then this
> should act redundantly as planned?
>
> How can I check if my LS is running as enterprise or domain?
>
> Thanks so much for your help...
>
> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> No, you don't need Session Directory, at least not to ensure
>> license server redundancy.
>> Session Directory requires that all Terminal Servers run
>> Windows 2003 Enterprise, so with your current OS, it's not even
>> possible.
>>
>> The only thing you have to do is to configure both TS Licensing
>> Servers as preferred Licensing Servers on both Terminal
>> Servers. You can do that in the Terminal Services Configuration
>> tool, or in a Group Policy:
>>
>> Computer Configuration - Administrative templates - Windows
>> Components - Terminal Services
>> "Use the specified Terminal Server license servers"
>>
>> Note that if you installed both TS Licensing Servers as
>> Enterprise LS, then they are advertised in Active Directory and
>> both Terminal Servers should already automatically find them
>> anyway. You can run the Resource Kit utility lsview on each
>> server to check which License Servers it discovers.
>>
>> _________________________________________________________
>> Vera Noest
>> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>>
>> =?Utf-8?B?VGVybWluYWwgU2VydmVycyBMaWNlbnNpbmcgSXNzdWVz?=
>> <Terminal Servers Licensing Issues@discussions.microsoft.com>
>> wrote on 17 jul 2007 in
>> microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>>
>> > Hello All, I am new to this forum and I am in dire need of
>> > some help. Here is my situation.
>> >
>> > Two Windows Server 2003 (standard) servers that I want to run
>> > redundantly. Windows XP (SP 2) clients. I think I want the
>> > servers setup to be each both a terminal server and a
>> > licensing server in case one fails. I have implemented NLB
>> > with these servers but I am not sure if this is going to act
>> > the way I want. I have 10 TS CALS on each machine and each is
>> > registered as a licensing server. I think I also need to
>> > setup Session Directory for these servers. I essentially
>> > want the client to be able to connect and get a TS CAL (per
>> > device) no matter if either server is down. I am running
>> > into issues do to lack of experience with this. If anyone
>> > can help out I would greatly appreciate it