How to Install and Activate the RDS Licensing Role and CALs on Windows Server 2019/2016?

RD Licensing Manager
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Installing RDS CALs on Windows Server 2019/2016

Now you must install the pack of Remote Desktop client licenses (RDS CAL) you have purchased on the License Server.

Right-click your server in Remote Desktop Licensing Manager and select Install Licenses.

Select the activation method (automatic, online, or by phone) and the license program (in our case, it is Enterprise Agreement).

The next steps of the wizard depend on which license program you have selected. In the case of an Enterprise Agreement, you must specify its number. If you have chosen License Pack (Retail Purchase), enter the 25-character product key you got from Microsoft or a partner.

Specify the product version (Windows Server 2019/2016), license type (RDS Per user CAL), and the number of licenses to be installed on the server.

After that, the server can issue licenses (RDS CAL) to clients.

You can convert RDS User CALs to Device CALs (and vice versa) using the Convert Licenses menu item in the RD Licensing Manager console.

If you have run out of free RDS licenses, you can revoke previously issued RDS Device CALs for inactive computers using the following PowerShell script:

$RevokedPCName=”lon-bc1-123”
$licensepacks = Get-WmiObject win32_tslicensekeypack | where {($_.keypacktype -ne 0) -and ($_.keypacktype -ne 4) -and ($_.keypacktype -ne 6)}
$licensepacks.TotalLicenses
$TSLicensesAssigned = gwmi win32_tsissuedlicense | where {$_.licensestatus -eq 2}
$RevokePC = $TSLicensesAssigned | ? sIssuedToComputer -EQ $RevokedPCName
$RevokePC.Revoke()

RDS CAL Usage Reports

In the RDS License Console, you can generate a license usage report. To do this, select Create Report -> CAL Usage from the server context menu.

However, I prefer to use PowerShell to report RDS CAL usage. The following script will show the remaining number of licenses in all RDS CAL packs:

Import-Module RemoteDesktopServices -ErrorAction Stop
Set-Location -Path 'rds:' -ErrorAction Stop
$licenses = (Get-Item -Path RDS:\LicenseServer\LicenseKeyPacks\* | Where-Object Name -Like "-Per User-*").Name
$total=0;
$issued=0;
foreach ($license in $licenses) {
$count=(Get-Item -Path RDS:\LicenseServer\LicenseKeyPacks\$license\TotalLicenses).CurrentValue
$total= $total + $count
$count2=(Get-Item -Path RDS:\LicenseServer\LicenseKeyPacks\$license\IssuedLicensesCount).CurrentValue
$issued= $issued + $count2
}
$available = $total - $issued
Write-Host "Total Licenses available: $available"

You can run this PowerShell script via Zabbix and set an alert if the remaining number of licenses is less, for example, 5.

The following Powershell script will allow you to generate a Per User CAL Report:

Import-Module RemoteDesktopServices -ErrorAction Stop
Set-Location -Path 'rds:' -ErrorAction Stop
$path = “C:\Reports\RDS_CAL_Usage.csv”
$fileName = (Invoke-WmiMethod Win32_TSLicenseReport -Name GenerateReportEx).FileName
$fileEntries = (Get-WmiObject Win32_TSLicenseReport | Where-Object FileName -eq $fileName).FetchReportEntries(0,0).ReportEntries
$objArray = @()
foreach($entry in $fileEntries){
$objArray += $entry | select User, ProductVersion, CALType, ExpirationDate
$objArray[-1].User = $objArray[-1].User.Split('\') | select -Last 1
$time = $objArray[-1].ExpirationDate.Split('.') | select -first 1
$objArray[-1].ExpirationDate = [datetime]::ParseExact($time, "yyyyMMddHHmmss", $null)
}
$objArray | Export-Csv -Path $path -Delimiter ',' -NoTypeInformation

How to Remove RDS CALs from an RD License Server?

If you want to move your RDS CAL license packs from one Remote Desktop licensing server to another, you can remove the installed RDS CAL license pack from the licensing server using PowerShell.

Using the following cmdlet, you can list all the installed RDS CAL packs on the server:

Get-WmiObject Win32_TSLicenseKeyPack|select-object KeyPackId,ProductVersion,TypeAndModel,AvailableLicenses,IssuedLicenses |ft

Find the KeyPackId value for the RDS CAL package that you want to remove and run the command:

wmic /namespace:\\root\CIMV2 PATH Win32_TSLicenseKeyPack CALL UninstallLicenseKeyPackWithId yourKeyPackId

You can also completely remove all CALs by re-creating the RDS license database. To do this, stop the Remote Desktop Licensing service:

Stop-Service TermServLicensing

Rename the file C:\Windows\System32\lserver\TLSLic.edb to C:\Windows\System32\lserver\TLSLic.edb_bak and start the service:

Start-Service TermServLicensing

After that, all RDS CAL licenses will be removed, and you must reactivate them.

Configuring RDS Licenses on RD Session Hosts

After the RDS License Server is activated and being run, you can reconfigure RD Session Host to obtain CAL licenses from this server. You can set the license type and specify the name of the license server from the Server Manager GUI, using PowerShell, or Group Policy.

To change the name/address of the licensing server on the RDS host, open Server Manager -> Remote Desktop Services -> Collections. In the upper right menu “Tasks” select “Edit Deployment Properties”.

In the deployment properties, go to the RD Licensing tab, select the Remote Desktop licensing mode, and set the RDS license server. Click Add -> Ok.

You can change the RDS license server address and CAL type using PowerShell:

$obj = gwmi -namespace "Root/CIMV2/TerminalServices" Win32_TerminalServiceSetting

Then specify the license type you need:

$obj.ChangeMode(4)

Then specify the name of the RDS License Server:

$obj.SetSpecifiedLicenseServerList("rdslic2016.woshub.com")

And check the current settings:

$obj.GetSpecifiedLicenseServerList()

If you want to assign the RDS licensing server parameters via Group Policy, you need to create a new GPO and link it to the OU with RDS servers (or you can specify the name of the RDS licensing server using the Local Group Policy Editor – gpedit.msc). The RD licensing settings are located under the following GPO section: Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Admin Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Licensing.

There are two Remote Desktop settings that we need to configure:

• Use the specified Remote Desktop license servers – the address of the License Server is set;
• Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode – select RDS CAL license type.

Try to check the RD License Server status and the number of the issued licenses using the Remote Desktop Licensing Diagnoser tool (lsdiag.msc or Administrative Tools -> Remote Desktop Services -> RD Licensing Diagnoser). RD Licensing Diagnoster can be installed on RDSH servers using Server Manager (Features -> Remote Server Administration Tools -> Role Administration Tools -> Remote Desktop Services Tools -> Remote Desktop Licensing Diagnoser Tools).

If the RDSH server is not configured to use an RDS license server, the following warnings will appear in the Licensing Diagnoser console:

• Licenses are not available for this Remoter Desktop Session Host server, and RD Licensing Diagnose has identified licensing problems for the RDSH.

• Number of licenses available for clients: 0

• The licensing mode for the Remote Desktop Session Host server is not configured.

• Remote Desktop Session Host server is within its grace period, but the RD Session Host server has not been configured with any license server.

If there are no warnings, and you see the message “RD Licensing Diagnoser did not identify any licensing problems for the Remote Desktop Session Host server”, then the RDSH server can successfully receive RDS CALs for remote users and/or devices.