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Windows Server and number of terminal services sessions?

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Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 10:08:06 AM10/12/11
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[Cross posted to uk.d-i-y as much general expertice there too :) ]

Can anyone recall which versions of Windows Server (current or immediate
previous) allow more than 2 terminal service sessions to be active at once?

2 seems the default for lesser versions of Windows Server, eg 2003 Standard

Reason: Deploying a new VMWare ESX cluster that required Windows to run
vCentre and a limit of 2 sessions is not acceptable.

Cheers and thanks

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Jethro

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Oct 12, 2011, 10:21:31 AM10/12/11
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I thought 2 *concurrent* was the across-the-board standard, and
additional licenses needed for more. Although IIRC the console is always
available, so in theory you can have 3 logged in at once, plus 10 server
connections (file sharing etc) as standard.

Andy Burns

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Oct 12, 2011, 10:26:16 AM10/12/11
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Tim Watts wrote:

> Can anyone recall which versions of Windows Server (current or immediate
> previous) allow more than 2 terminal service sessions to be active at once?
>
> 2 seems the default for lesser versions of Windows Server, eg 2003 Standard

Any number you like provide you buy TSCALs (now renamed to RDSCALs?) for
each remote device (as opposed to each remote user)

John Rumm

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Oct 12, 2011, 10:26:35 AM10/12/11
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On 12/10/2011 15:08, Tim Watts wrote:
> [Cross posted to uk.d-i-y as much general expertice there too :) ]
>
> Can anyone recall which versions of Windows Server (current or immediate
> previous) allow more than 2 terminal service sessions to be active at once?
>
> 2 seems the default for lesser versions of Windows Server, eg 2003 Standard

Yup, enough to allow remote admin, but not much more was the plan IIRC.

Not tried it on older ones, so can't tell your for sure, although I
think they changed licensing things for the worse (i.e. more expensive)
after Win2K Pro.

> Reason: Deploying a new VMWare ESX cluster that required Windows to run
> vCentre and a limit of 2 sessions is not acceptable.

Might you need to pay MS for some TS CALs?


--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

Clive George

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Oct 12, 2011, 10:37:08 AM10/12/11
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On 12/10/2011 15:08, Tim Watts wrote:
Don't you just have to buy more terminal licences?

What's causing the problem with the vcenter/2 session limit? vcenter is
a service, you administer the actual thing with desktop tools that talk
to it, you don't RDP onto the vcenter server to do stuff.

(you can get a third by going to the console)

Chris Bartram

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Oct 12, 2011, 11:07:19 AM10/12/11
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On 12/10/2011 15:08, Tim Watts wrote:
I don't think there's any version, unless you install 'proper' terminal
services and licence it. Certainly 2003 Enterprise is as you describe.
You can get one more with mstsc /console, IIRC.

Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 11:59:44 AM10/12/11
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John Rumm wrote:

> On 12/10/2011 15:08, Tim Watts wrote:
>> [Cross posted to uk.d-i-y as much general expertice there too :) ]
>>
>> Can anyone recall which versions of Windows Server (current or immediate
>> previous) allow more than 2 terminal service sessions to be active at
>> once?
>>
>> 2 seems the default for lesser versions of Windows Server, eg 2003
>> Standard
>
> Yup, enough to allow remote admin, but not much more was the plan IIRC.
>
> Not tried it on older ones, so can't tell your for sure, although I
> think they changed licensing things for the worse (i.e. more expensive)
> after Win2K Pro.
>
>> Reason: Deploying a new VMWare ESX cluster that required Windows to run
>> vCentre and a limit of 2 sessions is not acceptable.
>
> Might you need to pay MS for some TS CALs?
>
>

Hi John,

That might be it... We're Academic (= cheapy MS licenses) so I'll have a
look in the downloads area and see what gives.

Cheers

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 12:04:30 PM10/12/11
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Hi Clive,

Couple of points I didn't mention:

1) It's in a datacentre so the console is a non starter;

2) We all mostly use Linux (me) and Macs so for admin purposes, we like to
keep vCentre in one place and run it there (ie on the vCentre server) :)

It only takes a couple of people to forget to disconnect and I have problems
(ie cannot get to it) hence the desire to have more sessions.

If it is a case of Terminal Services licenses, then we can do that. Sorry if
that seemed a thicky question - I do not "do" Windows and haven't done so
professionally since about 1999; I'm a linux dude.

The only reason now is vCentre is Windows only (PITA that is). There are a
sum total of 2 Windows VMs out of over 100 (rest are Debian) and I don't
touch those.

I had wondered is Server Professional (or Enterprise - is there such a
thing) gave more TS sessions by default. 5 would be a safe number.

Thanks...

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 12:05:08 PM10/12/11
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Ah - them be magic words which will aid in my quest...

Thanks Andy

--
Tim Watts

John Rumm

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Oct 12, 2011, 1:29:03 PM10/12/11
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On 12/10/2011 17:04, Tim Watts wrote:

> I had wondered is Server Professional (or Enterprise - is there such a

Don't think so. They don't usually miss a chance to stick their hand
back in your pocket!

> thing) gave more TS sessions by default. 5 would be a safe number.

That is your standard CAL pack size as it happens... ;-)

Bodgit

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Oct 12, 2011, 3:56:04 PM10/12/11
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You are limited to 2 terminal services sessions + the standard remote
desktop session. If both terminal services sessions are busy, run
mstsc /console (or mstsc /admin depending on OS version) and you'll go
in on the remote desktop session (and have the opportunity to kick off
anyone else who's using it).

Bodgit

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Oct 12, 2011, 4:34:06 PM10/12/11
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On Oct 12, 5:05 pm, Tim Watts <tw+use...@dionic.net> wrote:
You can use 2 terminal services sessions + 1 standard remote desktop
session (ie the console session). To use the console session, type
mstsc /console (or mstsc /admin depending on client OS version). This
will allow you to kick off anyone else who's using the console.

Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 5:34:22 PM10/12/11
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Bodgit wrote:

> On Oct 12, 5:05 pm, Tim Watts <tw+use...@dionic.net> wrote:
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>> > Tim Watts wrote:
>>
>> >> Can anyone recall which versions of Windows Server (current or
>> >> immediate previous) allow more than 2 terminal service sessions to be
>> >> active at once?
>>
>> >> 2 seems the default for lesser versions of Windows Server, eg 2003
>> >> Standard
>>
>> > Any number you like provide you buy TSCALs (now renamed to RDSCALs?)
>> > for each remote device (as opposed to each remote user)
>>
>> Ah - them be magic words which will aid in my quest...
>>
>> Thanks Andy
>>
>> --
>> Tim Watts
>
> You are limited to 2 terminal services sessions + the standard remote
> desktop session. If both terminal services sessions are busy, run
> mstsc /console (or mstsc /admin depending on OS version)

Hi - thanks for the helpful tip. But, can I do those from a linux client?
I've only done very basic Samba client stuff beyond net filesystems, eg send
netork messages...


> and you'll go
> in on the remote desktop session (and have the opportunity to kick off
> anyone else who's using it).

--
Tim Watts

Andy Burns

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Oct 12, 2011, 6:00:37 PM10/12/11
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Tim Watts wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Any number you like provide you buy TSCALs (now renamed to RDSCALs?) for
>> each remote device (as opposed to each remote user)
>
> Ah - them be magic words which will aid in my quest...

Just reading your comments about Linux and Max clients, I know the RDP
clients for these O/S work with the built-in two licences, but I don't
think I've ever tried them with paid for CALs, probably worth you
checking if the RDP clients you're using will play nicely with the MS
licencing server before splashing cash (the licences are enforced)

With a Windows (or hardware thin client) the first time a client is used
it gets a temporary CAL, the next time it is used it converts it to a
real licence which it hangs onto for 90+%RANDOM% days after it last uses it.

So if you have 5 users who want RDP access from various machines you can
end up needing more than 5 CALs, but iy does reclaim the unused ones
eventually.

Tim Watts

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Oct 12, 2011, 8:56:43 PM10/12/11
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Andy Burns wrote:

Hi

That does ring a bell - IIRC last time I used rdesktop against a "real"
multi-CAL server, judicious use of the -n option was required...

--
Tim Watts

Andy Burns

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Oct 13, 2011, 6:40:01 AM10/13/11
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[This hasn't shown up 12 hours later, apologies if the problem is my end
and this is a dupe]

Tim Watts wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Any number you like provide you buy TSCALs (now renamed to RDSCALs?) for
>> each remote device (as opposed to each remote user)
>
> Ah - them be magic words which will aid in my quest...

Just reading your comments about Linux and Max clients, I know the RDP

Tom Pickles

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Oct 16, 2011, 9:49:00 AM10/16/11
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You get two sessions with a non terminal services licenced copy of windows
server, plus a third from the console if you use mstsc.exe with the /console
switch from the command prompt (don't need to be in front of the box to use
the console session).

If you have issues with people leaving unused, disconnected sessions, then
you can use the windows command line tools qwinsta.exe and rwinsta.exe to
query and reset the sessions respectively from a remote machine. That way,
you don't need terminal services licencing to support the boxes.

I've worked in enterprise server support for many years supporting 2000+
windows servers (Win 2k onwards) and the three available TS sessions (inc
console) have been sufficient in all cases.

HTH


Andy Burns

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Oct 16, 2011, 10:22:30 AM10/16/11
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Tom Pickles wrote:

> I've worked in enterprise server support for many years supporting 2000+
> windows servers (Win 2k onwards) and the three available TS sessions (inc
> console) have been sufficient in all cases.

Yes, three sessions is sufficient to *administer* the servers.

But if you want to *use* the servers for terminal service sessions, you
need approximately as many licences as concurrent users. If an RDP
session is your everyday way of running the VI client, you'd be pretty
hacked off if every 10 minutes when you wanted to do something, a
colleaguue had bounced your session.

polygonum

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Oct 16, 2011, 11:02:08 AM10/16/11
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On Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:49:00 +0100, Tom Pickles <TomPi...@no.email.com>
wrote:
No /console as of mstsc 6.1.

"If you use version 6.1 of the Remote Desktop Client included, in order to
connect to the console session for Windows Server 2003, you should use the
/admin switch instead. RDC 6.1 is included with the following operating
systems:

o Windows Server 2008
o Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Beta and RC
o Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Beta and RC"

http://blogs.technet.com/b/askperf/archive/2008/01/04/mstsc-exe-no-more-console-switch-in-rdc-6-1.aspx

--
Rod
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