Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services

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Remote Desktop Services (RDS) in Windows Server 2012 is Microsoft’s VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) offering. RDS formerly known as Terminal Services (TS) provides session-based virtual desktops, virtual-machine based virtual desktops and applications to end users. To be able to use these features, you must install Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2. So, in this post I will show steps to install Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012.

  1. For example, you could have Server 2012 Standard with Hyper-V installed on the physical box, with two VMs: one VM running Essentials and a second VM running Server 2012 Standard with RDS Role Services. A single Server 2012 Standard license would allow the above since it allows two virtual instances plus physical for hyper-v only.
  2. Jun 27, 2014 The latest version of Remote Desktop Services, available in Windows Server 2012, improves longstanding capabilities - and adds new ones - that can help you deliver desktops and applications and still maintain a good user experience.
  3. See full list on docs.microsoft.com.

Install Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012

The diagram below shows the scenario for this post. The network consists of one domain controller and one RDS server.

Log on to RDS server (MBG-RDS01). Open Server Manager. Click Add Roles and Features.

To configure Remote Desktop Services correctly for internet access or any time where firewalls are used, it is useful to know what ports are required. The information / taxonomy is broken down by role service/component, and lists all inbound/outbound ports used.


Click Next on Before you begin page. Choose installation type as Remote Desktop Services installation. Click Next.

As you can see below there are two ways of installing RDS services in Server 2012. They are quick or standard. In quick deployment option, three of the required RDS services are installed on single server. The three services are, RD Session Host, RD Connection Broker and RD Web Access. Similarly, the quick installation also creates a collection and publishes some RemoteApp programs. Here, I will install quick deployment option. If you wish to separate each RDS components then you can choose standard deployment option. Choose Quick Start as Deployment Type and click Next.

Deployment Scenario can also be either virtual machine-based or session-based. Here, I will choose session-based. Click Next.

Under Server Selection page, the current server will be automatically added as shown below. Click Next.

See Full List On Docs.microsoft.com

Review the installation options. Check, Restart the destination server automatically if required option. Click Deploy.

The installation will now begin. The server will reboot automatically. After the reboot, log back in, you can see the installation has completed successfully. Click Close.

Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services

Now, let’s verify the installation. Open Server Manager. Click Remote Desktop Services on the left pane. You can see the RDS deployment Overview as shown below. As we can see, RD Web Access, RD Connection Broker and RD Session Host have been installed. If you want applications or desktop sessions to be accessed from the Internet then you have to install RD Gateway. Similarly, You must install RD Licensing to activate RDS server.

You can also view installed applications. Under Collections, click QuckSessionCollection which is just a collection named created by Quick Deployment installation option. As you can see, calculator, paint and wordpad applications have been published.

To access those applications, open web browser and type URL of RD Web Access server. Type username and password and log on the server as shown below. You can also customize the look of RD Web Access page.

You can view the published applications below. Double-click to open any application. I have double-clicked calculator.

Accept the certificate warning. The application will open as shown below.

So in this way you can install RDS in Windows Server 2012 using Quick Deployment option. You can now install certificates, publish required apps, publish session-based desktops, customize RD Web Access, and so on.

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Bipin is a freelance Network and System Engineer with expertise on Cisco, Juniper, Microsoft, VMware, and other technologies. You can hire him on UpWork. Bipin enjoys writing articles and tutorials related to Network technologies. Some of his certifications are, MCSE:Messaging, JNCIP-SEC, JNCIS-ENT, and others.
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Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012

Remote Desktop Services accelerates and extends desktop and application deployments to any device, improving remote worker efficiency, while helping to keep critical intellectual property secure and simplify regulatory compliance. Remote Desktop Services enables virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), session-based desktops, and applications, allowing users to work anywhere.

Did you mean…

Did you know that Microsoft Azure provides similar functionality in the cloud? Learn more about Microsoft Azure virtualization solutions.

Create a hybrid virtualization solution in Microsoft Azure:
- Learn about Azure RemoteApp
- Migrate a hybrid collection from a RemoteApp VNET to an Azure VNET
- Create a hybrid collection for Azure RemoteApp
- Publish an app in Azure RemoteApp

Role description

The Remote Desktop Services role provides technologies that enable users to connect to virtual desktops, RemoteApp programs, and session-based desktops. With Remote Desktop Services, users can access remote connections from within a corporate network or from the Internet.

Practical applications

Remote Desktop Services allows workers to work anywhere. Some of the key benefits of Remote Desktop Services include:

  • Unified administration experience – Administer your session and virtual desktop collections, configure your RemoteApp programs, manage your virtual desktops, and add servers to the deployment from one centralized console.

  • User personalization – User profile disks allow you to preserve user personalization settings across session collections and pooled virtual desktop collections.

  • Less expensive storage – Pooled virtual desktops can use local storage live migration between host computers. Personal virtual desktops can use storage located on network shares.

  • Automated pooled virtual desktop management – Deploy and manage pooled virtual desktops centrally by using a virtual desktop template. Any changes, such as application installation or security updates, are installed on the virtual desktop template, and the pooled virtual desktops are then recreated from the virtual desktop template.

New and changed functionality for Windows Server 2012 R2

In Windows Server 2012 R2, Remote Desktop Services includes enhancements in the following areas:

  • Monitor and control by using session shadowing

  • Reduced storage requirements and improved performance accessing common data

  • RemoteApp programs perform more like locally-based applications

  • Improved reconnection performance for remote clients

  • Improved compression allowing improved usage of network bandwidth

  • Display resolution changes are automatically reflected on the remote client

  • RemoteFX virtualized GPU supports DX11.1

For more information about new features and functionality, see What's New in Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server.

New and changed functionality for Windows Server 2012

Remote Desktop Services enables the mobile work force to connect to desktop and applications from anywhere. In Windows Server 2012, Remote Desktop Services includes enhancements in the following areas:

  • Simplified Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployment and management

  • Simplified Session Virtualization deployment and management

  • Centralized resource publishing

  • Rich user experience with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

The user experience has been enhanced for Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 in the following ways:

Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services Manager

  • Rich Windows desktop remoting experience

  • Smooth audio and video playback experience

  • Rich graphics and video user experience over a WAN

  • Enhanced device remoting support with USB Redirection for Session Virtualization and VDI

  • True Multi-Touch and gesture remoting

  • Email name discovery and subscription to administrator supplied remote resources

  • RemoteFX virtualized GPU provides DX 11 support

In addition to these areas of enhancement, Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012 introduces a new management console for managing the majority of Remote Desktop Services-related tasks. For more information about new features and functionality, see What's New in Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server.

New Microsoft Remote Desktop Clients

You can use the Microsoft Remote Desktop client to connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere. Experience rich interactivity using a remote desktop client designed to help you get your work done wherever you are. For example, you can connect to your work PC and have access to all of your apps, files, and network resources as if you were sitting right in front of your work PC. You can leave apps open at work and then see those same apps using the RD client.

For information about these new features and functionality for Android, iOS, and Mac, see Microsoft Remote Desktop Clients.

Cached

Remote

Removed or deprecated functionality

For a list of deprecated features, see Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows Server 2012 R2 and Features Removed or Deprecated in Windows Server 2012.

Hardware requirements

Remote Desktop Services requires that the Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2012 operating system be installed. There are no additional hardware or software requirements for running Remote Desktop Services.

There are several hardware requirements that must be met when you deploy RemoteFX virtualized GPU to hardware accelerate your Windows client virtual desktops:

  • SLAT-enabled processor. The processor on the RemoteFX server must support Second-Level Address Translation (SLAT).

  • GPU. At least one graphics processing unit (GPU) that is capable of supporting RemoteFX is required on the RemoteFX server. The GPU driver must support DirectX 11.

    Note

    Without a RemoteFX virtualized GPU, applications that require DirectX will still work using a built in Hyper-V specific GPU.

Server 2012 Enable Remote Desktop

Server Manager information

Remote Desktop Services is a server role that consists of several role services. In Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2012, the following Remote Desktop Services role services can be installed with this role:

Windows Server 2012 R2 Remote Desktop

Role service name

Role service description

RD Virtualization Host

Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RD Virtualization Host) integrates with Hyper-V to deploy pooled or personal virtual desktop collections within your organization.

RD Session Host

Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) enables a server to host RemoteApp programs or session-based desktops. Users can connect to RD Session Host servers in a session collection to run programs, save files, and use resources on those servers.

RD Connection Broker

Remote Desktop Connection Broker (RD Connection Broker):

  • Allows users to reconnect to their existing virtual desktops, RemoteApp programs, and session-based desktops.

  • Enables you to evenly distribute the load among RD Session Host servers in a session collection or pooled virtual desktops in a pooled virtual desktop collection.

  • Provides access to virtual desktops in a virtual desktop collection.

RD Web Access

Remote Desktop Web Access (RD Web Access) enables users to access RemoteApp and Desktop Connection through the Start menu on a computer that is running Windows 8, Windows 7, or through a web browser. RemoteApp and Desktop Connection provides a customized view of RemoteApp programs and session-based desktops in a session collection, and RemoteApp programs and virtual desktops in a virtual desktop collection.

RD Licensing

Remote Desktop Licensing (RD Licensing) manages the licenses required to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host server or a virtual desktop. You can use RD Licensing to install, issue, and track the availability of licenses.

RD Gateway

Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) enables authorized users to connect to virtual desktops, RemoteApp programs, and session-based desktops on an internal corporate network from any Internet-connected device.

See also

The following table provides additional resources for evaluating Remote Desktop Services.

Server 2012 Install Remote Desktop Services

Content type

References

Product evaluation

Community resources

Related technologies