Suggest How to set up my RDS environment

Question

I have a "network" of about 250 Windows workstation Servers in the field that connect to three redundant HQ Windows Servers. This network does not have Active Directory nor Internet connectivity. The workstation servers monitor stuff at the site, gather data, and send alarms to HQ. Usually no one is logged on to these servers. Sometimes, it is desirable to have 3 or 4 people logged on simultaneously. There is a technician who logs onto the console and experts from HQ that can help troubleshoot by logging on via remote desktop. There are approximately 25 experts in a pool who would need to log on from time to time to the 250 workstation servers. What I have read is that workstation servers need to use RDS Device Cals. This would amount to 250 workstations * 25 experts * 2 devices (desktop and laptop) Device CALs. This is prohibitively expensive for this application. If user CALs could be used, we would need only 25 User CALs. I was reading that there is an external connector that might help, but I found little info on that. Any ideas and help on how I could set up this environment economically?

Answer 1

Hi. Thank you for your question and reaching out. I’d be more than happy to help you with your query.

In your scenario, where you have a network of 250 Windows workstation servers that need to be accessed by a pool of 25 experts, it sounds like the most cost-effective solution would be to use Remote Desktop User CALs.

An External Connector license is an option to reduce the licensing costs in a scenario where users need to access servers that are not part of an Active Directory domain, but this license is meant for scenarios where the number of users is lower than the number of servers, not the other way around.

If you are using Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, you can use the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs, which allow for an unlimited number of users to access a limited number of devices.

Another option to consider is using Microsoft's Remote Desktop Services (RDS) to centralize your workstation servers, which would allow you to use a single RDS infrastructure to support multiple remote desktop sessions on the workstation servers. This way, you would only need to purchase RDS CALs for the RDS infrastructure, rather than for each workstation server.

It's important to keep in mind that you need to have a valid Microsoft volume licensing agreement and have the proper licenses to use Remote Desktop Services. Additionally, make sure to consult with a Microsoft licensing specialist or your licensing reseller to ensure that you are compliant with all Microsoft licensing requirements.

I hope this information helps you set up your environment in an economically viable manner.

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