Remote Desktop Services subscriptions on CSP - Can these be used as per Device RDS CALs for Azure?

Question

A while back Microsoft announced via RDS Subscriptions Blog Post https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/news/rds-subscriptions article the ability to acquire Remote Desktop Services subscriptions on CSP.

My question is, once you obtain these RDS subscriptions from your CSP, can you use these as Per Device RDS CAL's for a workgroup 2016/2019 server in Azure?

If you don't intend deploying AD in your environment and only need a single multi-session server, is this the way to go?

I'm speaking strictly of RDS (Remote Desktop), not WVD. I think WVD forces you to go with Domain Services + AAD so only Per User RDS CALs will work if choosing Server 2019 with WVD.

Answer 1

Hello @Jonnathan Pope ,

Our product group have replied as follows:

Yes, that is correct RDS CALs are not allowed for Azure. From a licensing perspective Windows Server CALs are not required for accessing Windows Server running in the Azure environment because the access rights are included in the per-minute charge for the Virtual Machines. However access to Remote Desktop Services (RDS) will require a Windows Server RDS CAL with active Software Assurance (Extended Rights).

You can find this information in the following Azure Virtual Licensing FAQ as well as the Product Terms, regarding the Extended Rights: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/licensing-faq/

Commercial Terms: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/productoffering/WindowsServerStandardDatacenterEssentials/EAEAS

Remote Desktop Services (“RDS”) User CAL and User SL Extended Rights
Customer may use its RDS User CALs and User SLs with Windows Server software running in OSEs dedicated to its internal use on either Microsoft Azure Services or the shared or dedicated servers of a License Mobility through Software Assurance Partner for which it has completed and submitted the License Mobility verification form. Other than administrative access by Customer’s License Mobility through Software Assurance Partner, no other party may access the OSE(s). For any CAL or User SL Customer has used in this manner, it may later move to Microsoft Azure Services or a new License Mobility through Software Assurance Partner, but not sooner than 90 days after it initiated use in the environment it is leaving.

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Answer 2

Thanks. I've actually been searching for this for a long time and nobody seems to know the answer. The official response from a Senior Microsoft Architect I got in the past is to use WVD instead. But unfortunately WVD doesn't solve the problem. You still need Domain Services or Windows Server Active Directory for WVD which is an extra ZAR2000 a month + RDS CALs if you opt for Server 2019 instead of multi-session Win 10. And in addition you need advanced O365 licenses for each user using WVD as well. This is very off-putting and needlessly more complex if all you want is one single solitary multi-session Windows server in Azure.

I suspect Microsoft maybe wants to do away with the old RDP method but they haven't provided a suitable modern alternative for a standalone multi-session server that works seamlessly with Azure and doesn't lose them the revenue stream of the RDS CALs. I don't understand why, surely an agent based solution with licensing baked into Azure for standalone workgroup instances would work. Either leveraging Bastion or AAD without the need for expensive domain services when a customer just needs one Azure multi-session server only for more than 2 users to connect to simultaneously. And surely providing this feature in Azure would unlock more options for smaller businesses plus improve on security as we all know how bad a published RDP enabled instance is anyway - even if the per device RDS CAL is allowed.

So I will await your feedback from your product team. I don't think I will get anywhere with a Microsoft case. I feel either this is an oversight that Microsoft is not providing answers to, or maybe I'm missing the obvious somewhere. Thanks for your time and attention so far, hoping your product team can get back with something :)

Answer 3

Thanks Leila. I thought as much. So Microsoft forces us to go through all that extra expense and infrastructure to run a simple multi-session Remote Server instance just because they don't allow Device Based RDS CALs in Azure or supply another solution. I think this is very sad :( But I suppose it is what it is. It's their product they can do what they like I guess.

But in turn I will unfortunately have to strongly recommend all small business customers rather use a SaaS solution wherever possible for their apps and avoid using Microsoft Azure when it comes to running a small multi-session Windows Server type deployment. There is simply no way a small business will pay for all of this seemingly unnecessary extra infrastructure just to comply with the type of licensing Microsoft insists on without investigating all other possibilities. Microsoft are maybe shooting themselves in the foot here, but I suppose small businesses are not their priority financially which is perhaps why they don't really accommodate it.