Change per device cal to per user cal

Question

Hi!
I have currently a unique server Win2016 with per device cal licences, by mistake we installed per user cal licences and, as expected, the server is not asigning the per user cals.

We want to finally use only the per user cals and uninstall the per device

Is there a safe way to do it? I mean, We can just revoke the per device licences and automatically the per user licences will start asigning to the users? Or we need to uninstall both and install only the per user?

Regards!

Answer 1

Are you asking about RDS Cals? You need to make the choice at the time of purchase.

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Answer 2

Hello @Nora Beatriz Arellano Avila

You can also configure the RDS license server parameters using GPO (a local or a domain policy). If your RDS server is in a workgroup (not joined to the Active Directory domain), use the local Group Policy Editor gpedit.msc. Go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Licensing.

We need two policies:

Use the specified Remote Desktop license servers – enable the policy and specify the RDS license server address. If the license server is running on the same server, type 127.0.0.1;
Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode – select the licensing mode. In our case, it is Per User.
After restarting your server, open the RD Licensing Diagnoser and check the number of available RDS licenses and the licensing mode you have selected.

If a firewall is used on your network, you must open the following ports from the RDSH host to the RDS licensing server – TCP:135, UDP:137, UDP:138, TCP:139, TCP:445, TCP:49152–65535 (RPC range).
You can check for open ports using the Test-NetConnection cmdlet. If the ports are closed on the local Windows Defender Firewall, you can open the ports using the PowerShell cmdlets from the NetSecurity module.

Also note that if, for example, Windows Server 2012 R2 and CAL for RDS 2012 R2 are installed on the RD Licensing Server, you won’t be able to install RDS CAL licenses for Windows Server 2016/2019. The “Remote Desktop Licensing mode is not configured” error persists even if you specify the correct license type and RDS license server name. Old Windows Server version simply do not support RDS CALs for newer versions.

In this case the following message will be displayed in the RD License Diagnoser window:

The Remote Desktop Session Host is in Per User licensing mode and no Redirector Mode, but license server does not have any installed license with the following attributes:
Product version: Windows Server 2016
Use RD Licensing Manager to install the appropriate licenses on the license server.
The Remote Desktop Session Host is in Per User licensing mode and no Redirector Mode, but license server does not have any installed appropriate license with the

First you will have to upgrade the Windows Server version on the RDS license server (or to deploy a new RD License host). A newer version of Windows Server (for example, WS 2019) supports RDS CAL for all previous versions of Windows Server.

Note. If your RDS server is in a workgroup, the licensing report is not generated. Although the terminal RDS licenses themselves are issued to clients/devices correctly. You will have to monitor the number of remaining RDS CALs yourself.

Hope this helps with your query,

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