Edit

RDS Licensing troubleshooting guidance

  • Article

Try our Virtual Agent - It can help you quickly identify and fix common Active Directory replication issues

The listed resources in this article can help you resolve Remote Desktop Services (RDS) licensing issues.

Troubleshooting checklist

Grace period

There is a licensing grace period of 120 Days during which no license server is required. Once the grace period ends, clients must have a valid RDS CAL issued by a license server before they can log on to an RD Session Host server. For more information, see the following articles:

The current grace period on a computer can be read by running the following command:

wmic /namespace:\\root\CIMV2\TerminalServices PATH Win32_TerminalServiceSetting WHERE (__CLASS !="") CALL GetGracePeriodDays

Or by running the following PowerShell command:

$obj = gwmi -namespace "Root/CIMV2/TerminalServices" Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
$obj.GetGracePeriodDays()

Reset grace period: The grace period can be reset to 120 Days. However, we don't recommended this approach. Instead, you must implement a license server together with a license pack.

Verify the license servers and current licensing mode that's configured on the Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) server

To do so, run the following PowerShell command:

$obj = gwmi -namespace "Root/CIMV2/TerminalServices" Win32_TerminalServiceSetting
$obj.GetSpecifiedLicenseServerList()
$obj.LicensingType

LicensingMode values

Set the method for how the license server and the licensing mode will be applied on the RDSH server

You can use any of the following methods to implement this configuration.

Using GUI

Use the RDMS GUI that's started on the active broker. This configuration is stored in the following registry values:

Registry subkey: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\RCM\Licensing Core
Registry value: LicensingMode

Registry subkey: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TermService\Parameters\LicenseServers
Registry value: SpecifiedLicenseServers

Using local policy

The gpedit.msc console can be used to configure the following policy locally on the server:
Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Licensing

  • Use the specified Remote Desktop license servers.
  • Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode.

These values are stored in the following registry values:

Registry subkey: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services
Registry values:

  • LicenseServers
  • LicensingMode

Note

This configuration will apply before the one that's mentioned in "Using GUI". This means that the "Using GUI" configuration will have no effect when a local policy is configured because the registry values will not be taken into account. In this situation, you can't use RDSM to configure the license servers and licensing mode.

Using GPO

This method is similar to "Using local policy." The only difference is that this configuration is set by using a GPO that's configured in an Active Directory domain:
Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Licensing
Configure the Set the Remote Desktop licensing mode policy.

The policy configuration are stored in the following registry entries on the session host server:

Registry subkey: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services
Registry values:

  • LicenseServers
  • LicensingMode

[!Notes]

  • This configuration will apply before the one that's mentioned in "Using GUI." This means that the "Using GUI" configuration will have no effect when a local policy is configured because the registry values will not be taken into account. In this situation, you can't use RDSM to configure the license servers and licensing mode.
  • The gpedit.msc console that's started on the session host server does not appear in this configuration.

Check the configuration on the license server

To do this, start the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager console on the licensing server, and then do the following:

  • Check whether the licensing server is activated.

  • Review the configuration to verify that the scope is correct.

  • Make sure that the licensing server is added to the "Terminal Server License Servers" domain group.

  • Set how the configuration of licensing servers and the license mode will be applied:

    • Use the steps in bullet item 2 to check what the session host server sees. Check the registry configuration presented in bullet item 3 to determine how the configuration is set.
    • If there is a GPO, this means that the parameters are set on the server. Even if gpedit.msc displays a configuration, the configuration will not be used.

  • Check whether the Group Policy Object is applied by running the following command:
    gpresult /H ?:\fileName.html

  • Check the minimal TCP ports.

    Verify that the minimal TCP ports are open. For more information, see RD Licensing Network Port Requirements

  • Use the event log to determine the behavior of the licensing server.

    • On the licensing server, start Event Viewer.
    • Access Application and Services Logs\Windows\TerminalServices-Licensing\Operational.
    • The following article contains a list of Remote Desktop Services events that can appear in the event log on a computer that has the RD Licensing role service installed.
      Remote Desktop Licensing

Common issues and solutions

WVD are getting logged out after 60 minutes with error 0x80070057

Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) users are getting logged out after 60 minutes because of an invalid license and licensing error 0x80070057.

To troubleshoot this issue, redeploy the host pools so that the grace period gets reset. This is the only supported workaround.

RDLS stops responding on Windows Server 2016 when Windows Server 2019 CALs are requested

Remote Desktop Licensing service (RDLS) stops responding on Windows Server 2016 when Windows Server 2019 CALs are requested.

Configuring a Windows Server 2019 version RDSH to use a Windows Server 2016 version RDLS is not supported. A Windows Server 2016 version RDLS cannot issue or handle Windows Server 2019 RDS CALs. This problem was fixed in RDLS 2012 R2. It does not occur in RDLS 2019.

Report date is displayed as "Unknown" in Remote Desktop Licensing Manager

This issue is fixed in update KB 4457127.

Data collection

If you need assistance from Microsoft support, we recommend you collect the information by following the steps mentioned in Gather information by using TSS for User Experience issues.

Prerequisites

  1. TSS must be run by accounts with administrator privileges on the local system, and EULA must be accepted (once EULA is accepted, TSS won't prompt again).
  2. We recommend the local machine RemoteSigned PowerShell execution policy.

Note

If the current PowerShell execution policy doesn't allow running TSS, take the following actions:

  • Set the RemoteSigned execution policy for the process level by running the cmdlet PS C:\> Set-ExecutionPolicy -scope Process -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned.
  • To verify if the change takes effect, run the cmdlet PS C:\> Get-ExecutionPolicy -List.
  • Because the process level permissions only apply to the current PowerShell session, once the given PowerShell window in which TSS runs is closed, the assigned permission for the process level will also go back to the previously configured state.

Gather key information before contacting Microsoft support

  1. Download TSS on all nodes and unzip it in the C:\tss folder.

  2. Open the C:\tss folder from an elevated PowerShell command prompt.

  3. Start the traces on the client and the server by using the following cmdlets:

    Note

    Run these traces simultaneously on the client, Session Host server(s) and licensing server(s).

    • Client:

      TSS.ps1 -scenario Net_RDScli

    • Server(s):

      TSS.ps1 -scenario Net_RDSsrv

    If you get many security warnings related to the execution policy while running the script, run the Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -force -Scope Process cmdlet to bypass those warnings.

  4. Respond to the EULA prompt.

  5. Allow recording (Video), and enter Y.

  6. When the script displays Reproduce the issue and enter 'Y' key AFTER finishing the repro on both the client and the server(s), start reproducing the issue.

  7. Enter Y to finish the log collection after the issue is reproduced.

The traces will be stored in a zip file in the C:\MS_DATA folder, which can be uploaded to the Microsoft workspace for analysis.

Reference