As of Windows Server 2008 R2, Remote Desktop session hosts support per-session and per-program Remote Desktop IP Virtualization for Winsock applications. Remote Desktop assigns individual IP addresses to user sessions to avoid application compatibility issues that can happen when all Remote Desktop users in the same location share the same IP address. This article gives instructions for how to virtualize IP addresses for your organization's Remote Desktop users.
Note
This article's instructions for virtualizing IPs only apply to on-premises environments.
Prerequisites
In order to use IP Virtualization, your system must meet the following requirements:
You can configure IP Virtualization using the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), Group Policy, or running a command in a PowerShell window.
Open the RD Session Host Configuration MMC on the machine you the RD Session Host server role.
Go to Edit settings.
Select IP Virtualization and go to Properties.
Select the Enable IP virtualization check box.
In the Select the network adapter to be used for IP Virtualization field, select the network adapter you want to use for IP Virtualization from the drop-down menu.
Note
IP virtualization currently only supports single-network adapter scenarios. If your server has multiple enabled network adapters, you can only use the adapter you specify in the settings for IP virtualization.
When you're finished, select Apply.
Optionally, to configure IP virtualization for specific programs:
Return to Edit settings, then select Add program.
Enter or navigate to the file path of the program you want to use.
Select Open.
Repeat for all programs you want to use.
When you're finished, select Apply.
Open the Group policy editor (gpedit.msc) on the machine you want to make changes to.
Go to Computer configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Application Compatibility.
Right-click Select the network adapter to be used for Remote Desktop IP Virtualization, then select Edit.
Select Enabled.
Note
IP virtualization currently only supports single-network adapter scenarios. If your server has multiple enabled network adapters, you can only use the adapter you specify in the settings for IP virtualization.
To apply this policy to a specific IP address and network mask, go to the Define IP address field and enter the IP address and network mask based on the format <IP address/<network mask>.
When you're finished, select Apply.
Next, right-click Turn on Remote Desktop IP Virtualization, then select Edit.
Select Enabled.
Optionally, if you want to configure virtualization for per-program mode:
When you're finished, select Apply.
Optionally, you can also configure the Do not use Remote Desktop Session Host server IP address when virtual IP address is not available policy to prevent your deployment from using the IP address of the Remote Desktop Session Host server when virtualized IP addresses aren't available.
To enable this policy:
Right-click Do not use Remote Desktop Session Host server IP address when virtual IP address is not available, then select Edit.
Select Enabled.
Select Apply.
Open an elevated PowerShell window.
Run the following cmdlet to rename the registry key:
Rename-Item HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\AppId_Catalog\2C69D9F1 Backup_2C69D9F1
Note
We recommend you rename the registry key instead of deleting it, as this lets you revert your settings more easily. To revert your settings, change the name and values back to the following default settings:
Name: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinSock2\Parameters\AppId_Catalog\2C69D9F1\
AppFullPath: C:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe\
PermittedLspCategories: 0x40000000
Restart your machine for the changes to take effect.
Run the following command to enable the Turn on Remote Desktop IP Virtualization group policy.
Set-GPRegistryValue -Name "Remote Desktop IP Virtualization" -Key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" -ValueName "IPFilterBitmaps" -Type DWORD -Value 1
Restart your machine for the changes to take effect.
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