Terminal Server
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Terminal Server is a Terminal Services role service that supports sharing of Windows-based programs or the full Windows desktop. Users can connect to a terminal server to run programs, save files, and use network resources on that server.
Aspects
The following is a list of all aspects that are part of this managed entity:
| Name | Description |
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Terminal Services Session Broker (TS Session Broker) is a Terminal Services role service in Windows Server 2008 that supports session load balancing between terminal servers in a farm, and reconnection to an existing session in a load-balanced terminal server farm. In order for the terminal server to join a farm in TS Session Broker, the terminal server must be able to communicate with the TS Session Broker server across the network. In addition, the computer account for the terminal server must be a member of the Session Directory Computers local group on the TS Session Broker server. Note: TS Session Broker was formerly called Terminal Services Session Directory. |
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Terminal Services in Windows Server 2008 includes support for redirection of Windows Portable Devices, specifically media players based on the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and digital cameras based on the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP), as well as devices that use Microsoft Point of Service (POS) for .NET 1.11. When a user establishes a remote session with a Windows Server 2008 terminal server, the supported Plug and Play device attached to the user's local computer can be redirected and made available to the user in the remote session. Note: Microsoft POS for .NET device redirection is only supported if the terminal server is running an x86-based version of Windows Server 2008. |
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Users can connect to a terminal server to run programs, save files, and use network resources on that server. When a user disconnects from a session, all processes running in the session, including applications, will continue to run on the terminal server. The user logon mode on the terminal server can be configured to prevent new user sessions from being created on the terminal server. You might want to prevent new user sessions from being created on the terminal server when you are planning to take the terminal server offline for maintenance or to install new applications. |
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The listener component runs on the terminal server and is responsible for listening for and accepting new Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client connections, thereby allowing users to establish new remote sessions on the terminal server. There is a listener for each Terminal Services connection that exists on the terminal server. Connections can be created and configured by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool. |
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Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0 enhances the security of Terminal Services sessions by providing server authentication and by encrypting terminal server communications. The terminal server and the client computer must be correctly configured for clients to make successful remote connections and for TLS to provide enhanced security. For example, a certificate is needed to authenticate a terminal server when SSL (TLS 1.0) is used to secure communication between a client and a terminal server during Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections. |
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The terminal server role service relies on the Terminal Services service to be running in order to accept remote connections. Remote Desktop also relies on the Terminal Services service in order to support remote connections for administrative purposes. |
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Terminal Services Client Access License (TS CAL) Availability |
A terminal server must be able to contact (discover) a Terminal Services license server in order to request Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) for users or computing devices that are connecting to the terminal server. In addition, the Terminal Services licensing mode configured on a terminal server must match the type of TS CALs available on the license server. Note: A terminal server running Windows Server 2008 can only communicate with a license server running Windows Server 2008. |
A terminal server must be able to contact (discover) a Terminal Services license server in order to request Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) for users or computing devices that are connecting to the terminal server. Note: A terminal server running Windows Server 2008 can only communicate with a license server running Windows Server 2008. |
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Terminal Services provides printer redirection, which routes printing jobs from a server to a printer that is attached to a client computer or to a shared printer that is available to the client computer. When a user establishes a remote session with a terminal server, the redirected printer will be available to applications running in the remote session. By default, a Windows Server 2008 terminal server first tries to use the Terminal Services Easy Print driver. If the client computer does not support this driver, the terminal server looks for a matching printer driver installed on the terminal server. You can either install a matching printer driver on the terminal server, or you can create a custom printer mapping file. |
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The properties of a user account can be configured to provide a Terminal Services-specific profile and home folder. This profile and home folder will only be used when a user establishes a remote session with a terminal server. A separate profile for Terminal Services sessions should be assigned to a user because many of the common options that are stored in profiles, such as screen savers and animated menu affects, are not desirable when using Terminal Services. |
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Terminal Services Session Broker (TS Session Broker) is a Terminal Services role service in Windows Server 2008 that supports session load balancing between terminal servers in a farm, and reconnection to an existing session in a load-balanced terminal server farm. For TS Session Broker to work properly, the terminal server must be able to communicate with the TS Session Broker server across the network. Note: TS Session Broker was formerly called Terminal Services Session Directory. |