Add Backup Licensing Server

  • Thread starter Thread starter JBailey
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J

JBailey

We have hundreds of clients in the same domain who are dependent on our
terminal servers. We are currently operating with 1 licensing server and
this kind of scares me. Is there a way to setup a backup licensing server?
Even if its just to issue temp licenses?

Thanks,
JBailey
 
From the Terminal Services FAQ at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/community/centers/terminal
/terminal_faq.asp


Q. How do I configure Terminal Services licensing servers for
redundancy or high availability?

A. The right way to achieve high availability is to have multiple
(usually two) per domain (or workgroup or site). Put all licenses on
one licensing server, and leave the other empty. The full one is the
primary licensing server and will service all license requests. If
the primary fails:

* Clients that already have licenses will still be able to connect.
Terminal Services does not look to the licensing server unless a
license is needed.

* Clients with licenses that are about to expire have seven days to
contact a licensing server with licenses, which means you have a week
to get your primary running again.

* Clients that have never had a license will be issued a temporary
license by the backup licensing server and can connect for 90 days.
Once the primary is restored it will replace the temporary license
with a full one at the next client connection.


Having multiple licensing servers that actually contain CALs can
cause several problems.

See the licensing white paper and the two SP2 enhancements for more
information about temporary licenses and license issuance.
 
I believe that you are confusing the *Terminal Server* 90 day grace
period (where it will allow client connections without a Licensing
Server in place), with the 90 day period of a temporary license.

Just as the FAQ says: when the main LS is down, clients with an
existing, but expired TS CAL need a new TS CAL within a week. Clients
who get a first-time temporary TS CAL from the backup LS have 90
days to connect.
Note that clients that once have received a permanent TS CAL (with
expiration date) will *not* get a temporary TS CAL when the permanent
TS CAL expires and there is no LS available.

In practice this means that you have minimally 1 week to get the main
LS up and running again.
 
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