Unable to use Remote Desktop to Win2k3 machine after 120 days?

[AncientPC]

So I read this in the help & support:

Your Terminal Server License Server can issue temporary licenses that allow clients to use a terminal server for the duration of the evaluation period, which is 120 days from the first client logon. If you do not install CALs on your Terminal Server License Server, unlicensed clients will not be able to connect to your terminal server after the evaluation period has passed.

So if I don't obtain a terminal service license, I will be unable to access the Win2k3 machine through Remote Desktop? Even if it's currently under "Remote Desktop for Administration" licensing?

 

[spyordie007]

If you dont obtain a terminal service license you wont be able to connect to it with clients. If it's setup for administration than it wont expire however you can only have a limited number of administrators connected at any one time (and no users).

 

[RussianSoldier]

Originally posted by: spyordie007
If you dont obtain a terminal service license you wont be able to connect to it with clients. If it's setup for administration than it wont expire however you can only have a limited number of administrators connected at any one time (and no users).

Yep. I have several pc's at home that just sit around, and I use remote desktop to connect to them as needed.

 

[MrChad]

I believe you can uninstall Terminal Services and simply enable Remote Desktop Administration as you would under XP. I can't recall where that option is at the moment, unfortunately.

 

[stash]

Originally posted by: MrChad
I believe you can uninstall Terminal Services and simply enable Remote Desktop Administration as you would under XP. I can't recall where that option is at the moment, unfortunately.

That's correct. The option is when you right click on My Computer, properties, remote tab.

This is different compared to 2000 Server. In 2000 server, you installed terminal services from add/remove programs and then set the mode there. In 2003, you only install terminal services from add/remove if you are installing an application mode TS.

 

[Sianath]

2003 only has application mode TS. The remote admin mode is replaced by the native remote desktop functionality.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Sianath
2003 only has application mode TS. The remote admin mode is replaced by the native remote desktop functionality.

I'm really curious what you mean by that. I thought that 2003 used the same sort of service/protocol that XP does (RDP?), and that for non-server usage, "Remote Desktop for Administration" was just a special-cased, console-only mode of the RDP server, and that 2003 inherited the same code (probably slightly updated) from WinXP.

Does 2003 now have some totally-new "native" remote desktop functionality now, that is different from the WinXP "Remote Desktop for Administration" functionality?

 

[Smilin]

Terminal services in 2000 / 2003 and remote desktop in XP / 2003 all use RDP (remote desktop protocol).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Smilin
Terminal services in 2000 / 2003 and remote desktop in XP / 2003 all use RDP (remote desktop protocol).

Yes, which is why I'm kind of vaguely confused about the statements about RDP somehow being "native" to 2003, and not to XP Pro.

 

[Sianath]

Sorry for the confusion. I was calling out the difference between 2000 Server Terminal Services and Server 2003.

With 2000 Server, you had to explicitly add Terminal Services, and set it up in Remote Admin mode to get this functionality. In Server 2003, you have remote desktop (TS Remote Admin equiv) built-in (no need to go into add/remove and add the feature set), and if you install Terminal Services, there is no need to choose remote admin vs. application mode because there only IS application mode.

Sorry!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Sianath
Sorry for the confusion. I was calling out the difference between 2000 Server Terminal Services and Server 2003.

With 2000 Server, you had to explicitly add Terminal Services, and set it up in Remote Admin mode to get this functionality. In Server 2003, you have remote desktop (TS Remote Admin equiv) built-in (no need to go into add/remove and add the feature set), and if you install Terminal Services, there is no need to choose remote admin vs. application mode because there only IS application mode.

Sorry!

Thank you for the detailed explaination, that makes perfect sense now. I thought that you were comparing XP Pro and 2003 Server, not 2000 Server vs. 2003 Server.

Do you happen to know of any way to install a TS Remote Admin feature, on W2K Pro? (Perhaps copying certain files from an XP Pro CD and running an .INF to install them?) I much prefer W2K over XP, but I have occasion to login via remote-desktop from my laptop over the LAN, and in order to do that, I currently must reboot into XP Pro. Or would I basically have to re-install, using 2000 Server, and install the additional TS functionality?

 

[Sianath]

The problem is that in order to utilitze the functionality, you have to have a way of tracking unique sessions on the same machine (basically, smss spawns a private version of csrss, et al for each active session), and there is no documented (if there's a way, I haven't seen it) of adding that to 2k pro.