This article explains the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) licensing available for BinaryLane Windows servers, including Active Directory requirements and how many user licences you need.


Important: BinaryLane supplies per-user Remote Desktop Services licences only. Per-user licensing requires an Active Directory domain. BinaryLane cannot install an RDS licence pack on a workgroup-only server.


BinaryLane provides these licences under Microsoft's service-provider licensing program. We refer to them as RDS Subscriber Access Licences (SALs); Windows and Microsoft technical documentation may display the installed licences as RDS Client Access Licences (CALs).

TABLE OF CONTENTS


What BinaryLane offers

BinaryLane supplies per-user RDS licences for Windows Server subscriptions. Each licence authorises one person to use Remote Desktop Services from any of their devices.


BinaryLane no longer supplies per-device RDS licences. A Windows Server subscription is also required for the server providing Remote Desktop Services.


Active Directory requirement

Microsoft requires per-user RDS licensing to use Active Directory. The Remote Desktop server must be joined to an Active Directory domain, and each licensed RDS user must have a domain user account.


You can join the server to an existing Active Directory domain. For a simple single-server environment, the Remote Desktop server can also provide Active Directory Domain Services and act as the domain controller. Combining these roles may not be appropriate for larger or security-sensitive environments.


Configuring Active Directory, managing domain users and deciding how to place domain services remain the customer's responsibility.


How many licences are required?


Microsoft permits up to two users or devices to access Windows Server solely to administer it without requiring RDS licences. This is an administration exception, not two free licences for ordinary Remote Desktop use. A person who uses the server for ordinary work requires a per-user licence even if they also administer the server.


Purchase one per-user RDS licence for each person authorised to use Remote Desktop Services for ordinary work. The requirement is based on the number of people, not:

  • the number of Windows user accounts;
  • the number of devices they use; or
  • how many people connect at the same time.


For example, if five people are authorised to use Remote Desktop Services, five per-user licences are required even if only two people connect simultaneously.


Purchasing licences

Remote Desktop user licences cost $10 per user per month (includes GST). You can:

  • add licences when creating a Windows server; or
  • change the number of licences later using Change Plan in mPanel.


Installation and administrator access

After purchasing Remote Desktop user licences:

  • Ensure that the server is joined to an Active Directory domain.
  • Create the administrator account described in Create an administrator account for BinaryLane RDS licence management.
  • Reply to the Remote Desktop SAL Licence Information email with the requested details.
  • Allow for a server restart and a temporary interruption to Remote Desktop access while the RDS roles and licence pack are installed.


BinaryLane may access the server through the mPanel console or an administration-only session. On a domain-joined member server, the BinaryLane account can be a local administrator; it does not need to be a Domain Admin. If the Remote Desktop server is itself a domain controller, the account must instead be a domain account with administrator access to that server.


Existing per-device licensing

BinaryLane no longer supplies per-device RDS licences. If your server has a legacy BinaryLane per-device licence pack, it must be changed to per-user licensing before additional or replacement licences can be supplied.


The server must first be joined to an Active Directory domain. BinaryLane will need to reinitialise the Remote Desktop Licensing database, configure per-user mode and reinstall the licence pack. This work may interrupt Remote Desktop access and may require a server restart.


Service scope

BinaryLane staff will use the administrator account only to install and manage Remote Desktop licence packs purchased from BinaryLane. We do not configure or manage Active Directory, create customer user accounts, perform general server administration, or investigate unrelated operating system issues.


If a BinaryLane licence pack develops a licensing fault, Support can attempt to reinitialise the local Remote Desktop Licensing database and reinstall the purchased pack. Troubleshooting beyond BinaryLane's licence installation and configuration remains outside our support scope.


Additional resources