How to Configure and Activate RDS CALs on Windows Server 2016

Set up the Remote Desktop Licensing role service and Remote Desktop Session Host by following these steps:

Setting up the Remote Desktop Licensing Role.

1. Launch the Server Manager: To do this, click on Windows and then Server Manager.

2. Select Manage in the top-right corner and then click Add roles and features.

3. In the Add Roles and Features Wizard, click Next.

4. Choose Role-based or feature-based setup and click Next.

5. Select the server that will install the roles and click Next.

6. On the Select server roles page, tick the Remote Desktop Services box and click Next.

7. On the Select features page, tick the Remote Server Administration Tools box.

8. Click Add Features.

9. Click Next.

10. Click Next again.

11. Tick the boxes for Remote Desktop Licensing and Remote Desktop Session Host, then click Next.

12. Under the web server role, click Next.

13. In the Select role services option, click Next.

14. Tick the box for Automatically restart the server and click Install. Wait for the roles to be installed.

15. Once the roles are installed, proceed to the next step to use your remote desktop service.

Activating the licensing server

1. Select Tools in the top-right corner, then choose Remote Desktop Services and click Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.

2. Next, right-click on the server and choose Activate Server.

3. The server activation wizard will appear. Click Next.

4. Choose the automatic connection method and click Next.

5. Provide the requested information (first name, last name, region, and company name). Click Next.

6. Enter the company information and click Next.

7. You have completed the licensing server activation. Now you will start installing the licenses. Click Next.

8. You'll receive a reminder of how your server is configured. Click Next.

9. Then, under License Program, select Retail Pack (Box or Preinstalled Product). Click Next.

10. Enter the product key for your RDS CALs and click Add.

11. Once the license is recognised, click Next.

12. At this point, the license installation wizard will confirm successful installation. Click Finish.

13. Now your licensing server is ready to start issuing and managing licenses. You can check this by selecting the name of your server, where you'll see the available licenses and those that have been issued. In this case, it should be zero.