[Tutorials] [Remote Desktop Session Host] – Published Jan 2012

Delivering remote desktops in an enterprise IT environment may require some initial configuration – things typically don’t just work out of the box.  An RD Session Host server provides many settings that allow an administrator to customize to their specific requirements.  These settings can be set for a specific user, at the server level, and through group policy.  If both user and server settings are set, the server setting takes precedence.  Group policy always takes precedence over other settings.

A great part of system administration involves the management of users and groups.  If an RD Session Host servers does not belong to a domain only local user can log on to a remote session.  To manage local user settings start Computer Management by selecting “Start”, “All Programs”, “Administrative Tools” and “Computer Management”.  Remote Desktop Services Extension adds tabs to the properties of each user account in Local Users and Groups used to configure individual Remote Desktop Services user profile, remote control and user session settings.

To manage domain user accounts start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in on a domain controller by selecting “Start”, “All Programs”, “Administrative Tools” and “Active Directory Users and Groups”  .This snap-in also contains the tabs that are specific to Remote Desktop Services settings.  Only members of the Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins group have permission to use the tool.

The management of Remote Desktop Services settings at the server level is done with Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration.  This tool is started by selecting “Start”, “All Programs”, “Administrative Tools”, “Remote Desktop Services” and “Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration” on an RD Session Host server.  It allows you to modify the parameters for connections and server settings right after installation and, if necessary, during operation.  The scope of settings covered by Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration goes far beyond the settings at the user level.  This includes client, security, environment, and licensing settings, just to name a few.

This all may sound rather theoretical.  In order to demonstrate a typical RD Session Host management activity I want to take a look at the configuration of the connection timeout settings.  An administrator may need to customize RD Session Host to automatically end disconnected user sessions when a disconnected session limit is reached.  At the user level this is done in the Sessions tab of the user properties.  At the server level, the same Sessions tab is located in the RDP properties dialog box of Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration.  Depending on where you want to modify the settings, go to the appropriate tool.  By default, RD Session Host allows remote sessions to remain for an unlimited amount of time.  To change the default check the “Override User Settings” check box, then select the desired time limit from the drop down boxes. To save settings, click the Apply or OK button.

IMPORTANT: Settings configured with Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration take precedence over settings configured in the user properties or in Remote Desktop Connection.  This means that the server settings can overwrite the corresponding user account or client configurations.  Only group policies have a higher priority level than settings configured with Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration.  In descending order the hierarchy of priority levels is as follows: Group policies – Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration – user configuration – client configuration.

[Tutorials] [Remote Desktop Session Host]