License problem with thin clients using TS

[Scott McMullan]

Help!

I'm running Windows Server 2000 with Terminal services to connect a series
of Compaq Evo 20 thin clients. I managed to get everything running almost
exactly 3 months ago. I suspect the original connections where made under
the temporary TS licenses issued by Win2000. I subsequently installed and
activated a 5CAL license pack which I purchased.

Last week I all of a sudden started to have problems connecting from the
thin clients which report "The connection was ended because of a network
error". I've set the Evo20 to perform a ping before connect which completes
successfully. The system log in the Server Event Viewer gives an event id
1003 ("the terminal service client has provided an invalid license").

Although the Compaq documentation available for the Evo is less than great,
there's no configuration option on the client side where you provide a
license key or similar and there's no hard disk so I conclude the invalid
license must be coming from the server side.

Is it possible that the server has registered the temporary licenses which
have now expired and is not managing to pick up the purchased CALs? I've
looked at the registry entries relating to Terminal Services but I don't
want to touch anything blindly.

Can anybody offer some advice?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Martin Speller]

Try looking at Microsoft Knowledge Base article 287687.
If you are not on at least SP3 for the servers then
Terminal services doesn't scavenge licences properly and
won't hand out permanent licences to machines already
holding a temporary licence. It is likely that you will
also have to factory default your thin clients as well.
Article 287687 is quite good and gives links to other
relevent articles as well.

Regards

Martin.

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

There are also a number of licensing issues specific for thin clients.
You could try to upgrade the firmware (or reset it to the default
settings). This will delete the license from the client (the license is
stored on the client, but most thin clients don't have the option to delete
the key.)

 

[Sleurhutje]

Q287687 is right about this problems, we've had the same with EVO 30 Thin
Clients. All was setup before W2K SP3. After applying the fixes the problem
wasn't solved. So I calles Microsoft Clearing House and reactived the TS
CALs by phone. The previous CALs are ignored and the second set of CALs
works fine with both expiration and regaining licenses.

Important is to apply SP3 or at least the hotfixes.



Jeroen.