new licensing server issues

[Guest]

Hi, we are trying to move our licensing server to a new Win2k3 member server.
The server is set up, activated, and licenses have been installed just fine.
What we really want to do is have 2 licensing servers set up for fault
tolerance.

What we would like to do is remove the DefaultLicenseServer key as
referenced in article 239107 on each terminal server so that they auto-detect
a license server so that in the event that one is down, they will pull
licenses from the other.

On my test server I've removed the DefaultLicenseServer key and rebooted.
However, after the machine comes up I'm unable to connect to it via RDP and I
get 1004 and 1010 errors in the event log. If I add the DefaultLicenseServer
key back in with the name of the new license server, things work fine.

Both servers are on the same network so there should be no problems with
communication. Any ideas why the terminal server isn't seeing the license
server unless it's specifically set in the registry? Thanks,

Adam

 

[Guest]

I should clarify a few things here. Our AD domain is Win2k3. The licensing
server is a Win2k3 member server. All terminal servers are Win2k.

Adam

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

Yes, that clarifies the matter.
Since the Licensing Server is not running on a Domain Controller,
it isn't autodetected.

You probably configured your 2003 LS as a Domain Licensing Server.
If you install the 2003 LS as Enterprise Licensing Server, the W2K
TS should be able to find it in AD.

From:
232520 - Description of Terminal Services License Server Discovery
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=232520

"If the Terminal Services server cannot find a License Server in
the domain, it queries the Directory service for the enterprise
License Server."

And from:
Microsofts Terminal Services FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/community/centers/termin
al/terminal_faq.mspx

Q. How do I configure Terminal Services Licensing (TSL) servers for
redundancy or high availability?

A. The recommended method to configure TSL servers for high
availability is to install at least two TSL servers with available
Terminal Services Client Access Licenses (CALs). Each server will
then advertise in Active Directory (AD) as enterprise license
servers with regard to the following Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol (LDAP): //CN=TS-Enterprise-License-Server,CN=site
name,CN=sites,CN=configuration-container.

 

[Guest]

Hi Vera, thanks for the reply.

We seem to be in an odd situation here. The TSL server is an Enterprise
Server. However, it is in a different AD site than the rest of the AD
components (DC's, etc.) In one of the articles below it states that TS
servers can only reach TSL servers in the same AD site.

So, we need to either get 2 TSL servers in the site with the rest of the TS
servers/users, or put the TSL component on 2 domain controllers.

Thanks for the clarification. There are so many articles out there and all
seem to have just enough information to seem to head you in the right
direction, then all of a sudden an article comes out that contradicts what
other seem to have been saying.

Of course, as a fallback we can always hard code one of the servers in the
DefaultLicenseServer value in the registry, but we would really like to avoid
this.

Thanks again,

Adam

 

[Vera Noest [MVP]]

Aaaah, that adds another element to the (already complicated)
equation
Personally, I would put the Licensing Servers in the same site as
the TS. That diminishes network traffic, as well as it enables
autodetection.