Hi, For the detailed steps of how to install RDS CALs, please refer to the following Microsoft TechNet article: Step 3: Installing Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs) on the Remote Desktop License Server http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd996633(WS.10).aspx For more licensing related issue, you’d better contact Microsoft licensing team. In the United States and Canada, you may call the licensing team directly at 1-800-426-9400 (select option 4), Monday through Friday, 6:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. (PST) to speak directly to a Microsoft licensing specialist. In this way, you will know the detailed information about license. Worldwide customers can use the Guide to Worldwide Microsoft Licensing Sites http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/worldwide.aspx to find contact information in their locations. For the printer issue, please try the following steps to check the result. Clear Printer Spooler Files and Enable the Spooler Service ================================= 1. Click Start, type "Services.msc" (without the quotation marks) in the Search box and press Enter. 2. Double-click "Printer Spooler" in the Services list. 3. Click Stop and click OK. 4. Click Start, type "%WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers" in the Start Search box and press Enter, delete all files in this folder. 5. Click Start, type "Services.msc" (without the quotation marks) in the Start Search box and press Enter. 6. Double-click "Printer Spooler" in the Services list. 7. Click on Start. In the Startup Type list, make sure that "Automatic" is selected and click OK. If it does not work, please refer to the following Microsoft KB article to delete the previous installed printers completely and reinstall them. You cannot print and you receive the error message "Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810894 Regards, Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Thanks for you reply, I wish MS had made handling CALs easierr, One last question plz, i have installed the terminal Server without and AD as i dont want to manage alot of things. will just terminal server for remote access to so called "virtual Desktop" for users WITHOUT AD be fine? regards

Excellent advice!, i was leaning toward RDS too it seems simpler, however, i just want to know if say one windows server 2008, can be accessed by 20 users at a the same time? i mean its not like one bumps of another like in XP? i am not an IT person, my office wont hire anyone coz its too expensive so whatever knowledge i have is what we have for IT. also there is this option for printing, i.e. if i RDS to the server 2008 desktop, can i use the local printers to print in have on the local machine..(not the server 2008) is there i read something about easy print service which i am not familiar with, can you please break it down in layman's terms. thanks alot for your help. Also i jsut wanna add that i am going to use windows server 2008 32bit, with i7 4.00ghz core and 8 gb ddr3 ram, is this enough for the task? ok i just got the answer too almost everything here by installing and setting up some users, only 2 problems remain, 1. i have User CALs and dont kno where to install them, as it keeps asking me for a local license server, there is not place where i can write down the key numbers... 2. Printing is not working, i just installed 2 printers on the server but it seems it doesnt print from Server's default printer instead its trying to print from some "redirected" Printer All help is very much appreciated regards p.s. i am still concerned about the hardware i am using for this server, any comments?

With regard to your server configuration, hard to say on what the minimum requirements will be for 20 users. When running RDS (formerly known as Terminal Services - Application Mode), you can have multiple users log on without kicking other users off. With XP, it allows only one user to connect. On a server OS, it allows 2 remote connections and one console connection. Keep in mind that to have this setup, you'll need to have RDS liscenses, otherwise, your users will only have a 90 day license. You'll need to install the TS, Licensing Server role so that you can add/manage RDS licenses. Once you get that setup, you'll need to run the Terminal Services Configuration so that you can fine tune the RDS experience, printers, etc... Depending on the server OS 2003,2008, 2008R2, the terminology changes from Terminal Services 9TS) to Remote Desktop Services (RDS)Guides and tutorials, visit ITGeared.com.

Hi, For the detailed steps of how to install RDS CALs, please refer to the following Microsoft TechNet article: Step 3: Installing Remote Desktop Services Client Access Licenses (RDS CALs) on the Remote Desktop License Server http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd996633(WS.10).aspx For more licensing related issue, you’d better contact Microsoft licensing team. In the United States and Canada, you may call the licensing team directly at 1-800-426-9400 (select option 4), Monday through Friday, 6:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. (PST) to speak directly to a Microsoft licensing specialist. In this way, you will know the detailed information about license. Worldwide customers can use the Guide to Worldwide Microsoft Licensing Sites http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/worldwide.aspx to find contact information in their locations. For the printer issue, please try the following steps to check the result. Clear Printer Spooler Files and Enable the Spooler Service ================================= 1. Click Start, type "Services.msc" (without the quotation marks) in the Search box and press Enter. 2. Double-click "Printer Spooler" in the Services list. 3. Click Stop and click OK. 4. Click Start, type "%WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers" in the Start Search box and press Enter, delete all files in this folder. 5. Click Start, type "Services.msc" (without the quotation marks) in the Start Search box and press Enter. 6. Double-click "Printer Spooler" in the Services list. 7. Click on Start. In the Startup Type list, make sure that "Automatic" is selected and click OK. If it does not work, please refer to the following Microsoft KB article to delete the previous installed printers completely and reinstall them. You cannot print and you receive the error message "Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close" http://support.microsoft.com/kb/810894 Regards, Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

I am stuck, I am barely supporting IT at my workplace and apparantly the head office has come up with a new thing and installed IPVPN for access to the main site. unfortnately, we are not allowed to access internet if we are on the IPVPN network so i created a VMware server and installed XP for them, the host machine is connected to 2 networks, the private network without gateway AND the public internet. this allows the VMs to access local resources on the LAN, which is connected to the IPVPN and also access internet related services. the problem now is that VMWARE server is horribly SLOW!!!! OMG i hate it!, so i looked in to Microsoft VDI and RDS. VDI seeems too complicated, so i am going for RDS, using Windows server 2008 with CAL for each user. i need guidance if RDS is the right path? the users will be connecting to the server 2008 using RDP, and access desktop enviroment where they can access their email etc... Just a note this for only 20 people so what should i do, to minimize cost and NOT have to manage virtual desktps for users

You are correct that VDI is a more complex implementation than simply enabling RDS. Its hard to make a recommendation without knowing all of the business requirements, but I will suggest that if the users' simply require a desktop for accessing their mail, then RDS alone may be suffient, simple, and most cost effective. By providing a desktop environment on the RDS server, once the user logs in, they will be presented with their own profile. On this profile you could have an email client app such as Outlook loaded so they can access their mail. Otherwise, if they would have access to a webmail based system, they can simply launch internet explorer and connect to the web based mail system. You could even go a step further and provide roaming profiles and redirect their documents if you want to centrally store profiles and docs for all your users. This design would be applicable if you had more than one RDS server servicing your users. With 20 users, you can easily accomodate this with one RDS system. However, if you need to include availability in your design, you could implement a farm of these servers. However, the implementation's complexity and cost will increase. Hope this helps. Guides and tutorials, visit ITGeared.com.

Excellent advice!, i was leaning toward RDS too it seems simpler, however, i just want to know if say one windows server 2008, can be accessed by 20 users at a the same time? i mean its not like one bumps of another like in XP? i am not an IT person, my office wont hire anyone coz its too expensive so whatever knowledge i have is what we have for IT. also there is this option for printing, i.e. if i RDS to the server 2008 desktop, can i use the local printers to print in have on the local machine..(not the server 2008) is there i read something about easy print service which i am not familiar with, can you please break it down in layman's terms. thanks alot for your help. Also i jsut wanna add that i am going to use windows server 2008 32bit, with i7 4.00ghz core and 8 gb ddr3 ram, is this enough for the task?