How to Install and Configure the Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Role

If you need multiple employees to log into the same Windows Server simultaneously to run a shared application (like an older accounting package that cannot be easily modernized), you cannot rely on the default built-in Remote Desktop feature. By default, Windows Server only allows two concurrent administrative sessions. To allow dozens or hundreds of users to work concurrently, you must deploy Remote Desktop Services (RDS) (formerly known as Terminal Services).

Step 1: Understand the Required Roles

A full RDS deployment consists of several distinct role services. For a basic single-server deployment (often called a Session Host), you need at least three components:

1. RD Session Host: The engine that actually runs the user sessions and applications.
2. RD Connection Broker: The traffic cop that routes incoming users to their existing sessions.
3. RD Web Access: A web portal where users can log in to launch published applications (RemoteApp) or full desktop sessions.

Note: You will also eventually need an RD Licensing Server, as RDS requires a Client Access License (CAL) for every user. However, Microsoft provides a 120-day grace period for testing.

Step 2: Start the Quick Start Deployment

Because RDS is so complex, Microsoft provides a dedicated wizard in Server Manager that installs and configures all the necessary roles simultaneously.

1. Open Server Manager.
2. Click Manage in the top right corner and select Add Roles and Features.
3. Skip the “Before you begin” screen. On the “Installation Type” screen, select Remote Desktop Services installation (do NOT select “Role-based or feature-based installation”). Click Next.
4. Select Quick Start. Click Next.
5. Select Session-based desktop deployment. Click Next.
6. The wizard will ask you to select the target server. Because this is a Quick Start, it will automatically select the local server for the Broker, Web Access, and Session Host roles. Click Next.
7. Check the box to Restart the destination server automatically if required, and click Deploy.

The server will install the roles and reboot at least once. Do not interrupt it. Log back in when it finishes to allow the wizard to complete the configuration.

Step 3: Creating a Session Collection

A “Collection” is a logical grouping of Session Host servers and the users who are allowed to access them. The Quick Start wizard automatically creates a default collection named “QuickSessionCollection”.

1. In Server Manager, click on Remote Desktop Services in the left-hand navigation pane.
2. Click on Collections.
3. Click on QuickSessionCollection.
4. In the “Properties” box on the right, click Tasks and select Edit Properties.
5. Click on the User Groups tab. By default, “Domain Users” are added. If you only want the Accounting department to log into this server, remove “Domain Users” and add your specific Active Directory “Accounting Group”. Click OK.

Step 4: Publishing RemoteApps (Optional)

Instead of giving users a confusing second desktop environment, you can publish specific applications. When a user clicks a RemoteApp, it looks and feels like it is running locally on their PC, but the processing is actually happening on the server.

1. Still inside the QuickSessionCollection screen, look for the RemoteApp Programs box.
2. Click Tasks and select Publish RemoteApp Programs.
3. The wizard will scan the server for installed software (e.g., Word, Excel, or your custom accounting app). Check the boxes next to the apps you want to publish.
4. Click Next, then click Publish.

Step 5: Accessing the Server

To test the deployment, go to a client machine on the network and open a web browser.

Navigate to: https://YourServerName/RDWeb

Log in with a standard domain user account. You will see icons for the applications you published in Step 4, or an icon for a full desktop connection. Clicking an icon will download a small .rdp file that instantly connects the user to the powerful server backend.