Activating and Setting Up RDS CALs on Windows Server 2019

Install the Remote Desktop Licensing role service and Remote Desktop Session Host by following these steps:

Remote Desktop Licensing Role installation.

1. Open the Server Manager. To do this, click on Windows and then Server Manager.

2. Select Manage in the top right corner and then click on Add Roles and Features.

3. Now, in the Add Roles and Features Wizard, click on Next.

4. Choose Role-based or feature-based installation and click on Next.

5. Now, choose the server that will install the roles and click on Next.

6. On the Select Server Roles page, tick the Remote Desktop Services box and click on Next.

7. On the Select Features page, tick the Remote Server Administration Tools box.

8. Next, click on Add Features.

9. Then, click on Next.

10. Click on Next.

11. In the following box, tick the boxes for Remote Desktop Licensing Management and Remote Desktop Session Host and click on Next.

12. In the next step, for the Web Server role, click on Next.

13. In the Select Role Services option, click on Next.

14. In the following image, tick the box for Automatically Restart the Server and click on Install. Wait for the roles to install.

15. Once the roles are installed, continue with the next step to use your remote desktop service.

Licensing Server Activation

1. Select Tools in the top right corner, then select Remote Desktop Services and click on Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.

2. Then, right-click on the server and select Activate Server.

3. You will then see the server activation wizard. Click on Next.

4. Choose the automatic connection method and click on Next.

5. Enter the requested information (first name, last name, region, and company name). Click on Next.

6. Enter the company information and click on Next.

7. You will then see the server activation wizard. Click on Next.

8. You will receive a reminder of how your server is set up. Click on Next.

9. Next, under License Program, select Lic. Pack. (Box or pre-packaged product). Click on Next.

10. Now, enter your RDS CALs product key and click on Add.

11. After the licence is recognised, click on Next.

12. At this point, the Licence Installation Wizard will confirm that it has been successfully installed. Click on Finish.

13. Now your licensing server is ready to start issuing and managing licences. You can check this by selecting your server's name, where you will see the available licences and those that have been issued. In this case, it should be zero.