1
2To be able to connect to Microsoft Windows 2000 Terminal Services (and
3probably later versions), you'll need to deal with licensing. This is
4complicated. This file is supposed to contain some information about
5how rdesktop works with Microsofts license systems.
6
7There's a lot of information on the MS web site, for example,
8http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;287687.
9
10From the rdesktop mailing list:
11
12Peter �strand <peter@cendio.se>, 2003-02-06
13
14> We are running rdesktop 1.2 on machine A and connects to a Windows 2000
15> Server (machine B). The W2K machine has 5 real licenses installed ("Windows
16> 2000 Terminal Services Client Access License", "Open" type). This can be
17> verifier by using "Terminal Services Licensing". The problem is that all
18> issued licenses have an expire-date. The expire date for the license issued
19> to A was reached today, and no more connections could be made until we
20> changed the client name (by using -n).
21>
22> We also have another similiar systems, with Linux machine C and W2K server
23> D. This server has 200 licenses installed of the type "Select". On this
24> server, the issued licenses seems to be permanent: The expire date is set
25> to "-", and we have no problem with this system.
26>
27> The question of course is why the first system issues license with
28> expiration date, while the second system issues permanent licenses.
29
30
31Darryn Capes-Davis, 2003-02-07
32
33> I have been through the problems and can tell you what is going
34> on. The main difference of Machine B (Server 1) and Machine D (Server
35> 2) is that from what I see Machine B has Service Pack 3 installed and
36> Machine D does not.  You see in Service Pack 3 there was a change made
37> to TS Licencing in that Microsoft introduced a licence recovery
38> mechanism. To cut to the point (I don't know the details) rdesktop 1.2
39> with SAVE_LICENCE defined works fine.  In the new lic method the
40> terminal server expects a valid licence to be presented to renew
41> it. Otherwise it just expires it - and a day later you will see it
42> actually gone (it does housekeeping once a day)! So if SAVE_LICENCE
43> code is not enabled then it just expires and you can't use the licence
44> until it cleans it away - and this is where a little gotcha is - if
45> you move from using an rdesktop without SAVE_LICENCE to one with
46> SAVE_LICENCE then it still won't recover an 'expired' licence. You
47> have to wait for the daily housekeeping to clean it up - this really
48> had me going for half a day or so! This is exactly what happened to
49> you.
50>
51> The Server pre Spk 3 has the old model where licences never expire. To
52> recover a licence that you never wanted to use again you have to call
53> the Microsoft Clearing House. That's why they introduced the new
54> method. And if you upgrade a Pre Spk3 server to Spk3 then the licences
55> granted still stay with the old method - only new licences granted
56> will use the new expiry method.
57