A Terminal Server, also known as Remote Desktop Services (RDS) in Windows, allows multiple users to access and use applications and desktops remotely. This is particularly useful in enterprise environments where centralized management and resource sharing are essential. This article will guide you through setting up and managing a Terminal Server in a Windows environment.

Setting Up a Terminal Server

1. Install Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Role:

   • Open Server Manager on your Windows Server.
   • Click on Manage > Add Roles and Features.
   • Proceed through the wizard to the Select server roles page.
   • Check Remote Desktop Services and proceed with the installation.

2. Configure Remote Desktop Licensing:

   • Open Remote Desktop Licensing Manager from the Start menu.
   • Right-click on your server and select Activate Server.
   • Follow the wizard to activate your license server.

3. Install Remote Desktop Session Host:

   • Go back to Server Manager.
   • Under Roles, select Remote Desktop Services.
   • Click on Add Role Services and choose Remote Desktop Session Host.
   • Complete the installation process.

4. Configure User Access:

   • Open Local Users and Groups from the Start menu.
   • Add users to the Remote Desktop Users group to grant them access.

Managing a Terminal Server

1. Using PowerShell to Manage Sessions:

   • To view active sessions, use:

     Get-RDUserSession

   • To disconnect a session, use:

     Disconnect-RDUser -HostServer "ServerName" -UnifiedSessionID "SessionID"

2. Using CMD to Manage Sessions:

   • To list all active sessions, open Command Prompt and type:

     query user

   • To log off a user session, use:

     logoff <SessionID>

3. Monitor Performance:

   • Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor to monitor server performance.
   • For detailed analysis, consider using Performance Monitor.

Security Considerations

• Enable Network Level Authentication (NLA): This adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to authenticate before establishing a session.
• Use Group Policy for Security Settings: Configure policies to enforce password complexity, session timeouts, and other security settings.

Examples

• PowerShell Script to List Sessions:

  $sessions = Get-RDUserSession
  foreach ($session in $sessions) {
    Write-Output "User: $($session.UserName), Session ID: $($session.SessionId)"
  }

• Batch Script to Log Off All Sessions:

  @echo off
  for /f "skip=1 tokens=3" %%i in ('query user') do logoff %%i