Install Remote Desktop Services on Windows Server 2008 R2

Remote Desktop Services (RDS) is one of the roles that a Windows Server can have. You must install this role to set up an RDS host that runs Windows Server 2008 R2.

To use a Windows Server virtual machine as an RDS host, see Prepare Windows Server Operating Systems for Remote Desktop Services (RDS) Host Use.

Prerequisites

• Verify that the RDS host is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1).
• Verify that the RDS host is part of the Active Directory domain for the Horizon 7 deployment.
• Install the Microsoft hotfix rollup that is documented in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2775511.
• Install the Microsoft update https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2973201.

Procedure

1. Log in to the RDS host as an administrator.
2. Start Server Manager.
3. Select Roles in the navigation tree.
4. Click Add Roles to start the Add Role wizard.
5. Select the role Remote Desktop Services.
6. On the Select Role Services page, select Remote Desktop Session Host.
7. On the Specify Authentication Method page, select either Require Network Level Authentication or Do not require Network Level Authentication, whichever is appropriate.
8. On the Configure Client Experience page, select the functionality that you want to provide to users.
9. Follow the prompts and finish the installation.

What to do next

If you plan to use HTML Access or scanner redirection, install the Desktop Experience feature. The steps for installing Desktop Experience differ on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2.

Restrict users to a single desktop session. See Restrict Users to a Single Session.