Activating a License Server in Windows Server Through the Internet

A license server stores all client licenses installed on a Terminal Server and provides a secure way of tracking the licenses that have been issued to Remote Desktop clients. You need to install the license server, activate it through the Microsoft Clearinghouse, and install license key packs onto the license server before issuing Remote Desktop (Terminal Server) client licenses. For more information on the license server, refer to the Client Services section of the Windows Server Help.

The following instructions allow you to activate the license server through the Internet. If you want to activate your server through telephone, fax, or World Wide Web, refer to the Windows Server Help.

To activate the license server through the Internet:

1. Open the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.
2. Right-click the server you want to activate in the console tree and then click Activate Server. The Activate Server wizard starts.
3. On the Connection Method page, in the Connection method list, select Web Browser, and then click next.
4. On the License Server Activation page, click the hyperlink to connect to the Remote Desktop Services Licensing web site.

NOTE: If you are running Remote Desktop Services Licensing Manager on a computer that does not have Internet connectivity, note the address for the Remote Desktop Services Web site, and then connect to the Web site from a computer that has Internet connectivity.

5. Under Select Option, click Activate a license server, and then click Next.
6. In the Product ID boxes, enter your Product ID. Your Product ID is displayed on the License Server Activation page of the Activate Server Wizard. Complete the name, company, and country/region fields. Specify any other information that you want to provide, such as e-mail and company address, and then click Next.
7. Confirm your entries, and then click Next. Your license server ID is displayed.
8. On the License Server Activation page in the Activate Server Wizard, enter the license server ID that you received in the previous step, and then click Next. Your license server is activated.
9. On the Completing the Activate Server Wizard page, do one of the following:

• To install Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) onto your license server, select the Start Install Licenses Wizard check box, click Next, and then follow the instructions.
• To install TS CALs later, clear the Start Install Licenses Wizard now check box, and then click Finish.