Terminal server - only two RDP connections !?

[Topkapi]

Not sure if I should post this in the Server 2003 forum but here goes ....

We currently have a terminal server set up in one of our office locations running Server 2003. It is also the TS CAL licensing server ( yes I know this is not recommended).

This old box is becoming overloaded and I am preparing another to take over the role. The "new" one was previously a domain controller,DNS server and SQL2000 server at various times but these roles have been removed. It also has Server 2003.

I have installed Terminal Services (Application Server mode) but have found that I still cannot connect more than two users as in Remote Admin mode but the strange thing is that these users do not have to be Admins.

The error message that the third client sees when trying to connect is
"The client could not establish a connection to the remote computer.The most likely causes are-
1-remote connections might not be enabled
2-the max no. of connections was exceeded at the remote computer.
3-a network error occurred while establishing the connection."

1+2 cannot come into it as I can connect two users.

I have "Googled" till cross-eyed with no luck with anything close to this.

Terminal services seems to believe itself still in Remote Admin mode even though non-admins can connect !?

It is probably something obvious that I have missed stupidly but I have spent hours on this an getting nowhere.

I'd be grateful for any insight as to what might be behind this issue as I'm under severe pressure to get this running by next week.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bcastner]

#2 is correct. You have reached the limit of two console RD sessions.

 

[Topkapi]

Thanks for the rapid reply bcastner.

What you say is correct for Remote Administration mode but not for Application Server mode. Although the system still seems to believe itself (partly) in the former.
When Terminal Services is installed on W2003 it does so in Application Server mode to provide available connections up to the number of installed licenses.

I should have added in the original posting that I don't believe this to be a licensing issue as the Terminal Services Licensing function on the new box has "discovered" the license server.

 

[bcastner]

Are the connections made either:

. through MMC (particularly the Convenience Consoles of the Adminpak; or,
. mstsc with the /console or -console switch

 

[Topkapi]

All connections are made using mstsc from XP clients.

Not sure what you mean regarding console switches. These have not been required to access the old/existing terminal server box.

Thanks

 

[bcastner]

(My questions above were directed at forcing an RD rather than TS client connection. The -console switch is an example).

I still believe it is a licensing issue, or more specificly, a communication issue between the new TS and the licensing server. Win2003 essentially provides two default TS CALs, and that is all the new TS installation appears to be using.

I would start by overriding the License Server discovery process:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q279561

 

[Topkapi]

Well as I observed in my original post

It is probably something obvious that I have missed stupidly

And so it proved to be. In one last, desperate checking of the teminal services configuration, I noticed that in RDP-tcp properties , Network adapter tab, there is a setting to allow unlimited connections or limit them. This was set to 2 connections!!

Having set the thing to "Unlimited connections" all my users can connect.

Apologies for wasting your time, bcastner