RDS CAL discovery: License visibility with JDisc
Introduction
Remote Desktop Services (RDS) can be essential to day-to-day work, but the Client Access Licenses (CALs) that support it are often spread across several license servers. For IT teams, that makes it harder to see which servers issue licenses, which CALs are installed, and how licenses are being used.
JDisc Discovery helps bring this information into the same inventory that already documents your network. Its RDS CAL discovery identifies RDS license servers, installed and issued CALs, and the relationship between Remote Desktop Session Host servers and their configured license servers.
What are Client Access Licenses?
Client Access Licenses (CALs) are a licensing model commonly used with server software. In an RDS environment, they authorize users or devices to access Remote Desktop Services. RDS license servers manage and allocate these licenses in the network.
The practical question is not only how many CALs were purchased. You also need to know where the license servers are, which CALs are installed, which ones have been issued, and which Remote Desktop Session Host servers use them.
Why visibility into RDS license servers matters
Clear information about RDS license servers and their CALs supports several routine IT tasks:
- Auditing and reporting: Consolidated information about RDS CAL usage can make internal audits and compliance reviews easier, particularly when several RDS license servers exist.
- Availability and reliability: Users depend on RDS license servers to validate their CALs and access server resources. Knowing the relevant servers helps you assess where that dependency exists.
- Cost management: CALs represent a licensing investment. Visibility into the servers and CALs involved supports more informed planning and cost reviews.
How JDisc Discovery discovers RDS CALs
JDisc Discovery identifies RDS license servers during a scan. It discovers installed CALs, including their version and type, and associates issued CALs and their status with the relevant users and client computers in the database. It also finds the RDS license servers accessed by Remote Desktop Session Host servers on the network.
This keeps the licensing information connected to the discovered devices and roles rather than requiring a separate, manual inventory of individual license servers.
Enable RDS CAL discovery
To enable the feature, open the Discovery Configuration dialog and go to Data Collection > Software. Under Discovery services, enable Discover client access licenses.
The WMI protocol must also be enabled in Discovery Configuration. JDisc Discovery uses it to query the RDS License and Remote Desktop Session Host configurations. After the discovery configuration is ready, start a new scan.
Find RDS license servers
Start in the Devices > By Role > License service report. It displays devices assigned the License service role, including RDS license servers.
Caption: Devices by role report with the License service role.
Select the License service role to display the servers that run the Remote Desktop Licensing service.
Caption: RDS license servers in the License service role view.
Review installed, issued, and available CALs
From the overview, select a server and open its Device Details report. Navigate to Client Access Licenses. The section contains the Installed, Issued, Summary, and Servers reports.
Installed CALs
The Installed report shows the CALs registered on the RDS license server. This is the purchased CAL pool and corresponds to information available in Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Licensing Manager. It normally changes when additional CALs are added.
Caption: Installed CALs in Device Details.
When a user or client computer connects to a Windows Remote Desktop Session Host server, the server determines whether an RDS CAL is required. If it is, the session host requests an RDS CAL from the Remote Desktop License server.
Issued CALs
The Issued report shows CALs issued from the installed pool to users and client computers. For each CAL, you can review when it was issued, to whom it was issued, and when it expires. Expired issued CALs are removed from the assignment and returned to the pool so that they can be issued again.
Caption: Issued CALs in Device Details.
CAL and issued CAL summary
The Summary report compares the available CAL pool with the CALs currently issued to users or client computers. This gives you an overview of installed and issued licenses for the selected RDS license server.
Caption: Client Access Licenses summary in Device Details.
Map Remote Desktop Session Host license servers
JDisc Discovery also identifies which RDS license servers are configured for the Remote Desktop Session Host service on a Windows server.
To find Windows servers running that service, open Devices > By Role > Terminal service.
Caption: Devices by role report with the Terminal services role.
Select the Terminal services role to display the servers running the Remote Desktop Session Host service.
Caption: Servers with the Terminal services role.
Select one of these servers and navigate to Client Access Licenses > Servers. The Servers report displays the RDS license servers configured for the Remote Desktop Session Host service.
Caption: Configured RDS license servers for a Remote Desktop Session Host.
Create reporting that fits your requirements
The built-in reports provide common views of RDS CAL information. If you need a different view, you can create a custom report that includes Client Access License categories and attributes and filters them by the values that matter to your organization.
Caption: Adding Client Access License categories to a custom report.
Keep RDS licensing information connected to your inventory
RDS CAL discovery connects license-server, CAL, user, client-computer, and Session Host information in JDisc Discovery. This can give administrators a more practical foundation for reviewing RDS licensing across the network, while keeping the detail close to the devices and services it concerns.
For questions, feedback, or improvement ideas, please contact JDisc or email support@jdisc.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
These frequently asked questions explain what RDS CAL discovery records in JDisc Discovery and where to find it. They also clarify the configuration needed before scanning and the distinction between installed and issued CALs.
An RDS CAL is a Client Access License used to authorize a user or device to access Remote Desktop Services. RDS license servers manage and issue these licenses in the network.
JDisc Discovery identifies RDS license servers, installed CALs, issued CALs and their status, and the RDS license servers configured for Remote Desktop Session Host servers.
In the Discovery Configuration dialog, go to Data Collection > Software and enable Discover client access licenses under Discovery services. WMI must also be enabled.
Installed CALs are the CALs registered on the RDS license server. Issued CALs are licenses from that pool that have been assigned to users or client computers.
Use the Devices > By Role > License service report and select the License service role to view devices that run the Remote Desktop Licensing service.
Yes. Select a server with the Terminal services role, then open Client Access Licenses > Servers to see the configured RDS license servers.
Yes. Custom reports can include Client Access License categories and attributes and can be filtered for the values you need.
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