Microsoft Virtualization Secrets

Using Remote Desktop Services (RDS) in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 8

Windows Server 2008 was a major turning point in session virtualization for Windows, offering the key capabilities described earlier in the chapter, such as TS Gateway, driverless printing, TS Web Access, and RemoteApp, in addition to a vastly improved Remote Desktop Protocol. Windows Server 2008 R2 provided incremental improvements to these features but its major difference was the addition of a built-in VDI solution, which is why Terminal Services was renamed Remote Desktop Services. None of the previous session virtualization technology was removed; it was improved, and the new name was chosen to highlight that it wasn’t just about session virtualization now but rather providing remote access to desktops, which could include VDI. For those familiar with the Terminal Services nomenclature, Table 7-1 provides a quick reference for the naming changes between Windows 2008 and Windows 2008 R2. Windows Server 2012 uses the same Windows Server 2008 R2 naming.

A farm is a collection of session hosts offering a shared service to provide high availability and load balancing.

Table 7-1: Changes in Terminal Services Naming

Windows Server 2008	Windows Server 2008 R2
Terminal Services	Remote Desktop Services
Terminal Server	Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host)
TS Farm	RD Session Host Farm
Terminal Services Licensing (TS Licensing)	Remote Desktop Licensing (RD Licensing)