When a Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server is configured to use Per Device licensing mode, and a client computer or device connects to an RD Session Host server for the first time, the client computer or device is issued a temporary license by default. When a client computer or device connects to an RD Session Host server for the second time, if the Remote Desktop license server is activated and enough RDS Per Device CALs are available, the license server issues the client computer or device a permanent RDS Per Device CAL. If the license server is not activated or does not have any RDS Per Device CALs available, the device continues to use the temporary license. The temporary license is valid for 90 days.
A permanent RDS Per Device CAL issued by a license server is configured to automatically expire after a random period between 52 and 89 days, at which time the RDS Per Device CAL returns to the pool of available RDS Per Device CALs on the license server.
In some circumstances, you might want or need to return an RDS Per Device CAL that has been issued back to the available pool on the license server before the automatic expiration period has been reached. For example, you might want to do this if the client computer or device is no longer a part of your environment.
You can revoke an RDS Per Device CAL by using the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager tool.
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You can only revoke an RDS Per Device CAL. You cannot revoke an RDS Per User CAL. |
After you have revoked the RDS Per Device CAL, that RDS Per Device CAL is immediately available to be issued to another client computer or device. Revocation is not a substitute for ensuring that you have enough RDS Per Device CALs to support your environment.
You can only revoke up to twenty percent of the number of RDS Per Device CALs of a particular version installed on your license server. For example, if there are 100 Windows Server 2003 TS Per Device CALs installed on the license server, you can only have 20 of those Windows Server 2003 TS Per Device CALs revoked at any given time. If you also have 200 Windows Server 2008 R2 RDS Per Device CALs installed on the license server, you can revoke up to 40 of those Windows Server 2008 R2 RDS Per Device CALs in addition to the Windows Server 2003 TS Per Device CALs that you have revoked.
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In Windows Server 2008 R2, Terminal Services client access licenses (TS CALs) are now called Remote Desktop Services client access licenses (RDS CALs). |
Use the following procedure to revoke an RDS Per Device CAL by using Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.
Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, on the RD Licensing server that you plan to configure, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at
 | To revoke an RDS Per Device CAL by using Remote Desktop Licensing Manager |
On the license server, open Remote Desktop Licensing Manager. To open Remote Desktop Licensing Manager, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, point to Remote Desktop Services, and then click Remote Desktop Licensing Manager.
Expand the node that represents the license server that issued the RDS Per Device CAL, and then select the node that represents the version of RDS Per Device CAL that was issued. For example, click Windows Server 2008 R2 - Installed RDS Per Device CALs.
From the list of issued RDS Per Device CALs, select the RDS Per Device CAL that you want to revoke.
On the Action menu, click Revoke RDS CAL.
To confirm that you want to revoke this RDS Per Device CAL, click Yes.
If the revocation was successful, a message appears confirming that the RDS Per Device CAL was revoked and telling you how many more RDS Per Device CALs of that version you can still revoke.
Click OK to close this message. The Status column for the RDS Per Device CAL shows a status of Revoked when the Remote Desktop Licensing Manager display is refreshed.