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WS2008 R2 RDSH Farm to WS2012 RDS: Deployment Migration Guide

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This document provides guidance for migrating an existing Windows Server® 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services deployment in to a Windows Server 2012 Remote Desktop Services deployment.

Windows Server 2012 RD web Access role has the capability to publish RemoteApp programs and Desktops from Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH servers. This will allow users to migrate existing Windows Server® 2008 R2 RD Session Host servers into a Windows Server 2012 deployment.

This migration guide contains step-by-step instructions for migrating the following role services:

  • Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host)

Remote Desktop Services Migration: Overview

This guide provides an overview of the Remote Desktop Services migration and what will be migrated for Remote Desktop Services role services, and the migration process.

Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDS role services cannot be migrated to Windows Server 2012, however an existing WS2008 R2 RDSH deployment can be integrated into a Windows Server 2012 RDS deployment. The Windows Server 2012RDWA server can be configured to point to an existing Windows Server 2008 R2 RDSH farm. Desktops and RemoteApp programs published on the Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH farm can be accessed from a Windows Server 2012 RDWA server.

The Following steps need to be completed in order to add an existing Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH farm to a Windows Server 2012 RDS deployment

  1. Populate the TS Web Access Computers Security Group
  2. Pointing a Windows Server 2012 RDWA server to a WS2008R2 RDSH farm

Populate the TS Web Access Computers Security Group

The Windows Server 2012 RD Web Access server needs to be added to the local TS Web Access Computers security group on all the existing Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH server(s).

On the RD Session Host server, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.

  1. In the left pane, expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Groups.
  2. In the right pane, double-click TS Web Access Computers.
  3. In the TS Web Access Computers Properties dialog box, click Add.
  4. In the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box, click Object Types.
  5. In the Object Types dialog box, select the Computers check box, and then click OK.
  6. In the Enter the object names to select box, specify the computer account of the Windows Server 2012 RD Web Access server, and then click OK.
  7. Click OK to close the TS Web Access Computers Properties dialog box.

Pointing a WS2012 RDWA server to a WS2008R2 RDSH farm

  1. On the Windows Server 2012 RD Web Access server, navigate to the web.config file under <OS root directory>\Windows\Web\RDWeb\web.config
  2. If one or more RDSH server(s) are part of a RDSH farm, then Add the Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH farm name in the following key add key=”ws08r2rdserver” value=”” />
    1. Note: For RDSH farms, set the value to the Windows Server® 2008 R2 connection broker
  3. If there are one or more RDSH server(s) publishing different RemoteApp programs and desktops, then
    1. Add the each Windows Server® 2008 R2 RDSH server(s) (semicolon separated) in the following key <add key=”ws08r2rdserver” value=”” />
  4.  Note: The”ws08r2rdserver” key can be used to point to both individual RDSH servers as well as the Remote Desktop Connection Broker.