Implementing Remote Desktop Services Session Broker in Windows Server 2022
Posted on 20th June 2023
Remote Desktop Services Session Broker (RDS-SB) is a new feature in Windows Server 2022 that enables you to load balance RDS session connections across a farm of RDS servers. This article provides an overview of how RDS-SB works and how to implement it in your environment.
How RDS-SB Works
RDS-SB works by redirecting RDS session requests to the least loaded RDS server in the farm. It does this by maintaining a list of the load on each RDS server in the farm and returning the IP address of the least loaded server to the RDS client when a session request is received. RDS-SB is transparent to users and requires no changes to the RDS client configuration.
Implementing RDS-SB
RDS-SB can be implemented using either the Windows Server GUI or PowerShell. We will cover both methods in this article.
Implementing RDS-SB Using the GUI
To implement RDS-SB using the GUI, open the Server Manager console and select the Remote Desktop Services role. In the role overview, select the Session Broker role service and click Install.
Once the installation is complete, open the RDS Session Broker console and click Add Server. Enter the IP address or hostname of the RDS server you wish to add to the farm and click Add.
Repeat this process for each RDS server in the farm. Once all servers have been added, click Enable Load Balancing. RDS-SB is now operational and will start redirecting RDS session requests to the least loaded server.
Implementing RDS-SB Using PowerShell
RDS-SB can also be implemented using PowerShell. To install the RDS-SB role service using PowerShell, run the following command:
Install-WindowsFeature -Name RDS-Session-Broker
To add an RDS server to the farm, run the following command:
Add-RDServer -ServerName -Role RDS-SESSION-BROKER
Repeat this process for each RDS server in the farm. Once all servers have been added, run the following command to enable load balancing:
Enable-RDSLoadBalancing
RDS-SB is now operational and will start redirecting RDS session requests to the least loaded server.
Monitoring RDS-SB
RDS-SB provides a number of performance counters that can be used to monitor its operation. These counters are located under the RDS Session Broker object in Performance Monitor. The most important counters to monitor are the Session Connections and Session Redirections counters. The Session Connections counter tracks the number of RDS sessions currently connected to the farm. The Session Redirections counter tracks the number of times an RDS session has been redirected to a different server.
Monitoring these counters will give you an indication of how well RDS-SB is performing in your environment. If the Session Connections counter is consistently close to the maximum number of sessions supported by your RDS servers, it may be necessary to add additional servers to the farm to maintain an acceptable level of performance. If the Session Redirections counter is consistently high, it may indicate that the load balancing algorithm is not functioning correctly and you should contact Microsoft support for assistance.
Troubleshooting RDS-SB
If you experience problems with RDS-SB, the first thing to check is the event logs. The Application and System logs will contain information about any errors that have occurred.
Another useful tool for troubleshooting RDS-SB is the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker Connectivity Probe. This tool can be used to test connectivity between the RDS Session Broker server and an RDS server in the farm. It can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.
Conclusion
RDS-SB is a new feature in Windows Server 2022 that enables you to load balance RDS session connections across a farm of RDS servers. This article has provided an overview of how RDS-SB works and how to implement it in your environment.
The next step is to install the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker role service. This can be done by using the Server Manager Add Roles and Features Wizard. Select the Remote Desktop Services installation type and then select the Session Broker role service.
Once the role service has been installed, the next step is to configure the Session Broker. This can be done by using the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker Configuration Tool. This tool can be found in the Start Menu, under All Programs, Administrative Tools.
The first thing that needs to be configured is the Session Broker settings. These settings include the Session Broker mode, the authentication mode, the Session Broker name, and the Session Broker port. The next thing that needs to be configured is the Database Settings. These settings include the Database Type, the Database Server, the Database Name, the Database Username, and the Database Password.
The next step is to configure the Certificates. These settings include the Certificate Type, the Certificate Store, the Certificate Subject, and the Certificate Friendly Name.
The next step is to configure the Security Settings. These settings include the Security Mode, the Authentication Method, the Encryption Method, the Auditing Level, and the Session Timeout.
The next step is to configure the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker Client Settings. These settings include the Client Connection Method, the Client Connections Limit, the Client Connection Timeout, and the Client Idle Timeout.
After the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker has been configured, the next step is to deploy the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker. This can be done by using the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker Deployment Wizard.
The first thing that needs to be done is to select the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker server. The next thing that needs to be done is to select the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker client computers. The next thing that needs to be done is to select the deployment type. The last thing that needs to be done is to click the Deploy button.
After the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker has been deployed, the next step is to test the deployment. This can be done by creating a test user and logging in to the Remote Desktop Services Session Broker server. The user should be able to log in and access their session. If the user is unable to log in, the error message that is displayed should be investigated.
