Windows Terminal Server license server migration 2003 to 2008

Felix Leven Senior Systems Engineer Microsoft & Citrix.
CERTIFIED EXPERT
All things Microsoft Admin, for 20 years plus, focusing on automation, infrastructure as code, devops, monitoring and reporting lately.
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If you migrate a Terminal Server licenses server inside the 2008 server family, you can takte advantage of the build-in migration tool. If you like to migrate an older 2003 Server (and the installed client CALs) to a 2008 R2 server for example, you have to go a different way.

The Terminal Server website from Microsoft: https://activate.microsoft.com, will help help you to transfer TS-CALs to a different server, but the quantity of licenses is limited and you can't downgrade a CAL (2008 -> back to 2003). That's the reason why i recommend you to call the Microsoft hotline and talk with them through the whole process.


What you will need:

1. License server ID of the old 2003 Licenseserver  (will be deactivated in this process)
2. License server ID of the new 2008 R2 Licenseserver
3. All 'Open License‘ Order Confirmation documents containing the Authorization Number and License Number off all TS-CALs you re going to tranfer! I got them by eMail since 1995.
4. Right-click your TS license server -> Properties -> Set Installation method -> Telephone on both old and new server

NOTE: It's not possible for the hotline to help you if any of the information is missing!


My Example:

I show you the migration from 2003 SP2 Standard Server to 2008 R2 Datacenter Server. The TS-CALs were originally 2008 Cal's I downgraded some years ago to 2003. I will have to downgrade them again in this process.


Let's start:

1. Call the Microsoft Hotline phone number -> found in the properties of you server after you have selected the "Telephone" Intallation Method and your country

2. Take your time and give a detailed description about your migration path to the hotline assistant! Mention Source/Destination server versions and client CAL versions you need after the transfer.

3. I had to transfer more then one "Open" license agreement and that's why the hotline decided to take the source server offline first. I offered the 2003 license server ID and recived a code to take the server offline (right-click your TS license server -> more -> deactivate server)

4. You can activate the new server by offering the license server ID if you haven't done it allready

5. Open the dialog to install a new license: Right-click your TS license server -> install license -> next -> leave it open and check the beginning of the license server ID again to make sure you are on the same page with the hotline !

6. To move the TS-CALs to the destination server the hotline needs some info :-)

      
Type of Licenseprogramm ("Open" for example)
     
Authorization Number (found on the 'Open License‘ Order Confirmation documents)
     
License Number (found on the 'Open License‘ Order Confirmation documents)
     
TS-Cal's Version on destintation server ! (Version can be changed here^^)
     
Device/User
     
Quantity

7. Enter the avtivation code recived from the hotline into the window still open from step 5 -> next -> done

8. Check if the now installed license matches the right version and if the quantities are correct

Repeat steps 5-8 for every license agreement you have

9. Check the configuration of the new TS license server. If the server needs to deploy TS-CALs to 2003 windows Terminal Servers, you need to set the "Terminal Service Licensing Server Discovery Scope" to Forest or the 2003 servers will not find the new license server on your network (in my case i had to change to forest, even if they were in the same domain)!
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Felix Leven Senior Systems Engineer Microsoft & Citrix.
CERTIFIED EXPERT
All things Microsoft Admin, for 20 years plus, focusing on automation, infrastructure as code, devops, monitoring and reporting lately.

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