Add an RD Session Host

To serve published resources to users, an RD Session Host must have the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) role installed.

To add an RD Session Host to a Farm:

1. Navigate to Infrastructure > RD Session Hosts.
2. Right-click anywhere in the list and choose Add (you can also choose Add from the ellipsis menu or click the plus-sign icon).
3. Select a host (or multiple host) from the displayed list or click the Browse AD button and browse for a host.
4. Click Next.
5. On the next page, specify the following options:
   • Add firewall rules. Add firewall rules required by Parallels RAS in Windows running on the host. See Port Reference for details.
   • Install RDS Role. Install the RDS role on the host if it's not installed. You should always select this option.
   • Enable Desktop Experience. Enable the Desktop Experience feature in Windows running on the host. This option is enabled only if the Install RDS role option (above) is selected. The option applies to Windows Server 2008 R1/R2 and Windows 2012 R1/R2 on which the Desktop Experience feature is not enabled by default.
   • Restart server if required. Automatically restart the host if necessary. You can restart the host manually if you wish.
   • Add host(s) to host pool. Add the host (or hosts) to a host pool. Select the desired host pool in the list box located below this option or create a new host pool by typing a name and clicking Create. For the information on how to create a host pool, see RDSH host pools.
6. Click Next.
7. In order for end users to access published resources on the RD Session Host, they must be added to the Remote Desktop Users group in Windows running on the host. This can be done one of the following ways:
   • Adding each user or group directly on the host using standard Windows administrative tools.
   • Adding users or groups through Active Directory.
   • Using the wizard page described below, which is provided for your convenience.

   If you already added your users to the Remote Desktop Users group on the given host (or if for any reason you want to use one of the other methods listed above), you can simply click Next and skip this page.

   To add users to the Remote Desktop Users group using the wizard, click Browse and specify a user or a group.

8. On the next page, review the settings and click Create.
9. If the host doesn't have RAS RD Session Host Agent installed, you'll see a dialog asking for remote installation credentials. Type a username and password that can be used to remotely install the agent software on the host. Click Submit and follow the onscreen instructions.
10. When the installation is finished, click Done. Note that if the agent cannot be installed, you can still add a host to the Farm, but you will not be able to use it. You can always installed the agent later.

On successful installation, the host will appear in the RD Session Hosts list.

Additional information

To learn how to publish resources from an RD Session Host, see Publishing.

To learn how to configure and manage an RD Session Host:

• Configure an RD Session Host
• Manage an RD Session Host