Remote Desktop Services Deployment (Including Remote Desktop Gateway)

Required Product Version

This article describes how to deploy your Barracuda Load Balancer ADC version 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 6.0 with Microsoft^® Remote Desktop Services.

The Barracuda Load Balancer ADC increases the performance and reliability of Microsoft Remote Desktop Services by load balancing between multiple terminal servers. It can also maintain session persistence by honoring the routing tokens provided by the Connection Broker, allowing a client that disconnects from an active session on a terminal server to reconnect from another location and resume its session.

Terminology

Term	Definition

Term	Definition
Domain Controller	A server that responds to security authentication requests.
Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN)	The unique name for a specific computer or host that can resolve to an IP address (for example, www.example.com).
Remote Desktop Connection Broker	A component of Remote Desktop Services. Maintains a list of active and disconnected sessions so that a disconnected user is transparently redirected and reconnected to the server. The Connection Broker (also known as the Session Broker) can be configured to load balance remote desktop sessions. However, this guide describes load balancing provided by the Barracuda Load Balancer ADC.
Remote Desktop Gateway	Reformats information from one network so that it's compatible with another network.
Remote Desktop Services	Known as Terminal Services in Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. This component of Microsoft Windows lets users remotely access applications and data.
Remote Desktop Session Host	The terminal server that runs the applications for the Remote Desktop users.
Remote Desktop Web Access	Creates a web interface for clients to easily access applications and desktop environments hosted on the session host.
Routing Token	Redirects users to their existing sessions on the correct terminal server.
Service	A service is defined by a combination of a virtual IP (VIP) address and one or more TCP/UDP ports that the Barracuda Load Balancer ADC listens on. Traffic arriving over the specified ports is directed to one of the real servers associated with that service.

Microsoft TechNet References

For Windows Server 2008 R1:

TS Session Broker Load Balancing Step-by-Step Guide

For Windows Server 2008 R2:

For Windows Server 2012:

Configuring RDS for 2012

Remote Desktop Services Deployment Options

Deployments of Remote Desktop Services are supported in either a one-armed or a two-armed topology, with either a single or multiple subnet configuration. Unless users must directly access individual servers, it is recommended that the servers be placed in one or more subnets that are reachable by an internal-facing port of the Barracuda Load Balancer ADC. If clients must directly access individual servers, a one-armed deployment is recommended.

Direct Server Return (DSR) is not supported in a Remote Desktop Services deployment.

Deployment Scenario

Prerequisites

To complete this procedure, you must have the following:

Windows Server 2008 R2 or newer. Barracuda Networks recommends using the latest release of Windows Server.
The Barracuda Load Balancer ADC must be connected to the web interface with its subscription activated.
If you want to deploy Remote Desktop Services with high availability, cluster two or more Barracuda Load Balancer ADCs. For more information, see High Availability.

Step 1. Configure the Servers

Setup the servers that provide the Remote Desktop Services.
Configure the Remote Desktop (RD) Session Host, RD Web Access (optional), and RD gateway (optional) on at least 2 servers so they can be load balanced.
If you deploy an RD Licensing Server, ensure that it is properly configured and operational.
Install and configure the necessary certificates for each role on each server.
If you deploy an RD Gateway, configure the gateway server name (under deployment properties). The gateway server name is tied to the FQDN. The FQDN is tied to the DNS entry you create for the VIP.
When you have deployed a Session or Connection Broker, you must also complete the steps listed in this article: Remote Desktop Services Configuration When the Session or Connection Broker Is Deployed.

Step 2. Create Services on the Barracuda Load Balancer ADC

Add the Remote Desktop Service on the active Barracuda Load Balancer ADC (you can load balance any of these services):

Go to the BASIC > Certificates page, and create or upload a certificate for the service.
Go to the BASIC > Services page.
To add a Remote Desktop services (RDP, RDWeb and RD Gateway), click Add Service.
- If you are load balancing Remote Desktop Session Hosts, configure the RDP Session Host services as follows:
  Table 1. RDP Session Host Services
- If you are load balancing Remote Desktop Session Hosts with a Connection Broker, configure the RDP Session Host services as follows:
  
  Table 2. RDP Session Hosts with a Connection Broker
- If you are load balancing Remote Desktop Session Hosts and Remote Desktop Gateway Servers with a Connection Broker, configure the RDP Session Host services as follows:
  
  Table 3. RDP Session Hosts and RD Gateway Servers with a Connection Broker
- If you are load balancing only Remote Desktop Gateway Server(s) with a Connection Broker 2008R2, configure the Remote Desktop Gateway Services as follows:
  Table 4. RD Gateway Services with a Connection Broker 2008R2
- If you are load balancing only Remote Desktop Gateway Server(s) with a Connection Broker 2012R2, configure the Remote Desktop Gateway Services as follows:
  
  Table 5. RD Gateway Servers with a Connection Broker 2012R2
- If you are load balancing both Remote Desktop Session Hosts and Remote Desktop Gateway Server(s) with a Connection Broker 2008R2, configure the RDP and Remote Desktop Gateway Services as follows:
  
  Table 6. RDP and RD Gateway Services with a Connection Broker 2008R2