How to Increase Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows 10
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It has been requested that multiple developers be able to log into a windows 10 machine at the same time with differing accounts/ sessions. The machine is currently windows 10 home, but we plan to upgrade it, if this is possible. Does anyone know if pro or enterprise will allow this, or is it just a function of the server editions?
Brand Representative for Microsoft
You could provide VMs of Windows 10 to multiple users, but this would also require an additional license (specifically either Windows SA or Windows VDA) to enable this scenario.
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24 Replies
Brand Representative for Microsoft
You could provide VMs of Windows 10 to multiple users, but this would also require an additional license (specifically either Windows SA or Windows VDA) to enable this scenario.
Server OSes can have 2 concurrent sessions unless they're set up for RDS. If they're set up as RDS, they can have as many as the hardware can handle and/or what they are licensed for.
Brand Representative for AJ Tek
Windows would allow 2 people to log into sessions. But, one gets locked while the other one gets to work.
[adding] - Do you mean a terminal server?
Why don't you use hyper v with VDI and you could create a pooled collection of win10 or any os. And let 10 users to rdp at a time.
Thanks everyone for the informative replies. I definitely don't want to break any licensing agreements, so thank you very much for this information.
Jessevas, to answer your question. No this is not a terminal server.
Ahmad, this is a simple laptop that is being used to create a prototype system. I doubt it could handle that and would be overkill for this situation.
To sum it up, this simple request is was just something that would be nice for the devs to have. After looking into it, I don't think a budget would be approved for the licensing needed. They'll just have to do without. Thanks everyone.
this could be a great use case to host the VMs in Azure and just pay for what you're using
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/solutions/dev-test/
For 2 users concurrently using the same hardware (PC or Server), it costs about the same to use (1) Windows Server 2016 Essentials license and just RDP the 2 users into the server or (3) Windows 10 Pro licenses one for the host PC with Hyper-V enabled and 2 for virtual PCs and RDP into each of them.
To use more than 2 users concurrently, either use the more expensive but capable (1) Windows Server 2016 Standard enabling the built-in Remote Desktop Services feature and purchase the related CALs for the RDP sessions required or use (1) Windows Server 2016 Essentials and add Windows 10 Pro licenses per the number of VMs you wish to run after setting up the Hyper-V feature.
Hi there Big Green Man (or any other commentet who can answer) ,
You said that "You can have 1 concurrent RDP session into a Windows 10 machine running Pro or Enterprise". Does that mean that one person can be sitting and using the computer (not RDP) while another can be connected via RDP (let's say from an old win xp computer), at the same time, without disturbing each other?Thanks!
No, only 1 user can be logged into Windows 10....either local or by use of RDP.
Thanks Greg and Big Green Man!
Yeah but, I'm 1 user, 1 machine, multiple keyboard/display interfaces. If I can get my OS (Win10 that I paid for) to do it, is that still breaking the EULA?
I see this topic a lot. Why doesn't MS create a multi-user desktop OS and just charge more for it to account for the multiple users? I think a lot of people would go for it for the convenience. I know I would.
RD Gateway and RDS Licensing Server
they do, its called Windows Serverpatk3 wrote:
I see this topic a lot. Why doesn't MS create a multi-user desktop OS and just charge more for it to account for the multiple users? I think a lot of people would go for it for the convenience. I know I would.
NathM wrote:
they do, its called Windows Serverpatk3 wrote:
I see this topic a lot. Why doesn't MS create a multi-user desktop OS and just charge more for it to account for the multiple users? I think a lot of people would go for it for the convenience. I know I would.
IMHO, using a WIndows system by more than one user is more like:
Going to a car showroom and buying a new car for cash.
Getting home and finding out you have been issued with a single key, locked to your fingerprint.
Then realising that each additional key will cost you 10% of the price of the car.
Charging for the OS and generating silly artificial limits like this - Windows desktops are capable to host many users in some applications - is so "1980s". In most cases, like some quoted above it may even be just one user wanting to access a system they've already paid for from multiple devices - what's wrong with that, and why should the consumer be multiply charged for something they've already paid for?
Just me then?
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How to Increase Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows 10
Source: https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1607945-windows-10-multiple-rdp-sessions