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TS Session Broker

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008

Policy settings in this node control configuration of a terminal server that is a member of a load-balanced terminal server farm.

Note

TS Session Broker was formerly called Terminal Services Session Directory.

The full path of this node in the Group Policy Management Console is:

Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Terminal Server\TS Session Broker

Note

If you are using the Local Group Policy Editor, Policies is not part of the node path.

Available policy settings

Name Explanation Requirements

Configure TS Session Broker farm name

This policy setting allows you to specify the name of a farm to join in TS Session Broker. TS Session Broker uses the farm name to determine which terminal servers are in the same terminal server farm. Therefore, you must use the same farm name for all terminal servers in the same load-balanced farm. The farm name does not have to correspond to a name in Active Directory Domain Services.

If you specify a new farm name, a new farm is created in TS Session Broker. If you specify an existing farm name, the server joins that farm in TS Session Broker.

If you enable this policy setting, you must specify the name of a farm in TS Session Broker.

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the farm name is not specified by Group Policy. In this case, you can adjust the farm name by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

Note
For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard.

This policy setting is not effective unless both the Join TS Session Broker and the Configure TS Session Broker server name settings are enabled and configured by using Group Policy, the Terminal Services Configuration tool, or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

At least Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

Configure TS Session Broker server name

This policy setting allows you to specify the TS Session Broker server that the terminal server uses to track and redirect user sessions for a load-balanced terminal server farm. The specified server must be running the Terminal Services Session Broker service. All terminal servers in a load-balanced farm should use the same TS Session Broker server.

If you enable this policy setting, you must specify the TS Session Broker server, by using either its host name, IP address, or fully qualified domain name. If you specify a name or IP address for the TS Session Broker server that is not valid, an error message is logged in Event Viewer on the terminal server.

If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, you can adjust the TS Session Broker server name or IP address by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

Note

For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard.
This policy setting is not effective unless the Join TS Session Broker policy setting is enabled or the terminal server is configured to join TS Session Broker by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider.
To be an active member of a TS Session Broker-enabled terminal server farm, the computer account for each terminal server in the farm must be a member of the Session Directory Computers local group on the TS Session Broker server.

At least Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

Join TS Session Broker

This policy setting allows you to specify whether the terminal server should join a farm in TS Session Broker. TS Session Broker tracks user sessions and allows a user to reconnect to their existing session in a load-balanced terminal server farm. To participate in TS Session Broker, the Terminal Server role service must be installed on the server.

If you enable this policy setting, the terminal server joins the farm that is specified in the Configure TS Session Broker farm name setting. The farm exists on the TS Session Broker server that is specified in the Configure TS Session Broker server name policy setting.

If you disable this policy setting, the server does not join a farm in TS Session Broker, and user session tracking is not performed. If the setting is disabled, you cannot use either the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider to join the server to TS Session Broker.

If you do not configure this policy setting, the setting is not specified at the Group Policy level. In this case, you can configure the server to join TS Session Broker by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

Note

This policy setting is not effective unless both the Configure TS Session Broker farm name and Configure TS Session Broker server name settings are enabled and configured by using Group Policy, the Terminal Services Configuration tool, or the Terminal Services WMI provider.
For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard.

At least Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

Use IP address redirection

This policy setting allows you to specify the redirection method to use when a client device reconnects to an existing Terminal Services session in a load-balanced terminal server farm. This setting applies to a terminal server that is configured to use TS Session Broker, not to the TS Session Broker server.

If you enable this policy setting, a Terminal Services client queries TS Session Broker and is redirected to their existing session by using the IP address of the terminal server where their session exists. To use this redirection method, client computers must be able to connect directly by IP address to terminal servers in the farm.

If you disable this policy setting, the IP address of the terminal server is not sent to the client. Instead, the IP address is embedded in a token. When a client reconnects to the load balancer, the routing token is used to redirect the client to their existing session on the correct terminal server in the farm. Only disable this setting when your network load-balancing solution supports the use of TS Session Broker routing tokens and you do not want clients to directly connect by IP address to terminal servers in the load-balanced farm.

If you do not configure this policy setting, the Use IP address redirection setting in the Terminal Services Configuration tool is used. By default, this setting in the Terminal Services Configuration tool is enabled.

Note

For Windows Server 2008, this policy setting is supported on at least Windows Server 2008 Standard.

At least Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition

Use TS Session Broker load balancing

This policy setting allows you to specify whether to use the TS Session Broker load balancing feature to balance the load between servers in a terminal server farm.

If you enable this policy setting, TS Session Broker redirects users who do not have an existing session to the terminal server in the farm with the fewest sessions. Redirection behavior for users with existing sessions is not affected. If the server is configured to use TS Session Broker, users who have an existing session are redirected to the terminal server where their session exists.

If you disable this policy setting, users who do not have an existing session log on to the first terminal server to which they connect.

If you do not configure this policy setting, you can configure the terminal server to participate in TS Session Broker load balancing by using the Terminal Services Configuration tool or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

Note

This policy setting is not effective unless the Join TS Session Broker, the Configure TS Session Broker farm name, and the Configure TS Session Broker server name settings are enabled and configured by using Group Policy, the Terminal Services Configuration tool, or the Terminal Services WMI provider.

At least Windows Server 2008