Restrict Users to a Single Session
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
To improve the performance of the terminal server, you can restrict users to a single session (either active or disconnected) on the terminal server. By restricting users to a single session on the terminal server, you can minimize the number of remote sessions that are created on the terminal server. This can help conserve system resources on the terminal server, thereby allowing more users to connect to the terminal server.
If a terminal server is configured to restrict users to a single session and the user leaves the session in a disconnected state, the user will automatically reconnect to that session the next time the user connects to the terminal server.
By default, a terminal server is configured to restrict users to a single session.
Use the following procedure to configure the Restrict each user to a single session setting on the terminal server.
Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).
To configure the Restrict each user to a single session setting on the terminal server
Open Terminal Services Configuration. To open Terminal Services Configuration, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, point to Terminal Services, and then click Terminal Services Configuration.
Under General, double-click Restrict each user to a single session.
On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, select the setting for Restrict each user to a single session that is most appropriate for your environment, and then click OK.
You can also restrict users to a single session on the terminal server by enabling the Restrict Terminal Services users to a single remote session Group Policy setting. This Group Policy setting is located in Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Terminal Server\Connections and can be configured by using either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). Note that the Group Policy setting will take precedence over the setting configured in Terminal Services Configuration.
For more information about Group Policy settings for Terminal Services, see the Terminal Services Technical Reference (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=89673).
If a user specifies a different program to start when the user connects to the terminal server, a new session will be created on the terminal server for the user, even if the terminal server is configured to restrict users to a single session. A user can specify a program to start on connection on the Programs tab under Options in Remote Desktop Connection. However, you can prevent a user from starting a program on connection; for more information about preventing a user from starting a program on connection, see Specify a Program to Start Automatically When A User Logs On.
Warning
Reconnecting to a disconnected session by using a different protocol is not supported. To access the disconnected session, the user must reconnect by using the same protocol.