Cannot Connect to a Terminal Server from a Windows-Based Terminal (813508)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

SYMPTOMS

When you try use a Terminal Services client to connect to a terminal server, you may not be able to do so. If you wait for several hours (up to 24, in some cases), you may again be able to connect, but you may again experience this symptom later.

You may also see the following event in the application log:Event ID 1004
Source: TermService
Description: The Terminal Server cannot issue a client license.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if you connect to the terminal server from a Windows-based terminal (WBT) device, such as a Microsoft Windows CE-based WBT or any other WBT whose operating system is recognized by Windows Terminal Services as "other". This issue occurs if all the following conditions exist:
  • The WBT client has been issued a permanent license, but that license has expired.
  • The Terminal Services licensing thread that is responsible for cleaning up expired licenses and returning them to the license pool has not yet run.

RESOLUTION

Service Pack Information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Hotfix Information

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The Global version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
   Date         Time   Version        Size     File name
   --------------------------------------------------------
   24-Jan-2003  19:28  5.0.2195.6654  125,712  Icaapi.dll 
   07-Oct-2002  22:29  5.0.2195.6609   93,456  Licmgr.exe
   15-Jan-2003  15:59  5.0.2195.6654  329,488  Lserver.exe  
   24-Jan-2003  19:28  5.0.2195.6654   26,384  Mstlsapi.dll
   27-Jan-2003  22:40  5.0.2195.6614  100,248  Rdpwsx.dll
   14-Jan-2003  23:06  5.0.2195.6654  142,608  Termsrv.exe
   24-Jan-2003  19:28  5.0.2195.6658   23,312  Tls236.dll
   24-Jan-2003  19:28  5.0.2195.6623   37,648  Winsta.dll

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, restart the Terminal Services licensing service so the expired license can return to the licensing pool.

Note You must wait 15 minutes after you restart the licensing service before the expired license is returned to the licensing pool, and the client can again log on to the Terminal server.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

Terminal Services licensing has a thread that runs when the Terminal Services licensing service starts. This thread sleeps for 15 minutes when the Terminal Services licensing service starts, and then performs a cleaning operation where it returns expired licenses to the licensing pool. After it completes this operation, this thread sleeps for 24 hours, and then performs the cleaning operation again. It repeats this license-cleaning operation every 24 hours until the Terminal Services licensing service is stopped.

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:10/10/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbTermServ kbWin2kSP4fix kbWin2000preSP4Fix kbfix kbbug KB813508
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