Event ID 1280 — RD Connection Broker Communication

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Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Remote Desktop Connection Broker (RD Connection Broker), formerly Terminal Services Session Broker, is a Remote Desktop Services role service in Windows Server 2008 R2 that supports session load balancing between RD Session Host servers in a farm, connections to virtual desktops, and reconnection to an existing session in a load-balanced RD Session Host server farm. For RD Connection Broker to work properly, the RD Session Host server must be able to communicate with the RD Connection Broker server across the network.

Event Details

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 1280
Source: Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-SessionBroker-Client
Version: 6.1
Symbolic Name: EVENT_FAIL_JOIN_SESSION_BROKER
Message: Remote Desktop Services failed to join the Connection Broker on server %1.
HRESULT = %2

Resolve

Identify and fix any connectivity issues to the RD Connection Broker server

To resolve this issue, identify and fix any connectivity problems between the RD Session Host server and the RD Connection Broker by doing the following:

  • Check network connectivity to the RD Connection Broker.
  • Start the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service.
  • Add the RD Session Host server to the Session Broker Computers group.

Note: If Event ID 1280 in the Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-SessionBroker-Client event source is immediately followed by Event 1281 in the Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-SessionBroker-Client event source, no further action is required.

To perform these procedures, you must have membership in the local Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

Check network connectivity to the RD Connection Broker

If you cannot successfully ping the RD Connection Broker server by IP address, this indicates a possible issue with network connectivity, firewall configuration, or IPsec configuration.

The following are some additional troubleshooting steps that you can perform to help identify the root cause of the problem:

  • Ping other computers on the network to help determine the extent of the network connectivity issue.
  • If you can ping other servers but not the RD Connection Broker server, try to ping the RD Connection Broker server from another computer. If you cannot ping the RD Connection Broker server from any computer, first ensure that the RD Connection Broker server is running. If the RD Connection Broker server is running, check the network settings on the RD Connection Broker server.
  • Check the TCP/IP settings on the local computer by doing the following:
    1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
    2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /all, and then press ENTER. Make sure that the information listed is correct.
    3. Type ping localhost to verify that TCP/IP is installed and correctly configured on the local computer. If the ping is unsuccessful, this may indicate a corrupt TCP/IP stack or a problem with your network adapter.
    4. Type ping IP_address, where IP_address is the IP address assigned to the computer. If you can ping the localhost address but not the local address, there may be an issue with the routing table or with the network adapter driver.
    5. Type ping DNS_server, where DNS_server is the IP address assigned to the DNS server. If there is more than one DNS server on your network, you should ping each one. If you cannot ping the DNS servers, this indicates a potential problem with the DNS servers, or with the network between the computer and the DNS servers.
    6. If the RD Connection Broker server is on a different subnet, try to ping the default gateway. If you cannot ping the default gateway, this might indicate a problem with the network adapter, the router or gateway device, cabling, or other connectivity hardware.
  • In Device Manager, check the status of the network adapter. To open Device Manager, click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
  • Check network connectivity indicator lights on the computer and at the hub or router. Check network cabling.
  • Check firewall settings by using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in.
  • Check IPsec settings by using the IP Security Policy Management snap-in.

Start the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service

To communicate with the RD Connection Broker, the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service must be started on the RD Connection Broker server.

To start the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service:

  1. On the RD Connection Broker server, open the Services snap-in. To open the Services snap-in, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
  2. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Yes.
  3. In the Services pane, right-click Remote Desktop Connection Broker, and then click Properties.
  4. On the General tab, ensure that Startup type is set to Automatic. If it is not, click Automatic, and then click Apply.
  5. Under Service status, click Start.
  6. Click OK to close the Remote Desktop Connection Broker Properties dialog box.
  7. Confirm that the Status column for the Remote Desktop Connection Broker service displays Started.

Add the RD Session Host server to the Session Broker Computers group

An RD Session Host server may need to be a member of the Session Broker Computers group on the RD Connection Broker server.

To add the RD Session Host server to the Session Broker Computers group:

  1. On the RD Connection Broker server, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
  2. Expand Configuration, expand Local Users and Group, and then click Groups.
  3. Double-click Session Broker Computers, and then click Add.
  4. Click Object Types, select the Computers check box, and then click OK.
  5. In the Enter the object names to select box, type the name of the RD Session Host server, and then click OK.
  6. Click OK to close the Session Broker Computers Properties dialog box.

Verify

To verify that the RD Session Host server can successfully communicate with the RD Connection Broker server:

  1. On the RD Session Host server, start a new Remote Desktop Services session.
  2. After the session is established, disconnect the session. Do not log off from the session.
  3. On a different RD Session Host server, try to reconnect to your existing session. If you are able to reconnect to the existing session, the RD Session Host server is successfully communicating with the RD Connection Broker server.

RD Connection Broker Communication

Remote Desktop Services