Introduction
AWS Fleet Manager provides a convenient way to manage your EC2 instances and on-premises servers remotely. One of its key features is the ability to establish Remote Desktop connections to your Windows servers directly from your browser. However, by default, AWS limits you to only 5 concurrent Remote Desktop connections per AWS account in each Region. For organizations managing multiple servers, this limitation can quickly become a bottleneck.
The good news is that AWS allows you to increase this quota up to 25 concurrent connections, and the process is straightforward. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to increase your concurrent Remote Desktop connection limit.
Understanding AWS Fleet Manager Remote Desktop Limitations
Before we dive into the solution, let’s understand the default constraints:
- Default limit: 5 active Remote Desktop connections at one time
- Maximum possible limit: 25 concurrent connections
- Scope of limit: Per AWS account, per AWS Region
- Approval process: Requests up to 25 connections are automatically approved
Step-by-Step Guide to Increasing Your Connection Limit
1. Access the AWS Service Quotas Console
First, sign in to the AWS Management Console and navigate to the Service Quotas console:
- Go to https://console.aws.amazon.com/servicequotas/home
- Alternatively, you can search for “Service Quotas” in the AWS Management Console search bar
2. Navigate to AWS Systems Manager Quotas
- In the left navigation pane, select AWS services
- In the search bar, type “Systems Manager” to filter the services
- Select AWS Systems Manager from the list of services
3. Locate the Remote Desktop Connection Quota
- Scroll down or use the search function to find GUI Connect > Concurrent Remote Desktop connections
- This quota represents the maximum number of concurrent Remote Desktop connections allowed for your account in the current region
4. Request a Quota Increase
- Click on the quota name to view details
- Click the Request quota increase button
- In the “New quota value” field, enter your desired limit (up to 25)
- Click Request to submit your quota increase request
5. Wait for Approval and Implementation
- Requests for increases up to 25 concurrent connections are automatically approved
- Important: The quota increase can take up to two and a half hours to take effect
- No additional notification will be sent when the increase is implemented
Conclusion
Increasing your concurrent Remote Desktop connection limit for Fleet Manager is a simple yet effective way to improve your team’s ability to manage multiple servers simultaneously. With the ability to support up to 25 concurrent connections, you can significantly enhance your operational efficiency.
Remember that while the approval process is automatic for requests up to 25 connections, you still need to plan for the implementation delay of up to two and a half hours. For organizations with larger requirements, you may need to contact AWS Support for quotas beyond the standard maximum.