The difference is the scale of the Virtualization:

  • REMOTE DESKTOP SESSION HOST: Traditional RDP, Terminal Services server providing access to programs and full desktops
    • Example: Server 2012 with Word installed on it may be used by 10 (or more) people to run Word through a Terminal/Remote Desktop session
    • .
  • REMOTE DESKTOP VIRTUALIZATION HOST: New VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) server which hosts full end user Virtual Machines
    • Example: Server 2012 hosting 10 full Virutal Machines that each (potentially) have completely different operating systems (like Windows 7 on one and Windows XP on another) and each VM (potentially) having completely different versions of Word.

If that is not clear enough, below is a snip from page 40 of the Windows Server 2008 R2 REMOTE DESKTOP SERVICES RESOURCE KIT with a much more thorough explaination.

server-2012-rd-session-vs-rd-virtualization


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SOLVED: 1 Hour to Install & Configure a Single Server Remote Desktop Services on Server 2012 - Up & Running Technologies Calgary · February 28, 2013 at 4:46 pm

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