What distinguishes a Role-based installation from a Remote Desktop Services installation when using the Add Roles and Features Wizard?

A Role-based installation is distinguished by its focus on installing roles that are intended to run on a single server. This is fundamental to the architecture of server roles, where each role is designed to function individually on a dedicated server without distribution or sharing across multiple systems.

When using the Add Roles and Features Wizard, a Role-based installation is geared towards configuring services and features that enhance the functionality of the single server being managed. In contrast, Remote Desktop Services often involves components that may require multiple servers to distribute workload or provide redundancy and load balancing. Although a Remote Desktop Services installation can technically be installed on a single server, its design philosophy anticipates a multi-server environment to support various roles (such as Session Host, Connection Broker, etc.) effectively.

Thus, the definition and operational scope of a Role-based installation reinforce its limitation to a single server model, emphasizing the focused management of services directly on that one server.