Licensing Server

Licensing Server

How to setup and configure Citrix Licensing Server 11.15

- by Vikash Jhagroe - Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 4 minutes

I already did an installation and configuration of previous versions of Citrix License Server. Now that I am active again on my blog it is time to set up my homelab. In the past I had my homelab running on Hyper-V 2016 and to be honest I was not a fan ot it. Constantly having to updating the operating system, performance issues and lack of flexibility were driving me mad. But I had no choice as the hardware I was running my homelab on only supported Windows. Now I have new hardware for my homelab and I made sure it was compatible with VMware ESXi!

So I have to start from the basics and one of the basics is Citrix License Server. Let’s start.

My environment:

  • Citrix Licensing Server 11.15 (Build 24100) for Windows (www.citrix.com);
  • Windows 2016;
  • Domain name: vikash.nl;
  • Account for setup: Administrator (VIKASH\Administrator).

Installing License Server 11.15

Unpack the zip file and double click CitrixLicensing.exe.

You will be presented with the screen below. Accept the license agreement and click on Next.

Select the directory to install Citrix License Server. Click then on Next.

Make sure the box to configure the firewall is checked. You can change the ports if you need to. Also not in this screen the wizard is telling you what account will be automatically added to manage the server. Take notes. After you made your changes click on Next.

Select the option that matches your contract. Click on Install to start the installation.

The wizard completes the installation. Click on Finish.

Add licenses to Citrix License Server

Now that we have the license server running it is time to add some licenses. Go to the Start menu and click on Citrix License Administration Console.

Internet Explorer will now open and prompt you with a certificate warning. This is because the default certificate for Citrix License Server is a self-singed certificate. You can click on Continue to this website. Note the URL to access this console.

You will be presented with the dashboard of the administration console. As you can see there are no licenses yet for Citrix products.

Login on the Citrix website and go to licenses. Click on Allocate to allocate a license and download it to your desktop.

Return to the Citrix License Administration Console and click on Administration to login. Use the account you used to install the license server. Click then on Submit.

Now we have to upload the license file we downloaded from the Citrix license portal. Click on Vendor Deamon Configuration and then on Import License.

Select the license file and click on Import.

Click on OK.

For the license to be active you have to restart the server or the Citrix Licensing service.

Now return to the dashboard of the Citrix License Administration Console and the licenses you just added should be visible.

So that’s it. Thanks for reading.

This concludes this tutorial. Feel free to contact me of you have any questions or comments. You can also follow me on twitter or add the rss feed from the blog and you will be notified when I add new posts.

How to setup and configure Citrix Licensing Server 11.15 Read More
Licensing Server

Upgrade Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2 to version 11.14.0.1

- by Vikash Jhagroe - Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

With the release of Citrix XenDesktop 7.11 a new version of Citrix Licensing Server is released. This new version is also the minimum required License Server version for Citrix XenDesktop 7.11. I already have version 11.13.1.2 running, so let me show you how to upgrade to version 11.14.0.1.

The steps are easy and the upgrade should be without any hiccup. Just to be sure, make a backup of you existing License Server before starting the upgrade proces.

My environment for the installation:

  • downloaded the Citrix Licensing Server 11.14.0.1 for Windows (www.citrix.com)
  • Windows 2012 R2
  • domain name: VIKASH (vikash.nl)
  • account for setup: Administrator (VIKASH\Administrator)

Upgrading Citrix Licensing Server

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_001

Check the current version of the License Server.

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_006

Unpack the zip file and start the installer.

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_002

Because I am using demo licenses I choose to check Subscription Advantage (SA) manually. You can set it to check SA status automatically or even update it. Click on Next.

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_003

The installation wizard will detect the installed version of Citrix License Server and prompt you with the upgrade option. Click on Upgrade.

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_004

After the upgrade has finished, you can choose to participate in Citrix Customer Experience Improvement Program. I choose not to participate. Click on Finish.

lic_srv_upgr_xd_711_005

Login to Citrix License Administration Console and check the version. It should report 11.14.0 build 17005.

So that’s it. Thanks for reading.

This concludes this tutorial. Feel free to contact me of you have any questions or comments. You can also follow me on twitter or add the rss feed from the blog and you will be notified when I add new posts.

 

Upgrade Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2 to version 11.14.0.1 Read More
Citrix / Licensing Server

How to setup and configure Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2

- by Vikash Jhagroe - Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

I already did a setup and installation of Citrix Licensing Server 11.12.1 here, but it is always nice to have a setup guide for a new version.

Adding a Citrix Licensing Server to your environment is important if you are going to setup and use Citrix products and solutions. So let me show you how to:

  • install the license server
  • configure the license server
  • add a license file to the license server

My environment for the installation:

  • downloaded the Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2 (Build 16002) for Windows (www.citrix.com)
  • Windows 2012 R2
  • domain name: VIKASH (vikash.nl)
  • account for setup: Administrator (VIKASH\Administrator)

Installing Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2

Unpack the .zip file and start the installer.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_01

 

You will be presented with the screen below. Accept the license agreement and click on Next.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_02

 

Choose your installation path and click on Next.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_03

 

Next you will be presented by the port for the Licensing Server. Change it as you prefer, just make sure that it doesn’t interfere with services using those same ports on your server. Click on Next and the installation will begin.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_04

 

After the installation has finished, you will be presented with a summary screen. I selected the option not to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Experience Program. Make your choice and click on Finish.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_05

 

Now it is time to upload your license. Go to the Start Menu and start the Citrix License Administration Console.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_06

 

Your default browser will open with the correct URL for the Citrix License Administration Console. Click on “Continue to this website” to move past the SSL warning. We can fix this later, for now it is not important. Your session will be encrypted using the SSL certificate installed with the Citrix Licensing Server anyway.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_07

 

Click on Administration.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_08

 

You will be prompted to log on. Use your Domain Administrator (or the user used to install the Citrix Licensing Server) to log on. Click on Submit.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_09

 

Click on Vendor Daemon Configuration in the menu on the left site. Then click on Import License.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_10

 

Now click on Browse to locate your license file. Then click on Import License.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_11

 

Click on OK after the import is finished.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_12

 

The Citrix Licensing Server will only read the imported licenses after a reboot, or after the Citrix Licensing Server has been restarted. Let’s restart the license server. In the Run dialogue box enter services.msc and click on OK.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_13

 

Locate the Citrix Licensing service, select it and click on the reboot icon in the menu.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_14

 

Now switch back to your browser and reload (or re-open) the Citrix License Manager Console and go to the Dashboard. Your licenses should now be visible.

lSrv_11.13.1.2_15

How to setup and configure Citrix Licensing Server 11.13.1.2 Read More
Licensing Server

How to setup and configure Citrix Licensing Server 11.12.1

- by Vikash Jhagroe - 1 Comment
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Adding a Citrix License Server to your environment is important if you are going to setup and use Citrix products and solutions. So let me show you how to:

  • install the license server
  • configure the license server
  • add a license file to the license server

My environment for the installation:

  • downloaded the Citrix License Server 11.12.1 (Build 14100) for Windows (www.citrix.com)
  • Windows 2012 R2
  • domain name: VIKASH (vikash.nl)
  • account for setup: Administrator (VIKASH\Administrator)

Installing Citrix License Server 11.12.1

Unpack the .zip file and start the installer. You will be presented with the next screen. Accept the license agreement and click on Next:

license_server_11.2-01

Accept (or change) the installation location and click on Next:

license_server_11.2-02

Accept the defaults for the port configuration. If you change the port numbers here, make sure you enter them correctly in other Citrix product which will make use of this License Server (e.g. XenDesktop). Also note that the domain account which I am using for this setup is automatically added to manage the License Server. Click on Install:

license_server_11.2-03

Wait for the installation to finish. I selected the option to send License Server Usage information. Citrix uses it to optimize Citrix License Server, so we all benefit from this. Of course you can opt-out if you wish. Click then in Finish:

license_server_11.2-05

 

Configure Citrix License Server

If you search in the start menu you will notice 2 Citrix programs. The Citrix Simple License Service and the Citrix License Administration Console. The Simple console gives you a fast overview of you license status. You will need to enter your License Access Code. Obtain that from the Citrix License Portal using your MyCitrix account.

I use the Citrix License Administration Console:

license_server_11.2-06

The Citrix License Administration console is a web-gui. When started you will be shown the Dashboard page, which gives you an overview of the License Server. Click on Administration on the top-right corner:

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You will be prompted to login. Use the same credentials used during setup (in my case Domain Administrator) to login:

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After successful login you will be presented with the System Information page:

license_server_11.2-12

Let’s add the Domain Admins group for management. Click on User Configuration and then on New User:

license_server_11.2-13

Select Domain Administrator Group in the drop-down menu. The fields will change automatically to accommodate this option. Then type in the Active Directory group name. The format is <DOMAIN>\GroupName. In my case it is VIKASH\Domain Admins. Click on Save:

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Check that the Domain Admins group is now added:

license_server_11.2-19

Next I configure the default behavior of the license models displayed on the Dashboard page upon login. Click on Server Configuration and then User Interface. Select Both and then click on Save:

license_server_11.2-14

 

Adding a license file

Obtain a Citrix License File using your MyCitrix account (www.citrix.com/account).

Click on Vendor Deamon Configuration and then on Import License:

license_server_11.2-20

Browse to the license file and click on Import License:

license_server_11.2-21

After the license file is successfully imported click on OK:

license_server_11.2-22

Now at this point you can restart your server so the Citrix License Server reads the newly uploaded license file. In my case I am running the License Server on my domain controller, so I don’t want any downtime. So to get the license file active just restart the Citrix License Service using Windows Service Console:

license_server_11.2-25

Now re-open the Citrix License Administration Console to check that the license file is being read correctly:

license_server_11.2-26

That’s it. Citrix products can now use the License Server to allocate licenses.

You can also follow me on twitter or add the rss feed from the blog and you will be notified when I add new posts. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

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