Module One: Capabilities and Components of Citrix Access Suite 4.0 Citrix Access Suite is the most complete solution available for providing secure, on-demand access to any business information resource – from anywhere, with any device, over any network. The Access Suite unifies the key access points, capabilities and technologies in a single solution that eliminates the disadvantages of using individual access products from different vendors.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Explain Citrix access infrastructure capabilities. Describe the Citrix Access Suite 4.0. Outline the primary components of the

Citrix Access Suite 4.0.

Access infrastructure is an emerging market but Citrix has participated as a visionary leader since 1999 with the release of Citrix MetaFrame 1.0 for Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This was the first integrated offering in which Citrix provided a virtual user interface coupled with remote control technology and mobile infrastructure.

The Need for Integrated Access Solutions

Just as transitions from mainframe to client/server applications and then Internet-accessible environments forced many changes in IT infrastructure, the migration to Web-enabled applications is forcing yet another transformation. To address all of these technological transitions and solve their resulting challenges, organizations typically adopt a piece-part approach, implementing tactical access technologies on an as-needed basis, rather than  investing in an integrated access solution as a strategic part of the business.

Access infrastructure represents a new, comprehensive solution to business-related information access challenges that provides the best and surprisingly affordable solution to an organization's IT challenges.

Brought about by the convergence of seemingly independent markets, access infrastructure consists of the most common solutions that organizations need to solve the business-related information access challenges of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Access Infrastructure

The access infrastructure market is fast-growing and highly dynamic. Continued customer investment in the component technologies of access infrastructure is expected to grow annually with a combined market opportunity of $17.4 billion in 2005, which will increase to $21.9 billion by 2007. Endeavoring to make access as easy as a phone call, the Citrix business strategy will touch many key technologies of access infrastructure, including:

Citrix Access Infrastructure Technologies

 SSL/VPN Software  Single Sign-On (SSO)

 Security 3A Solutions  Web Application Delivery

 End-point Analysis and Scanning

 Information Access Portals

 Virtual User Interface  Conferencing Applications

 Mobile Infrastructure  VoIP Access

 Remote Control Software  

More than 230 software vendors claim to offer “access” products and services in these technology categories, but Citrix is the only company focused specifically on access infrastructure offerings.

Capabilities of the Citrix Access Infrastructure System

The Citrix access infrastructure system is the most complete set of solutions for leveraging the ubiquitous connectivity provided by today’s networks into unlimited secure access to applications and information, both voice and data. When used together as an integrated access infrastructure system, Citrix products and services provide a set of capabilities that meet the access needs of both IT administrators and their ever-growing numbers of users.

IT Administrators want access to be visible Users want access to be transparent

Citrix Robust and Resilient FoundationEnsure scalability and continuous availability to support any business change.

Citrix SmartAccessSense and respond to any access scenario for tailored secure access control.

Citrix Secure by DesignBuild infrastructure with security as a foundation, not an afterthought.

Citrix SmoothRoamingDeliver continuous access across devices, networks and locations for maximum mobility.

Citrix Integrated Identity Management Citrix Instant Collaboration

Activate and manage the complete access lifecycle for improved workforce agility.

Easily share workspaces and information to increase workgroup and meeting productivity.

Citrix End-to-End VisibilityObserve, monitor and measure access infrastructure resources for informed decision-making.

Citrix On-Demand AssistanceInstantly access remote user support to increase productivity and customer loyalty.

Citrix Access Suite 4.0The Citrix Access Suite 4.0 is the only integrated access infrastructure that centralizes applications and information resources, standardizes their deployment, and delivers them securely with access tailored to each user’s permissions, device, connection and location.

Citrix Access Suite saves money. It integrates all of the products needed to serve the business into one access solution. For customers, this means lower initial and on-going implementation, training, support and maintenance costs.

Citrix SmartAccess enables security and usability. Ubiquitous access is at odds with regulatory and security best practices, forcing organizations to choose between no access or full access. With the Citrix Access Suite, when users attempt to access corporate information, SmartAccess compares IT security policies to the users’ environment and dynamically adjusts their experience to enable secure and useful access.

Citrix Access Suite is a system of products. It is a unique solution that integrates virtualized application deployment, granular access control, secure SSL VPN connectivity and adaptive access technology to create a highly mobile user experience that automatically adjusts itself to ensure secure and optimal user access from anywhere, on any device, over any connection.

Access Infrastructure as an Integrated System

While each of its components has product competitors, the Citrix Access Suite does not. Rather, the Access Suite has competitive solutions. These solutions are typically custom-developed using a combination of best-of-

breed technologies from each of the categories that make up access infrastructure.

With piece-part solutions, customers cannot effectively use the full investment they will make in each piece. Simply put, the cost of buying separate pieces is not justifiable. What differentiates Citrix’s offering are the resulting capabilities that are made possible only by the integrated offering that is the Citrix Access Suite.

 

 

An Integrated SolutionThe Citrix Access Suite combines the following Citrix products into one integrated solution:

Citrix Presentation Server – The market-leading application virtualization server that centralizes and standardizes the deployment of any application – Windows-, UNIX- or Web-based – and enables their delivery to any user, from any device, over any connection, anywhere. As a key component of the Citrix Access Suite, Presentation Server enables applications and information resources as centrally managed IT services.

Citrix Access Gateway – The easiest and most cost-effective SSL VPN that provides secure access to critical business resources from anywhere. As a key component of the Citrix Access Suite, Access Gateway is a key enabler of Citrix SmartAccess – the unique ability to sense and respond to any user access scenario with tailored secure access to applications and information resources dynamically adjusted to their device, connection and location.

Citrix Password Manager – The elegantly simple single sign-on solution that simplifies user access to password-protected applications running on their local PC or hosted on Citrix Presentation Server. Password Manager works hand-in-hand with Access Gateway to protect corporate information assets by forcing users to create strong passwords, then managing them to maintain ease-of-access.

From the Board Room to the Server RoomTogether with technology-conscious executives and IT Administrators, CIOs are looking for ways to drive the cost of information access down while ensuring security, improving usability, increasing scalability and reliability, and improving IT’s ability to adapt to business change.

While the capabilities of the Citrix Access Suite may be well-defined, translating business requirements demanded by executives into the day-to-day features offered by the software itself can sometimes be a big challenge!

Understanding how the strategic capabilities of the Citrix access infrastructure system map to the actual technical features of the individual software packages can help bridge a growing communication gap.

Every business objective has corresponding access requirements for IT. Today’s CIO must support CEO initiatives quickly and with minimal cost. For example:

Enabling reliable mobility and remote access without compromising security Integrating acquisitions and outsourcers rapidly for faster time-to-value

Key Features of Citrix Access Suite

While the Citrix Access Suite delivers all of the individual features and functions included as part of its component products, the integrated use of these features in one complete system is its greatest value to IT administrators and their users. Note how these IT features contribute to the strategic business capabilities introduced previously: Granular Access Control

Adaptive User Access

Dynamically adjusts access by re-factoring the user interface, filtering applications and information and enabling secure and reliable mobility.

This is a key user function of SmoothRoaming and SmartAccess.

Universal Access Interface

Increases the efficiency and security of access and the quality of the user experience regardless of their device, location or connection through a single point of access, easy single sign-on and multi-factor authentication support.

This is a key user function of SmoothRoaming and Integrated Identity Management.

Common Management Platform

Unified framework for client and server configuration, licensing, monitoring, and reporting tools for administrative simplicity, business visibility and corporate security.

This is a key function of End-to-End Visibility

Rapid Provisioning

Enable and deliver IT services to users by simply managing user accounts and group membership. Easily and quickly add and remove user access.

This is the key administrative function of Integrated Identity Management.

Architectural Security

Transform existing IT infrastructure by augmenting its design with a centralized command and control architecture.

This is the core benefit represented by the Secure by Design capability.

Summary:

Capabilities and Components of Citrix Access Suite 4.0

You have completed Module One. As you continue this course, please keep in mind the following points:

Citrix is the only company focused specifically on integrated access infrastructure offerings.

What differentiates Citrix access infrastructure are the capabilities made possible only by the integrated offering that is the Citrix Access Suite.

Understanding how the strategic capabilities of the Citrix access infrastructure system map to the specific technical features of individual products can help bridge a communication gap between an organization's executives its IT department.

Module Two:

Common Management Tasks Overview

Simplifying the overall management of the Citrix Access Suite is the goal of the common management platform. When similar tasks performed across products can be performed in a common platform, administrators are able to be more productive and more efficient.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Describe the benefits of using a common platform for management of Citrix deployments

Describe the basic structure of each console used to administer Citrix Access Suite

Administering the Common Management Platform

Citrix provides a comprehensive suite of tools for managing the Citrix Access Suite and each of its component products. The common management platform is comprised of two tools:

Citrix Access Suite Console Citrix License Management Console

The Access Suite Console provides administrative access directly to the component products of the Access Suite. Administrators can manage virtually all features from this single interface or from product-specific consoles launched from this tool. Deployed as Microsoft Management Console Snap-Ins, the Access Suite Console can be installed on multiple workstations.

The License Management Console enables all Access Suite licenses in a Citrix deployment to be managed from a single browser-based interface. This console includes license installation, real-time license tracking, historical reporting tools and more.

Management Console for the Citrix Access Suite

The management console for the Citrix Access Suite extends the ability to manage a Citrix access infrastructure deployment by integrating many of the management aspects of each Citrix Access Suite product into a single Microsoft Management Console (MMC). The Access Suite Console is an MMC snap-in that provides an easy-to-install and easy-to-use set of tools for managing an entire access infrastructure deployment, no matter the size or scope.

Management functionality is provided through a number of management tools, selected during installation of the Access Suite Console, or added at any time later. The Access Suite Console can be installed directly on the computers running any of the Access Suite products. Alternatively, the console can be installed on local workstations, enabling administrators to log on and manage servers remotely.

The Access Suite Console User Interface

The main user interface of the console consists of three panes: The left pane displays the console tree. The task pane in the middle displays administrative tasks and tools. This pane is

not typically present in other MMC snap-ins. The details pane on the right displays information about what is selected in the

console tree and relevant tasks.

 

The Console TreeThe left pane, or console tree, provides access to each of the nodes installed during product installation. In a typical installation, for example, the following sub-nodes are available under the MetaFrame Presentation Server Administration node:

Alerts. Lists the alerts created by all the items in your deployment. Double-click an alert to drill down to the affected item.

Search Results. Displays the results of any search that you perform. Click Search in the task pane to perform a standard or advanced search.

My Views. Allows you to customize the information that you display in the details pane.

In addition, nodes are also created by some Access Suite Console snap-ins when they are installed. Some snap-ins are not visible as nodes in the console tree but they add features, such as extra tasks, to other snap-ins.

 

The Task PaneThe task pane in the middle displays administrative tasks and tools. The lists under Common Tasks, Other Tasks, and Related Tools change depending on the node or specific details selected.

Custom displays of the details pane are called My Views. These are configurable displays that provide quick access to items that may need to be examined regularly or to items in different parts of the console tree that an administrator may want to group in the same display. Instead of repeatedly browsing the console tree, multiple items can be placed in a single, easily retrieved display.

This pane also provides quick access back to the main page of the console using the Home button and an extensive search capability with the Search button.

 

The Details PaneThe right pane in the console is the main content area, or details pane, and changes based on the currently selected node or task. The details pane is also affected by which snap-ins are installed.

Using the ConsoleModule Three provides more information about the Access Suite Console.

 

Licensing for the Citrix Access SuiteAccess Suite licensing is a system of components that, together, enable the licensing administration for the Access Suite.  The system includes:

Citrix License Server. A centralized server that hosts and distributes Access Suite licenses.

License files. The files needed to license Access Suite products. These files are stored on the license server.

Citrix License Management Console. The Web-based interface used to manage license files and a license server.

When users connect to an Access Suite product, it draws licenses from the license server. That is, the product requests to check out a license from the license server on behalf of the user or client device. When the license is successfully checked out, the user can run the product or access published resources.

Citrix licenses are managed and monitored through the License Management Console. Administrators download and install license files, display real-time inventories of licenses, run historical usage reports and monitor alerts with the console.

The Citrix Access Suite License SystemThe License ServerEvery Access Suite product environment must have at least one shared or dedicated license server. Access Suite products seek permission to run from the license server. Depending on the size and configuration of a product deployment, licenses may be deployed on a server shared with other applications, a dedicated license server or multiple license servers.

License FilesLicense files represent a set of licenses available to an organization and obtained from Citrix through MyCitrix.com. A license file is generated by an administrator logging in to mycitrix.com and allocating the number of licenses to include in a license file from the total entitlement of licenses purchased by the organization. This file is downloaded and stored on the license server.

All purchased licenses do not need to be downloaded at once. For example, an administrator may choose to allocate only a certain percentage of the license entitlement in order to distribute licenses to specific license servers across their organization.

 

The Citrix Access Suite License System (cont.)License Management ConsoleThe License Management Console is a key tool in managing a licensing environment. The console is a browser-based user interface that provides access to the license server from virtually any computer in the organization. Licenses can also be managed remotely by connecting to the License Management Console over a secure https connection.

Administrators use the License Management Console to perform these major tasks:

Display license inventory Run reports that chart past license usage Display real-time information about license usage Configure alerts

All of these tasks are explained in Modules Four and Five.

 

Summary: Common Management Tasks Overview You have completed Module Two. As you continue this course, please keep in mind the following points:

The Access Suite common management platform consists of the Access Suite Console and the License Management Console.

Together, these consoles centralize and organize most administrative and management tasks.

Module Three: Using the Access Suite Console

The management console for the Access Suite extends the ability to manage your software deployment by integrating consoles with the Microsoft Management Console. The Access Suite Console provides a central, easy to install and easy to use location for managing an entire Access Suite deployment.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Explain the general steps for installing the Access Suite Console Describe how the Access Suite Console can be modified and how it can be used

with multiple products installed Describe common management tasks performed using the Access Suite Console

Installing the Access Suite ConsoleThe Access Suite Console is included on each product CD. It is installed prior to the installation of any individual product. Each product manages the installation a little differently, but the general process is automated for each. The typical console installation includes the basic console framework (the root node, Search node and My Views node), the optional Diagnostics Facility and Licensing nodes and the product-specific node. If the console is already installed, the product-specific node is generally the only other node added.

 

Installing the Access Suite Console (cont.)Citrix Password Manager, for example, installs directly from either the CD’s autorun menu or from the SETUP.EXE file in the Administrative Console subdirectory. As these screen images illustrate, this installation process is a simple, step-by-step installation wizard, similar to most other installations.

The consoles can be installed on virtually any computer in the network environment either directly from the product CD or from a network share. In some cases, the console can even be “pushed” out to local workstations as an .MSI file.

The Access Suite Console Each console includes a number of common elements, including Search Results and My Views. When a product is installed, like Access Gateway in this example, an additional node is added under “Suite Components.”

In this sample console, Access Gateway has been installed, but the discovery process has not yet been executed. When discovery is run, additional nodes and sub-nodes are added below the product node.

The Access Suite Console (cont.)In this example, Password Manager is now installed and added to this console. Additionally, the discovery process has been performed on both products asindicated by the existence of their specific sub-nodes.

Password Manager and Access Gateway share a console, as shown here. Presentation Server has a similar, but separate console. These two consoles can be viewed together by creating a custom console.

 

Creating a Custom ConsoleEach management console is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) stand-alone snap-in. During the installation process of each product, the snap-ins are registered with Windows and are available to be added to any custom console.

Access Gateway and Password Manager are extension snap-ins to the MetaFrame Access Suite Console stand-alone snap-in. Presentation Server has its own stand-alone snap-in called MetaFrame Presentation Server Administration. In this example, the administrator created a custom console to include both stand-alone snap-ins.

Click here for a demonstration of creating a custom console.

 

Creating a Custom Console (cont.)An administrator can leverage the ability of Microsoft Management Console to simultaneously host multiple snap-ins from different sources by creating additional custom consoles.

The example console shown here contains five snap-ins total. These snap-ins include the two Citrix snap-ins plus three additional snap-ins commonly needed while administering Access Suite Products: Active Directory Users and Computers, Internet Information Services (IIS) and Distributed File System. Any set of snap-ins can be combined to create the most useful custom console for a given situation.

Click here      for a larger view of this sample console with multiple snap-ins.

 

Run DiscoveryThe Access Suite Console is designed to manage Citrix Access Suite products installed in the environment. Before a product can be managed, its components must be located and added to the console using the Run Discovery process. Once the components are discovered, an administrator is able to see and perform the associated management and reporting functions.

The administrator must perform a Run Discovery when:

A new product is installed in the environment The Access Suite Console is installed on a new server or workstation.

Run Discovery is a required step after installation of each product, even when the console is installed on the same product server.

Click here to practice the run discovery process in Presentation Server.

 

Common Management TasksThe Access Suite Console is designed to help administrators more easily perform tasks that are shared across products or tasks that may be repeated frequently. For example, administrators can create and save personalized views of the details pane in the My Views node or quickly find specific items using the Search Results node.  

Common Management: My ViewsAn administrator can create custom displays of the details pane, called My Views. These are configurable displays that provide quick access to items examined regularly or to items in different parts of the console tree, grouped together in the same display. By using My Views, various items can be placed in a single, easily retrieved display, reducing the need to repeatedly browse the console tree.

For example, in Citrix Presentation Server an administrator can create a My View to display specific types of performance data for two sets of servers in different server farms. The performance-related information in a My View is refreshed at regular intervals.

 

Common Management: My Views (cont.)To create a My View

1. In the console tree, select My Views. 2. In the task pane, click Create new My View. 3. Select the new My View in the console tree and click Add items to My View in

the task pane. 4. Add the items to manage and click OK. 5. In the task pane, click Edit My View and provide a meaningful name and

description.

To add items to a My View

1. Select the My View in the console tree and click Add items to My View in the task pane.

2. Add or remove items as required and click OK.

Create a new My View quickly by basing it on an existing one. Select the existing My View in the console tree and click Duplicate My View in the task pane. Then add or remove items from the duplicate My View as required.

 

Common Management: Search ResultsThe Search Results node displays the results of any search performed using the Search button at the top of the task pane. Click the Search button’s down arrow to select an advanced search.

Search can find virtually any node in the console tree. In large or complex installations, this can be particularly useful.

In addition, any Search Result can be saved as a My View. Click on Save as My View in the task pane to add the search results to the My View node. Click the newly created view to re-perform the search and display current results in the details pane.

Additional Common Management TasksDepending on the Access Suite products installed, the following extension snap-ins may also be available:

Diagnostic FacilityCreates trace logs and other system information to assist Citrix Technical Support in diagnosing problems.

AlertsLists the alerts created by all the items in a Presentation Server deployment.

Licensing Launches the License Management Console to manage licenses for most Citrix Access Suite products. (For more information about the License Management Console, see Modules Four and Five.)

 

Summary: Using the Access Suite Console You have completed Module Three. As you move on to new modules, please keep in mind the following points:

An Access Suite Console can be installed on virtually any computer in the network environment.

Password Manager and Access Gateway share a common console. Presentation Server has a similar, but separate console.

Product nodes for newly installed consoles must be populated with manageable product components using Run Discovery.

Module Four: Installing and Configuring Access Suite Licenses

Citrix has simplified licensing for Access Suite 4.0. Both the license activation and license management processes are different. This module introduces installing the license server software and obtaining licensing files from Citrix.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Explain the steps to install the Citrix License Server and the License Management Console.

Describe how to allocate, install and configure licenses from an organization’s entitlement.

Summarize the common licensing concepts for all Citrix Access Suite products.

Deployment Options for the License ServersAll Citrix Access Suite 4.0 applications require proper licensing implementation in order to accept user connections. To accomplish this task, an administrator needs to properly set up the licensing components and obtain the appropriate licenses. Based on the specific configuration of an Access Suite installation, an administrator must select from the following license server deployment options:

Shared license server Dedicated license server Multiple dedicated license servers

Access Suite licensing can be run on a server shared with other Citrix applications or on a server dedicated to only running licensing software. The decision to deploy Access Suite licensing on a shared or dedicated server depends on the size of the environment and the number of product servers connecting to the license server.

The following table provides general guidelines for License Server deployment:

# of Product Servers Recommendation

Fewer than 50 Shared license serverBetween 50-100 Dedicated license serverMore than 500 Multiple Dedicated license servers

These recommendations should only be used as guidelines. There are exceptions that could increase or decrease the server threshold numbers described. Hardware specifications, as well as other factors, play a role in determining when to add another server. More specific guidelines are available in the Access Suite Licensing Guide.

An Access Suite Licensing administrator must consider a variety of other factors when planning a license server deployment, including who needs access to the server, user patterns in multi-farm environments and more. For large or complex Access Suite

deployments, Citrix recommends that administrators review the latest Access Suite Licensing Guide prior to installation.

License Server Installation: OverviewTo license an Access Suite product, an administrator must complete the following basic tasks:

1. Install the License Server and the License Management Console 2. Connect to MyCitrix.com to download license files. 3. Copy the license file to the License Server. 4. Configure product-side licensing communication settings that were not set during

product installation, if applicable.

Citrix recommends the License Server be installed and have valid licenses on it before beginning any individual product installation. Product setup programs may require the license server name during installation.

License Management Console installation is not required for proper operation of the License Server. Without the console, the License Server can be managed with command-line tools known as the license administration commands. However, it is not possible to generate licensing reports without using the console. Citrix recommends installing the License Management Console with each license server.

Install the License Server and the License Management ConsoleTo install the License Server and the License Management Console, log on to to server using a domain account that is also a member of the local Administrators group. Each product CD will have the licensing installation option available from the autorun.

Most typical installations of the License Server will use the default installation options. Review the Access Suite Licensing Guide for additional details. Note that License files and license server software must be stored on the same drive. By default, license files are stored in:

C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles\

Click here to practice this installation process.

 

 

Connect to MyCitrix to Download License FilesTo obtain licenses from MyCitrix, the following information is required:

A User ID and password for MyCitrix.com The license code (emailed during purchase, available through MyCitrix or located

in the product packaging) The exact, case-sensitive spelling of the name of the server with the license server

installation

A license file is a uniquely generated text file. It is downloaded from MyCitrix and references the specific license server on which it is to be installed. This file provides all license details to the server and is generated when an administrator chooses the number of licenses to include in the file from the group of licenses purchased by the organization. In short, the administrator will allocate licenses from the organization’s entitlement.

Once a license file is generated on MyCitrix, the file is downloaded to a local computer or directly to the license server.

 

Connect to My Citrix to Download License Files (cont.)Connect to www.MyCitrix.com, log on and select Licensing. Once on the Licensing page select Allocate or Activate Licenses, follow the directions on screen to allocate licenses to a license file and then download the file.

It is critical that the name entered in the host name field in MyCitrix matches the license server host name exactly, including case-sensitivity. Do not use System Information to obtain the name of the license server because it may not display the case correctly. Also, do not enter fully qualified domain names. For example, for a license server named “MPSLicenseServer1” on the Atlanta domain, enter MPSLicenseServer1. Do not enter Atlanta\ MPSLicenseServer1.

Click here for a demonstration of allocating licenses to a license file.

 

 

Updating License Data on the License ServerA license file must be read by the license server for the licenses to be available for user access to the applications. Installing the license file can be automated by using the License Management Console:

1. Start the License Management Console. 2. Click Configure License Server. 3. Click Step 2: Copy license file to this license server. 4. Click Browse… and locate the downloaded license file or type the file name and

path in the box labeled License File. 5. Click Upload to store the license file on the license server and reread all license

data.

After downloading and installing license files on a license server, the license server is ready to license product.

A license file may also be copied directly to the folder: C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles

Once copied, the license server must be instructed to reread its license files:

1. Start the License Management Console 2. Click Configure License Server. The license files page appears. 3. Click Update license data.

Additional Licensing Concepts

Licensing ModelsThe license model defines the way in which a product consumes licenses and can influence the number of licenses users consume when they connect to an Access Suite product. The type of licensing model a product employs determines the number of licenses required to license it, and is established by Citrix at time of sale. Citrix Access Suite products use two types of licensing models:

Concurrent User. Different users can share concurrent user (CCU) licenses, provided the users are using the product at different times. Since CCU licenses are not tied to a specific user name, when a user disconnects or logs off, the license they had been assigned is returned to the pool of available licenses so it can be assigned to another user.

Named User. A named user license provides one license for each user. After a user takes a named user license from the license pool, it remains assigned to that user even when the user is not connected.

Concurrent User licensing is the most common model used for Citrix products. Named User licensing is an option on some products. Please consult the Access Suite Licensing Guide for more details.

Additional Licensing Concepts (cont.)Different Connections Consume Licenses DifferentlyWhen analyzing the number of licenses required in an organization’s environment, an administrator must consider whether or not users employ multiple types of clients to connect to product servers. For example, users connecting to product servers using a Presentation Server Client and a Remote Desktop session simultaneously consume multiple licenses. The license server considers Remote Desktop Connections as separate from the Presentation Server Client connections and, even though the connection may be from the same user, the product server consumes two licenses.

Securing the Licensing Directories and ConsoleCitrix recommends that administrators restrict the Citrix licensing directory, C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing, to administrator-only access, especially on license servers that are shared with Presentation Server. In addition, Citrix recommends running licensing under an account dedicated to this purpose (that is, a “services account”).

If there are multiple users for the License Management Console or if administrators will be logging on to the License Management Console from other workstations on the organization’s network, Citrix recommends that the web server for the License Management Console be configured to use SSL and S-HTTP.

 

Maintaining License Files

Citrix Access Suite products include a one-year membership to the Subscription Advantage program. This membership provides major releases, minor releases andproduct update downloads through the MyCitrix web site. The membership includes email notifications concerning the account and new items available for members. Members can view, update and obtain benefit information and privileges on MyCitrix at any time.

Administrators can renew Subscription Advantage at the end of the one-year membership; failure to do so may result in a loss of futurebusiness-critical benefits.

A Comparison of Product and Subscription Advantage Time LinesCustomers who have let their membership lapse prior to the availability of a new product release cannot use that or any future product releases. The license itself, however, continues to function at its current platform level and does not expire.

Maintaining License Files (cont.)Without Subscription AdvantageCustomers who choose not to renew membership in Subscription Advantage are able to download updates released prior to the date of expiration. For example, this customer can only obtain the minor releases.

An administrator can obtain and install major and minor releases after the Subscription Advantage membership expires, as long as the products were released while the membership was still valid.

Subscription Advantage License UpdatesUnlike the customer in the previous example, this customer renewed their membership in Subscription Advantage when it expired. With current membership, this customer is eligible to update their product with the major product release. The Subscription Advantage expiration date in the license file must be the same as or later than the Subscription Advantage eligibility date specific to each release. Citrix issues new license files with updated Subscription Advantage expiration dates on the MyCitrix web site after a membership renewal.

Summary: Installing and Configuring Access Suite Licenses You have completed Module Four. As you continue this course, please keep in mind the following points:

All Citrix Access Suite 4.0 applications require proper licensing implementation in order to accept user connections.

License files must be generated and downloaded from MyCitrix.com. Subscription Advantage program membership provides major and minor releases

downloads through the MyCitrix web site.

Additional resources for this module are available in the downloadable course PDF file. See the Conclusion Module for details.

Module Five:

Managing Access Suite Licenses

An important aspect of the administrative life cycle for Access Suite products is license management and maintainance. The Citrix License Server and the License Management Console assist in these ongoing tasks.

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Distinguish tasks that can only be performed in the License Management Console. Identify common parts of the this console. Explain the steps required to perform various management and tracking tasks.

Managing LicensesThe License Management Console allows an administrator to maintain the License Server and manage license files for that server. The console software must be installed on the same machine as the License Server. However, administrators can launch the License Management Console directly through the Access Suite Console or remotely through a Web browser.

Using the License Management Console, an administrator is able to:

Track real-time license usage. Create reports based on historical license usage. Create and view alerts based on license usage, license expiration dates and

Subscription Advantage expiration dates. Assign rights to administrators to limit their capabilities and ensure proper license

management.

Managing Licenses (cont.)

The following tasks may be performed with the License Management Console: Track real-time license usage

The Current Usage page displays the number of licenses available for use in real time.

Create reports based on historical license usage

With historical usage reports, administrators can view license availability and consumption information over time. Used together with Current Usage information, these reports can help an administrator foresee problems.

Create and view alerts based on license usage and expiration dates

Two types of alerts are available: warnings for when license usage starts to approach the limit (number of licenses owned) and reminders to renew Subscription Advantage memberships.

Delegate administrative rights to additional users

An administrator can provide additional users with access to the License Management Console and specify permissions on an account-by-account basis. When a user account is created, the account’s user permissions can be set for the four major areas of the console: current usage, historical reporting, configuration and user administration.

A License Management Console is associated with the specific License Server on which it is installed.

The Access Suite Console can provide links to multiple License Servers’ consoles, but each server is managed only through its own console.

A Tour of the License Management Console

Each of the four types of administrative tasks is available from the main menu at the top of every page in the console. Many pages have additional help available from the Help button in the upper right corner of the menu.

A Tour of the License Management Console (2 of 3)

Clicking on the Historical Usage, Configuration or User Administration menus opens a sub-menu with additional options. For example, Historical Usage has five submenus for setting up and using the many reporting features of the license server.

A Tour of the License Management Console (3 of 3)

Clicking on a sub-menu displays the information or forms specific to that menu. Some examples of using these menus are in this module. More specific information and additional examples are available in the Access Suite Licensing Guide.

Tracking Real-Time License Usage

The License Management Console provides real-time license usage information. For example, an administrator needs to determine how many licenses are currently in use for Presentation Server and whether or not the organization’s Subscription Advantage membership is still current. By opening the License Management Console to the Current Usage page, the administrator can determine this information quickly and easily. When tracking real-time license usage, an administrator can view the following information:

Product description of licenses Product licensing model License type (retail, evaluation or not for resale) Total number of connections licensed to the product The number of licenses in use The number of licenses available for use Percentage of licenses in use Subscription Advantage expiration date License expiration date (The majority of licenses do not expire. An exception

to this rule is an Evaluation license, which expires after 90 days.)

Tracking Historical License Usage with ReportsBecause the license server rejects requests for licenses when the number of licenses on the license server is exceeded, Citrix recommends administrators anticipate new users and purchase licenses for them during quarterly or annual purchasing. Reports created to show license availability and consumption information over time are known as historical reports. By running reports over a quarter, for example, an administrator can evaluate if license consumption is increasing. The License Management Console provides the ability to choose the type of product, date range, summary period, and data type to use in the report.

Historical reports are based on report logs, the encoded record of license usage generated by the license server. The process of generating product or summary reports includes choosing one or more report logs upon which to base the report. An administrator can generate two types of reports in the License Management Console:

Summary ReportCompares license utilization across all products

Product ReportSpecific to the product type and licensing model

The report logging feature must be activated before an administrator can generate any historical reports. Report logging is turned off by default.

Configuring Alerts in the License Management Console

The License Management Console provides passive alerts for the following situations:

Percent in UseWhen an organization’s license usage is close to exceeding the threshold for the number of licenses available on a license server.

Subscription AdvantageWhen a Subscription Advantage membership is due for renewal.

All alerts have two levels of severity, critical and warning, and all alerts can be customized to set the threshold at which alerts are generated. The License Management Console displays alerts in the Current Usage section in an alerts box and in the % In Use column of the data table. Data is displayed in these sections only when an alert threshold is reached.

License Management Console Current Usage alerts do not updateautomatically. To update the data, click Refresh.

(For users of licenses with an expiration date, such as Technology Preview, Early Adopters and Developer’s Edition licenses, alerts are also generated when licenses are about to expire.)

Configuring Delegated AdministratorsAs the key tool in managing an organization's licenses, administrators can allow additional users to access the License Management Console and specify permissions on an account-by-account basis. During installation, the License Management Console creates a default administrator account based on the current credentials used to log on to the license server machine.

The default administrator account can create new user accounts for the License Management Console. These accounts can be granted full administrative access, or restricted to specific areas of the console, as needed. Administrators can set user permissions for the four major areas of the console: current usage, historical reporting, configuration and user administration. In addition, administrators can control which tasks console users can perform and which features are visible.

At least one administrator must have full access to the License Management Console at all times or the console locks all users out.

Summary: Managing Access Suite Licenses

You have completed Module Five. As you complete this course, please keep in mind the following points:

The License Management Console must be installed on the same machine as the License Server, but it can be launched through the Access Suite Console or remotely through a Web browser.

The License Management Console is the only tool an administrator can use to view license usage in real-time and also generate historical license usage reports.

An administrator can grant users limited rights to the License Management Console as a way of delegating various tasks to other.