Installing Citrix License Server for Windows

This is a step-by-step guide on how to install the Citrix License Server Version 11.12.1 for Windows. Importing licenses to the License Server will also be covered in this guide. Citrix products require licenses for users to connect successfully and depend on communication with the license server. Citrix products have an initial grace period of 30 days, during which two users can run any product without requiring licenses. Although you can use the same license server for different Citrix products, we will concentrate on XenApp 6.5 in this guide.

Citrix XenApp uses concurrent user licenses, which are licenses that are not tied to specific users. The License is rather tied to a specific user/device combination, and its valid for the duration of the session. If the session ends, the license is returned to the license pool. If a user connects from two different devices, he will consume two licenses.

1. Installation of Citrix License Server 11.12.1

1.1 Download the license server from citrix.com
1.2 Install.NET Framework 3.5.1

1.3 Start the installation process
1.4 Accept the License agreement, and then click Next

1.5 Click Install

1.6 And you are finished

2. Configuration of Citrix License Server 11.12.1

2.1 When you click finish on step 1.6, this window will appear automatically. Just keep the default port configurations, and click Configure. Also notice that the user who install the License server, will be the default administrator for the License Administration console.

License Server Port – The license server manager uses this port. License server manager handles the initial communication between the products, starts the vendor daemon, and relays check out and check in requests to the vendor daemon

Vendor Daemon Port – The Citrix vendor daemon, which is responsible for the core operations of the license server, including license allocation, uses this port.

Management Console Web Port – The port used to connect to the License Administration Console
Web Services for Licensing Port – The port used to connect to the Simple License Service

The firewall exceptions consist of allowing all inbound TCP connections, on any port for the following three programs

2.2 Click finish.

3. Obtaining Licenses

Citrix is changing the lay-out of their web site all the time, so by the time you read this information, it might not be 100% accurate. But the procedure pretty much remains the same.

3.1 Log on to your account at Citrix.com
3.2 If you want to retrieve XenApp evaluation licenses, click on Previews/Betas – License Retrieval.

3.3 Choose XenApp Evaluation
3.4 Click on Retrieve more Licenses
3.5 After the licenses have been retrieved, click on one of the licenses
3.6 You will get this warning. Click Continue

3.7 Enter Host ID of the license server. This is obviously the computername of the license server, and it is case sensitive. So remember to enter it correctly.

3.8 Then follow the procedure outlined by Citrix. In the end, you will download a .LIC file

4. Importing the license file to the license server

To administer the license server, you use the License Administration Console. You can start it by clicking Start → All programs
→ Cirix → Citrix License Administration Console

4.1 When you start the console, you will be presented with the Dashboard. Here you can view the type of Licenses you have installed on the server, and any alerts that might be on the License Server.

4.2 Click on Administration, and you can log on to the Administration Console

4.3 Click the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab

4.4 Click Import License

4.5 Browse to the License file

4.6 Click Import License

4.7 Click OK

4.8 Click Administer on the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab

4.9 Click Reread License Files

4.10 Click Log Out. You will be back at the Dashboard, where you can view the licenses that have been added to the License Server

4.11 Btw, the license file is imported to the following location

Additional Resources
Citrix Licensing 11.12.1