Clustered License Servers - install, upgrade, and uninstall

Important:

The .msi does not support clustering. To install or upgrade for clustering, use CitrixLicensing.exe.

Install licensing on a clustered-enabled server

The following drive letters and paths/variables are used in this procedure:

• D is the drive for your product media.
• C is the local hard drive on the specified node.
• F is the cluster shared drive resource. (This drive is the installation drive. That is, the place where installation files used by each node are stored.)

Important:

• Because of a NetBios restriction, ensure that the client access point name is fewer than 15 characters.
• On non-English platforms, when starting a License Service installation on a cluster node, the Cluster Group list on the Configure screen might contain the system default Cluster Group. Select one of the non-default Cluster Groups and the installation continues normally.

1. Create a separate, noncore cluster resource group. The resource group must have the attached storage assigned a drive letter and a client access point. The client access point must have the same host name used when obtaining the license file. Use the Failover Cluster Manager and Roles > Configure Role in Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, and Windows Server 2019. Then select the Other Server type in the menu. Ensure that the first node of the cluster owns all cluster resources.
2. Run the License Server installer, CitrixLicensing.exe, as an administrator.
3. On the Install Location page, set the drive letter to correspond with the cluster shared drive. By default, the licensing components are installed in F:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing.
4. Leave the Last Node in Cluster check box cleared during the installation on the first node.
5. Move the resources for the resource group you created in Step 1 to the second node.
6. In node 2 of the cluster, run CitrixLicensing.exe as an administrator.
7. Go back to Step 3. You can install more than two nodes on the cluster. You can install more than two nodes on the cluster. For each additional cluster, repeat Step 3.
8. When installing the License Server on the last node in the cluster, ensure that the Last node in the cluster check box is checked. The last node is where the ports are configured.

9. Use the Citrix Licensing Manager to import your license files. Otherwise, import your license files using the console and these steps. For more information, see Install licenses.

   1. Open the License Administration Console from http://client access point name:web service port. The client access point name is the name of the cluster. The web service port is the port number for the console Web server (8082 by default).

   2. Choose Administration and choose the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab.

   3. Choose Import License.

   4. Click the citrix.com link.

   5. On the My Account page, type your user ID and password.

   6. Choose Manage Licenses.

   7. Select the licenses you want to download. The landing page displays only new licenses within 30 days and expiring term licenses. You can use the Filter by menu to search for specific types of licenses or select Quick find: All active to see all licenses.

   8. From the Select an action menu, choose Download all licenses, and save generated license files to the shared drive of the cluster: F:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles\.

   9. In the License Administration Console on the Import License File page, browse to the license file.

   10. Choose Overwrite License File on License Server.

   11. Choose Import License.

10. Reread the license files.

    1. Choose the Vendor Daemon Configuration tab.

    2. Choose Administer in the CITRIX vendor daemon line.

    3. Choose Reread License Files.

Opening the console or running commands

All licensing administration features available in standard deployments are also available on clustered License Servers. These features include the management console and the ability to run license administration commands.

Open the License Administration Console in a cluster by browsing to:

https://client access point name:web service port

Where the client access point name is the name of the cluster and web service port is the port number for console communications. The default port number is 8082.

To specify the location of the license files in the cluster, you can run many license administration commands using the argument -c @client access point name. For example:

lmreread -c @client access point name -all

Upgrade a clustered License Server

If you are running a version of a License Server older than 11.12.1, uninstall it and then install this version. The older versions of the License Server do not conform to current Microsoft cluster guidelines. This version of the License Server has the functionality required to support Windows Server 2008 and greater.

Uninstall a clustered License Server

Uninstall licensing from a clustered License Server using the Control Panel > Programs and Features option from the active node.

Ensure that the first node contains all the resources.

1. From the first node in the cluster, start Control Panel > Programs and Features.
2. Remove Citrix Licensing.
3. Using the failover cluster manager, move the resources in the Citrix Licensing resource group to the second node.
4. Remove Citrix Licensing from the second node. If there are more nodes, repeat Steps 3 and 4 for each node, and then proceed to Step 5.
5. Remove the remaining files from the shared drive. Note: The uninstallation process does not remove the license files and options file from the shared drive.

For troubleshooting information, see Troubleshoot.