License types

Your product uses one of the following types of licenses (some products allow you to select more than one type). To avoid running out of licenses, ensure that you are aware of the types of licenses that your company purchased and how they consume them. We also offer license overdraft as a feature of the license files. See the license overdraft description at the end of this article.

The license types are:

User/device licenses

With a minimum of XenDesktop 5 Service Pack 1, XenApp 6.5, and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1808: The License Server can assign licenses to a user or a device and monitor license consumption. When assigned to a user, the license allows access from an unlimited number of devices. When assigned to a device, the license allows access from the device by an unlimited number of users.

A licensed device requires a unique device ID and any individuals can access instances of Citrix Virtual Desktops. Use this type of license for shared devices, such as a classroom or hospital.

A licensed user requires a unique user ID, such as an Active Directory entry. When assigned to a user, the license allows the user to connect to their desktops and applications using multiple devices. For example, desktop computer, laptop, netbook, smartphone, or thin client. A licensed user can connect to multiple instances of Citrix Virtual Desktops concurrently.

When users or devices connect to an application or desktop, they consume a license for the 90-day license assignment period. The assignment period begins when a connection is made. The period is renewed to the full 90 days during the life of the connection. Expiration (allowing reassignment) is 90 days after the last connection ends (logs off or disconnects). If you have to end a license assignment manually before the 90-day period elapses, use the udadmin command-line tool. For example, an employee consuming a user license leaves the company.

Optimization

The License Server uses the optimization process to determine how to minimize consumption based on licenses in use and connections to the License Server. The License Server optimizes every five seconds until there are 5000 unique connections. At 5000 unique connections, optimization occurs every five minutes. Optimization might delay status information until the next optimization impacting when license usage statistics are updated in various consoles.

Examples of unique connections - Optimization is not consumption and these examples show when optimization occurs.

Optimization occurs every five seconds for 1-4999 uses and every five minutes for 5000 or more uses.

700 users * 1 device each = 700 (optimize every 5 seconds)

5000 users * 1 device each = 5000 (optimize every five minutes)

5000 devices * 1 user each = 5000 (optimize every five minutes)

2500 users * 2 devices each = 5000 (optimize every five minutes)

Note:

If you have a large deployment, optimization can be CPU intensive depending on the number of unique connections. We recommend using machines with multiple cores.

Concurrent licenses

This type of license is not tied to a specific user or domain. When a user starts a product, the product requests the license and it’s checked out to the specific computer or device that the person is using. When the user logs off or disconnects from the session, the license is checked back in and is available for another user. Using this logic, keep the following scenarios in mind:

• Multiple sessions at different computers use multiple licenses. Each time a user starts a Citrix session from a different computer or device, a license is checked out until the user closes the session at that computer or device. At that point, the license is checked back in. For example, a user starts a session from one computer and then starts another from another computer before closing the first session. Two licenses are checked out.

• License Servers do not communicate with each other. If you run multiple License Servers, you might consume more than one license (for example, with load balancing). If you are using load balancing, we recommend that the product servers point to the same License Server.

• Different editions consume different licenses. If a user connects to an application published on a computer running the Advanced edition, and then uses the same client to connect to an application published on a computer running the Premium edition, two licenses are consumed.

• A user makes multiple connections from a single device to different product servers configured as the same edition and pointing to the same License Server. Only one license is consumed.

• For license sharing, pass-through connections on Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops pass the endpoint client device ID to the product server. If you connect to a single product, edition, and license model with a shared License Server, all connections share a single license.

• A user connects from a single device to two product servers that are the same edition but different versions. One or two licenses might be consumed based on the order in which the user makes the connections. For example, the two servers are Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1811 and Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1903 (though this example applies to nearly all Citrix products and versions):
  • The user connects to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1811 first - Two licenses might be consumed - An older license first, for the older product, and then a newer license because version 1903 requires a newer Customer Success Services date.
  • The user connects to Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1903 first - Only one license is consumed because the Customer Success Services date required by version 1903 is compatible with all older product versions.

• RDP connections consume a license (RDP connections to a console do not consume a license).

• If the number of purchased and available standalone concurrent licenses is exceeded, all users over the limit are denied access unless the supplemental grace period is possible. For more information, see Supplemental grace period.

Per user licenses (only user licenses - not the same as user/device licenses)

A licensed user requires a unique user ID, such as an Active Directory entry. When assigned to a user, the license allows the user to connect to their desktops and applications using multiple devices. For example, desktop computer, laptop, netbook, smartphone, or thin client. A licensed user can connect to multiple instances of Citrix Virtual Desktops concurrently. A licensed user can connect to multiple instances of a product concurrently. When users connect to an application or desktop, they consume a license for the 90-day license assignment period. The assignment period begins when a connection is made. The period is renewed to the full 90 days during the life of the connection. Expiration (allowing reassignment) is 90 days after the last connection ends (logs off or disconnects). If you have to end a license assignment manually before the 90-day period elapses, use the udadmin command-line tool. For example, an employee consuming a user license leaves the company.

Per device licenses (only device licenses - not the same as user/device licenses)

A licensed device requires a unique device ID and any individuals can access instances of a product. Use this type of license for shared devices, such as classroom or hospital. It allows an unlimited number of users per device. When devices connect to an application or desktop, they consume a license for the 90-day license assignment period. The assignment period begins when a connection is made. The period is renewed to the full 90 days during the life of the connection. Expiration (allowing reassignment) is 90 days after the last connection ends (logs off or disconnects). If you have to end a license assignment manually before the 90-day period elapses, use the udadmin command-line tool. For example, an employee consuming a user license leaves the company.

Per socket licenses

Licenses are consumed per CPU socket used by a CPU and cores are not counted. For example, if a computer having two CPU sockets has only one CPU, only one license is used. In another example, if that same computer with two sockets has two CPUs, each with a quad core, only two licenses are used.

Named user licenses

When a product requests a license, it is checked out to the user until a preconfigured period expires. This type of check-out is not tied to a computer or device. After the license is checked out, the user can run multiple sessions on different computers without checking out more licenses.

Supplemental grace period

Note:

The grace period and supplemental grace period are two different features. For more information about grace periods, see Grace period.

For the supplemental grace period to be available, you must use a minimum of XenApp 7.6 or XenDesktop 7.6.

If all licenses are in use, including the license overdraft where applicable, the supplemental grace period enables unlimited connections to a product. The supplemental grace period gives you time to determine why you exceeded the maximum license count and to purchase more licenses without disrupting your users. This period lasts until 15 days elapses or you install more retail licenses, whichever comes first.

We recommend that after the supplemental grace period starts, you allow it to run out rather than adding licenses immediately to clear the warning condition. Doing so gives you time to fully assess the situation and correctly address any issues.

After the period expires, normal connection limits are enforced. Users are not disconnected. As they disconnect, no new connections can occur until the license levels return to normal.

The supplemental grace period is not automatically re-enabled once it completes. To re-enable the supplemental grace period, install another retail license, which grants a new 15-day supplemental grace period when you exceed the subsequent maximum installed licenses limit.

Note:

If you install licenses while the supplemental grace period is in force, the License Server exits the supplemental grace period. Reenabling the supplemental grace period before fully determining the reason for the supplemental grace period, and how many licenses you require, might cause you to reenter the period after installing new licenses.

Supplemental grace periods are granted per product version and edition and only for retail licenses. The supplemental grace period is enabled by default when you first install the licenses. To disable the supplemental grace period for compliance reasons, use the Citrix Licensing Manager.

There is no way to track the total number of licenses consumed while in the supplemental grace period.

Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Director displays the grace period states. For more information, see Panels on the Director Dashboard.

Supplemental grace period example

If you have a maximum count of 1000 licenses installed, and you make another connection (maximum licenses + 1), the supplemental grace period starts. You then have a temporary, 15-day period giving you extra capacity to deal with unforeseen capacity issues, which might include the need to purchase more licenses.

Important:

The supplemental grace period and license overdraft are two different features. The supplemental grace period is a feature of the product and the License Server. License overdraft is a feature of the license and does not apply to concurrent licenses.

License overdraft

Products (excluding Citrix Cloud) that support user/device, user, or device license models include a license overdraft feature that enables you to use a limited number of extra licenses to prevent access denial. We offer any overdraft feature as a convenience, not as a license entitlement. Concurrent and server licenses do not contain overdraft. Any overdraft licenses used must be purchased within 30 days of first use, but use is not limited to 30 days. Citrix reserves the right to remove any overdraft feature in new product releases.

Example: You purchase 1000 user/device licenses and get 10% overdraft. Connections 1001–1100 are possible using overdraft licenses. Any licenses used over 1000 need to be purchased within 30 days of first use. Users have access until there are no more licenses available when the supplemental grace period is not supported and enabled.

For more information about the supplemental grace period, see Supplemental grace period.