How to recover a lost password for your Citrix License Server(CLS) Administration Console user-

How to recover a lost password for your Citrix License Server(CLS) Administration Console user-

1. Open the “server.xml” file in C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\LS\conf. If on Win2k8 you will need to open your editor as an admin. (Take a copy of the file first – if anything goes wrong you can simply copy the file back to restore the original settings).
2. Find the entry that looks something like this:
<user firstName=”System” id=”admin” lastName=”Administrator” password=”(ENC-01)LKJ338u98uxkllS(*U+ljljlja-$78923ghJgs” passwordExpired=”false” privileges=”admin”/>;
3. Erase the contents between the double quotes after “password=”
4. Enter a plain text password , for example password=”TemporaryPassword”
5. Change the passwordExpired value to be “true” and save the server.xml file.
6. Restart the licensing services or, at a push, reboot the server.
7. Log into the licensing console using user name “admin” and the password set above.
8. You will be prompted to change your password. The new password will be encrypted in the server.xml file.

Troubleshooting Cluster-Enabled License Servers

 If any of the licensing services fail to start, the cluster detects that licensing is offline and attempts to restart the service three times (by default). If these attempts are unsuccessful, fail-over to the next node is initiated and the cluster attempts to start the services on the second node. If the attempts fail on the second server, the process may enter into an infinite loop. In this case, the computers running Citrix products fall into the grace period. During the grace period, client connections are not affected.

When troubleshooting a cluster-enabled license server, try the following:

• If you move the resources to the other node, do you still see the issue?
• Does your license file have the cluster HOSTNAME in uppercase? The cluster hostname is always uppercase.
• For Windows Server 2003:
  1. In the Cluster Administrator, under the cluster name, expand Cluster Configuration > Resource Types.
  2. Verify that ctxlsclustres is a valid resource type (appears in green).

• For Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2:
  1. In the Failover Cluster Management window, from the left pane, select the cluster. In the middle pane, the summary information for the cluster appears.
  2. Click the Cluster Core Resources title to expand the section.
  3. Verify that the cluster resources are all online (green arrow).

Requirements for Clustered License Servers

The following list outlines the requirements for setting up a license server in a Microsoft Cluster:

• Before configuring Citrix Licensing for Microsoft clustering, you must have a fully-functional active/passive cluster environment. Citrix Licensing does not support active/active clusters.
• To cluster the license server, you must follow the following cluster requirements in addition to any requirements from Microsoft for hardware and clustering in general.
• You must install licensing on the cluster by starting the licensing setup program using a command line.
• When you install Citrix Licensing on a cluster, you must specify the name of the cluster when prompted for the name of the license server during product installation.
• Citrix recommends that you use identical license server hardware for both nodes in the cluster. In particular, Citrix recommends two network adapters on each node and the servers have one drive configured as a shared drive.
• Each node should have two network adapters—one for connection to the public network and the other for the node-to-node private cluster network. Citrix does not support using one network adapter for both connections.
• The public and the private IP address must be on different subnets because the Cluster Service will recognize only one network interface per subnet.
• A name resolution method, such as DNS, WINS, HOSTS, or LMHOSTS, is necessary to resolve the cluster name.
• Both servers that form the cluster must be in the same domain.
• The hostname of both servers must be ALL UPPERCASE.
• Set static IP addresses for the private network connector.
• When you generate a license file at citrix.com, use the name of the license server cluster when prompted for the host name.
• After you download a license file, you must copy it to the F:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles folder (where F: is the shared drive for the cluster) on the license server and reread it. Alternatively, use the License Administration Console to download, copy, and reread the file.

Clustering CITRIX License server with Microsoft Clustering for High Availability

Clustering CITRIX License server with Microsoft Clustering for High Availability-

Cluster servers are groups of computers that are combined to increase availability, reliability, and scalability. Microsoft clustering functionality exists in Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. Clustering the license server lets users continue working during failure situations without interrupting their access to critical applications. When the active node in a cluster-enabled license server suffers from hardware failure, fail-over occurs automatically. Resources are available again in a few seconds to a few minutes.

Citrix Licensing supports clustering the license server with two servers in a cluster and a shared drive. That is, you can cluster the license server in a two-node Microsoft Cluster in an Active/Passive Microsoft clustering configuration.

The following steps describe how to set up your clustered Citrix License Servers:-

1.  Start your installation on the active node of the cluster (ensure that node 1 is your

active node and has all the shared resources).

2.  Run the command prompt as administrator (right-click on the shortcut and click on

Run as Administrator).

3.  Use the following command to start the Citrix License Server installation wizard:

msiexec.exe /i ctx_licensing.msi CTX_CLUSTER_RESOURCE_DLL_

PATH="C:\ctxlic" REGISTER_CTX_LS_CLUSTERING="No" /log "clsinstall.

log"

4.  Accept the license agreement and click on Next.

5.  Select the cluster-shared drive as the drive for the destination folder path on the

Change Destination Folderpage.

6.  Accept the default port numbers for the Citrix License Server services on the

Configurationpage.

7.  Finish the installation.

8.  Use the Cluster Administrator console to activate the second node as the active

cluster node.

9.  Run the command prompt as administrator (right-click on the shortcut and click on

Run as Administrator on the second node).

10. Use the following command to start the Citrix license server installation wizard:

msiexec.exe /i ctx_licensing.msi CTX_CLUSTER_RESOURCE_DLL_

PATH="C:\ctxlic" REGISTER_CTX_LS_CLUSTERING="Yes" /log

"clsinstall.log"

11. Repeat step 4 to step 7 for other Node.

Keep the following points in mind:-

·        Because you already generated license files that reference a specific server name, you must either give the cluster the same name as the original license server or rehost your license files with the new name of the license server cluster.

·        Cluster names are always ALL UPPERCASE. Host names in license files are case-sensitive; therefore, the cluster names must be all uppercase in the license file. If they are not, you must rehost your license files with the correct capitalization of the names.

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

http://clustername:web service port

Where clustername is the name of the cluster and web service port is the port number for console communications (the default port number is 8082).

Installing Citrix License server files manually

Installing Citrix License server files manually-

1. From a Web browser, go to http://www.citrix.com.
2. Click Log In and enter your user ID and password.
3. Select All Licensing Tools.
4. From the main menu, select Allocate.
5. Follow the process to allocate and generate your file.
6. Select the licenses you want to download, click Download and save the file to a directory (remember the location where you downloaded the file; you will need this location). This is the suggested location:
• C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles on a 32-bit computer
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles on a 64-bit computer
7. At the license server, copy the license file from the directory where it was saved to the MyFiles directory (C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles on a 32-bit computer, C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\MyFiles on a 64-bit computer).

Imp : Ensure that the license file retains the ".lic" file extension. Some copy processes do not recognize a file type for that extension and add a ".txt" file extension during the copy. License files with the wrong file extension cannot be imported.

8. At a command prompt, navigate to:
• C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\LS on a 32-bit computer
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Citrix\Licensing\LS on a 64-bit computer

To ensure that your copied license files are reread by the CLS, you can run the
following command:-
c:> lmreread -c @localhost -all

10 interview question you are likely to be asked in Citrix XenApp Interview-3

Citrix XenApp Interview Questions 3-

Question 1–How to check version of your license server?

Ans- On a license server without the License Administration Console:

Look at the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Citrix\LicenseServer\Install (for 32-bit operating systems)
HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\Citrix\LicenseServer\Install (for 64-bit operating systems)
<version> 11.6.1 build 10007 is for XenApp Server 6.0
<version> 11.9.0 build 11011 is for XenApp Server 6.5

On a license server with the License Administration Console:-

Start the License Administration Console from the programs menu: Citrix > Management Consoles > License Administration Console.

Click Administration and select the System Information tab. See the release version in the information list.

Question 2–What is Configuration logging?

Ans- Administrative Configuration Logging is a feature in XenApp 5.0 and above and it can be configured in farm-wide properties. We can store all the administrative changes in the farm. We can see the log from the Report Center. We can clear log from the farm properties. We can configure to have credential to clear the log.

Question 3–what will you do when you get this error message “The resource you request is no longer available?

Ans- This error could be due to any of the following reasons-

1.      There is a syntax error in the Web Interface configuration under “Edit Secure Gateway Settings” for the STA address.

2.      The Citrix XML broker service may have an unstable Citrix XML Service at the address specified in the Event Viewer Description field.

3.      The server reaches full load and rejects any new connections.

4.      One or more of the servers that publish applications do not have the alternate address defined.

Question 4–What are the major technical considerations for deciding to create more than one farm?
Ans- The major technical considerations are-

1.      The Geographical Location of the servers

2.      The type of network connection between the servers.

Question 5–Explain step by step  the application enumeration Process?

Ans- The application enumeration process is as follows:

1.      A user launches a Web browser and  then connects to the Web Interface.

2.      The Web Interface returns the logon page.

3.      The user types in credentials.

4.      The user’s credentials are forwarded from XML to the IMA service in HTTP (or HTTPS) form.

5.      The IMA then forwards them to the local Lsass.exe.

6.      The Lsass.exe encrypts the credentials and passes them to the domain controller.

7.      The domain controller returns the SIDs (user’s SID and the list of group SIDs) back to Lsass.exe and to IMA.

8.      IMA uses the SIDs to search the Local Host Cache (LHC) for a list of applications and the Worker Group Preference policy for that authenticated user.

9.      The list of the applications together with the user’s worker group preference policy are returned to the Web Interface.

10.   The Web Interface returns the Web page to the Web browser. (This completes the application enumeration process).

Question 6–How do you move servers to other zones?

Ans- Go to Zones from console..>.Zone(where serevr located)--->  go to "Election Preference tab" ---> right click on the server and select the Set server's zone membership option to move the selected server to another zone, or select the Change server's zone membership option to move the selected server to another zone.

Question 7– How do you remove server from the Farm?
Ans- The Chfarm command is used to remove or move the server and the command is no longer valid in XenApp 6.x. An alternative method to move the XenApp server is-

·        Use XenApp Server Configuration Tool accessed through the Server Role Manager.

·        Select Edit Configuration.

·        Select Remove this server from the current farm.

Question 8– What are the factors you must consider when deciding which type of database to use in a farm?
Ans- The main factors to consider are -

1.      Number of Users

2.      Number of Applications

3.      Number of servers

Question 9– What is a Zone?

Ans- Zone is subset of Farm. It is a grouping of XenApp Servers that shares the common Data Collector. Zones are very helpful in controlling traffics. It collects data from member servers and distributes changes to all servers in the farm.

Question 10–After your network team has installed a new firewall your users are not able to connect to published applications, what will you check first?

Ans- Port 1494 on firewall is open or not.

10 interview question you are likely to be asked in Citrix XenApp Interview-2

Question 1– What is Citrix XML Service ?

Ans- A Windows service that provides an HTTP interface to the ICA
browser. It uses TCP packets instead of UDP, which allows connections to
work across most firewalls. The default port for the Citrix XML Service is 80.

Question 2–What is Session Reliability?

Ans- Session Reliability keeps sessions active and on the user’s screen when network connectivity is interrupted. Users continue to see the application they are using until network connectivity resumes. This feature is especially useful for mobile users with wireless connections. Take, for example, a user with a wireless connection who enters a railroad tunnel and momentarily loses connectivity. Session Reliability relies on Common Gateway Protocol (CGP)

Question 3–What is Local Host Cache (LHC) ?
Ans- Each XenApp server stores a subset of the data store in the Local Host Cache (LHC).The Local Host Cache is the name of the Microsoft Access Database that is created locally on every XenApp server and that stores portions of the Data Store to keep the server functioning in the event of an outage.

Question 4–What is Farm?

Ans- Farm is a collection of citrix servers which provide published applications to all users.

Question 5–What Happens when Datacollector is down?

Ans- The data collector is a role on a Citrix XenApp server which is collecting, maintaining and managing dynamic information about the farm and zone. The data collector also passes the user to the least busy serve

If your ZDC fails, an automatic election would occur and the next preferred server would become the data collector for the zone. However, the ZDC being down wouldn’t prevent users from launching apps unless it’s the only box specified in your WI site.

Question 6–What is the purpose of the Data Collector in Citrix XenApp?
Ans- Data Collector is nothing but it keeps the information about the published application, user’s session, Zones etc.

Question 7–What is the purpose of Zones in Citrix XenApp ?
Ans- Zone is subset of Farm and is designed so that we could use Farm as a unit. Zone has server members and one of them is ZDC (Zone Data Collectors) in each zone. These ZDCs communicate between zones. Zones are very helpful in controlling traffic.

Question 8–How to change the ICA port?
Ans-  Change value of TCP/IP port for ICA Terminal Sessions.
      ICAPORT {/QUERY | /PORT:num | /RESET}
      QUERY Query current setting.
      PORT:num Change the TCP/IP port to 'num'.
      RESET Reset the TCP/IP port to 1494.

Question 9–How to change the xml service port?
Ans-  Use the command line utility ctxxmlss
From the services applet stop the xml service
At a command prompt type:
ctxxmlss /u
ctxxmlss /rxxxx (where xxxx is the new port number)
RESTART the xml service from the services applet.

Question 10–What is Independent Management Architecture (IMA) service and its role?

Ans-  Independent Management Architecture Service (or IMA) provides the communication between servers in your Citrix environment. The types of data that are used through this service would be sessions, server load, licenses, and other data that you can view in your management tools. This communication exists on TCP port 2512 by default. With the help of IMA, individual XenApp servers can be united to create large farms with hundreds of servers. Such server farms allow the central configuration and the control of all nodes involved.

With introduction of XenApp 7.5 The platform architecture is now powered by FMA and not Independent Management Architecture (IMA) anymore thus providing enhanced scalability and ease of management

for more click-

10 interview question you are likely to be asked in Citrix XenApp Interview-1