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Application Delivery Management
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Configure Citrix ADC pooled capacity

October 14, 2020
Contributed by: 
S S L

Citrix Application Delivery Management (ADM) is the license server for all Citrix ADC instances added to ADM. You can upload the pooled capacity license files (Bandwidth Pool or Instance Pool) to the license server. You can allocate licenses in the license pool to Citrix ADC instances on demand. You can allocate the licenses from Citrix ADM, or you can check-out the licenses from Citrix ADC instances (MPX-Z /SDX-Z/VPX/CPX) according to the minimum and maximum capacity of the instance.

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Supported hardware and software versions

Citrix ADC Software Version Citrix ADC MPX Zero-Capacity Hardware Citrix ADC SDX Zero-Capacity Hardware Supported Hypervisors for Citrix ADC VPX
11.1 Build 54.14 and later MPX-14000Z, MPX-14000Z-40G, MPX-25000Z-40G SDX-14000Z, SDX-14000Z-40G, SDX-25000Z-40G VMWare ESX 6.0, Citrix Hypervisor, Linux KVM
12.0 Build 51.24 and later     Microsoft Hyper-V, Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure

Configuring Citrix ADM as a license server

You can configure Citrix ADM as a license server for the Citrix ADC pooled capacity. There are two ways for a Citrix ADC instance to get bandwidth or instance license, or both:

  • A Citrix ADC instance can initiate the check-out request to Citrix ADM to obtain its bandwidth and/or instance licenses.
  • The licenses can be allocated to a Citrix ADC instance through Citrix ADM.

Note

Pooled Capacity is displayed on Citrix ADM only if pooled licenses are added to the Citrix ADM.

Following are the operating modes of the Citrix ADC instances that are using the Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity:

  • Optimum – Instance is running with proper license capacity.
  • Capacity mismatch – instance is running with a capacity less than user configured.
  • Grace - Instance is running on grace license.
  • Grace & Mismatch – Instance is running on grace but with a capacity less than user configured.
  • Not available – Instance is not registered with Citrix ADM for management or Nitro communication from Citrix ADM to Instance is not working.
  • Not allocated – License is not allocated in instance.

To install license files on Citrix ADM:

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of the Citrix ADM (for example, http://192.168.100.1).
  2. In User Name and Password, enter the administrator credentials.
  3. Navigate to Networks > Licenses.

  4. In the License Files section, select one of the following options:

    • Upload license files from a local computer - If a license file is already present on your local computer, you can upload it to the Citrix ADM. To add license files, click Browse and select the license file (.lic) that you want add. Then click Finish.

      Note

      If the uploaded license files does not add the licenses in the Citrix ADC Pooled capacity, you can select the license files and click Apply Licenses to add the licenses to the pool.

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    • Use license access code - Citrix emails the License Access Code (LAC) for the licenses that you purchase. To add license files, enter the LAC in the text box and then click Get Licenses.

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      Note

      At any time, you can add more licenses to Citrix ADM from the License Settings.

To allocate Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity licenses from Citrix ADM:

Note

If you have not registered the Citrix ADC instance with Citrix ADM, you can check-out licenses from Citrix ADM, but cannot allocate from Citrix ADM to the Citrix ADC pooled capacity enabled instance.

Ensure that the following prerequiste is met before you allocate pooled capacity licenses to the ADC instances.

Prerequisite

Before you can manage your instance’s pool licenses through Citrix ADM, you must register the Citrix ADC instance with the Citrix ADM. In the Citrix ADC GUI, navigate to System > Licenses > Manage Licenses and select the Register with Citrix ADM for manageability check box when adding the Citrix ADM IP.

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Note

In the Username and Password fields on the above screen, enter Citrix ADM credentials.

After the instance is registered with the license server, allocate the licenses as follows:

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of Citrix ADM (for example, http://192.168.100.1).
  2. In User Name and Password, enter the administrator credentials.
  3. On the Configuration tab, navigate to Networks > Licenses > Pooled Capacity.
  4. Click on the license pool that you want to manage.

  5. Select a Citrix ADC instance from the list of available instances by clicking on the > button.

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  6. If you want to change or release a license allocation, click Change allocation or Release allocation.

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  7. If you click Change allocation, a pop-up window with the available licenses in the license server appears.

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  8. You can choose the bandwidth or instance allocation to the Citrix ADC instance by setting the Allocate drop-down options. After making your selections, click Allocate.

  9. You can also change the allocated license edition from the drop-down options in the Change License Allocation window.

Configuring Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity on MPX-Z

MPX-Z is the Citrix ADC pooled-capacity enabled Citrix ADC MPX appliance. MPX-Z supports bandwidth pooling for Platinum, Enterprise, or Standard edition licenses.

MPX-Z require its platform licenses before it can connect to the license server. You can install the MPX-Z platform license by either uploading the license file from a local computer or using the instance’s hardware serial number, or the License Access Code from System > Licenses section of the Citrix ADC Instance’s GUI. If you remove the MPX-Z platform license, the pooled-capacity feature is disabled and all the checked-out licenses are checked in to the license server.

You can dynamically modify the Bandwidth of a MPX-Z instance without a restart. A restart is required only if you want to change the license edition.

Note

When you restart the instance, it automatically checks out the pooled licenses required for its configured capacity.

Configuring Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity on a Citrix ADC VPX Instance

A pooled-capacity enabled Citrix ADC VPX instance can check-out licenses from a bandwidth pool (Platinum/Enterprise/Standard editions). You can use the Citrix ADC GUI to check-out licenses from the license server.

You can dynamically modify the Bandwidth of a VPX instance without a restart. A restart is required only if you want to change the license edition.

Note

When you restart the instance, it will automatically check-out the pooled licenses required for its configured capacity.

Allocating Pool Licenses to a Citrix ADC MPX-Z or Citrix ADC VPX Instance

To allocate your licenses:

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of the Citrix ADC instance (for example, http://192.168.100.1).

  2. In the User Name and Password fields, enter the administrator credentials.

  3. On the Configuration tab, navigate to System > Licenses > Manage Licenses, click Add New License and select Use Pooled Licensing.

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  4. Enter the details of the license server in the Server Name/IP Address field.

  5. If you want to manage your instance’s pool licenses through Citrix ADM, select the Register with Citrix ADM for manageability check box and enter ADM credentials.

  6. Select the license edition and the required bandwidth, click Get Licenses.

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  7. You can change or release the license allocation by selecting Change allocation or Release allocation.

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  8. If you click Change allocation, a pop-up window shows the licenses available on the license server.

    Note

    A restart is not required if you change the bandwidth allocation, but a warm restart is required if you change the license edition.

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  9. You can allocate bandwidth or instances to the Citrix ADC instance from the Allocate drop-down list. Then click Get Licenses.

  10. You can choose the license edition and the bandwidth required from the drop-down lists in the pop-up window.

    Note

    Bandwidth allocation should be a multiple of the minimum bandwidth unit.

Configuring Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity on SDX-Z

An SDX-Z instance is a pooled-capacity enabled instance of Citrix ADC SDX. SDX-Z supports bandwidth pooling for Platinum, Enterprise, and Standard editions, and instance pooling. After you apply the SDX-Z platform license, the Management Service provides options for checking licenses out from and back into the licensing server, and for allocating bandwidth capacity to the Citrix ADC instances running on the SDX-Z platform.

Note

Citrix ADC VPX instances running on SDX-Z cannot directly check licenses out from or in to the license server. This can be done by the Management Service in SDX.

You can install the SDX-Z platform license by either uploading the license file from the local computer or using the instance’s hardware serial number, or the License Access Code.

If you remove the SDX-Z platform license, the pooled-capacity feature is disabled and all the licenses are checked back into the licensing server.

Note

If you reboot the instance, it checks-out the pooled licenses required for its configured capacity.

Pool Capacity on Citrix ADC SDX

Instance Pool:

An SDX appliance can provision same number of instances that are available in the instance pool of the SDX appliance.

Bandwidth Pool:

During Citrix ADC instance provisioning, bandwidth is allocated to the instance. You can select the edition and required bandwidth to provision a Virtual Citrix ADC instance. The Management Service allows the provisioning to continue only if the instance has sufficient bandwidth for the requested edition. You are notified if the bandwidth is insufficient.

Note

Bandwidth modification does not require an instance restart.

Allocating Pool Licenses to a Citrix ADC SDX-Z Instance

To allocate your licenses:

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of your Citrix ADC SDX-Z instance (for example, http://192.168.100.1).

  2. In the User Name and Password fields, enter the administrator credentials.

  3. On the Configuration tab, navigate to System > Licenses, and go to Pooled Capacity.

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  4. Enter the details of the license server in the Server Name/IP Address field.

  5. If you want to manage your instance’s pool licenses through Citrix ADM, select the Register with Citrix ADM check box and enter the ADM credentials.

  6. You can change or release the license allocation by selecting Change allocation or Release allocation.

    Note

    The checked out licenses are stored in a separate pool by the ADM.

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  7. To change the license allocation for a specific VPX instance in the SDX-Z instance, select the instance from the Instances section, and click Change allocation. A new window displays the available licenses.

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  8. You can change the bandwidth edition of the instance from the Feature License drop-down list, and the required bandwidth in the Throughput(mbps) field. Then click Done.

    Note

    Bandwidth allocation should be an integer multiple of the minimum bandwidth unit of the corresponding form factor.

Configuring Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity on a Citrix ADC CPX Instance

While provisioning the Citrix ADC CPX instance, you can configure the Citrix ADC CPX instance to use Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity. In the docker run command, you need to provide the Citrix ADC Licensing Server details. The Citrix ADC CPX instance checks-out licenses from the Instance pool.

Note

By default, Citrix ADC CPX instance checks-out an instance license from the instance pool and the throughput is automatically set to 1000 Mbps. You cannot modify the 1000 Mbps bandwidth allocated to the instance.

You can download Citrix ADC CPX from the Docker App Store. On the Docker host, to download Citrix ADC CPX, run the following command:

docker pull store/citrix/netscalercpx: <version>

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To configure Citrix ADC Pooled Capacity while provisioning the Citrix ADC CPX Instance:

While provisioning a Citrix ADC CPX instance, define the Citrix Licensing Server as an environmental variable in the docker run command as shown below:

docker run -dt -P -e LS_IP=<LS_IP_ADDRESS> -e LS_PORT=<LS_PORT> --name <container_name> --ulimit core=-1 -e EULA=yes -v <host_dir>:/cpx --cap-add=NET_ADMIN <REPOSITORY>:<TAG>

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Where:

  • <LS_IPADDRESS> is the IP address of the Citrix Licensing Server.
  • <LS_PORT> is the port of the Citrix Licensing Server. By default, the port is 27000.
Configure Citrix ADC pooled capacity
October 14, 2020
Contributed by: 
S S L
October 14, 2020
Contributed by: 
S S L

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