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Application Delivery Management
14.1 - Current Release 13.1 13.0
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Check in and check out NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX licenses

February 14, 2024
Contributed by: 
S C

You can allocate NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX licenses to NetScaler instances on demand from NetScaler Console. The NetScaler Console software stores and manages the licenses, which have a licensing framework that provides scalable and automated license provisioning. An instance can check out the license from NetScaler Console when it is provisioned. When an instance is removed or destroyed, the instance checks back in its license to the NetScaler Console software.

Prerequisites

Make sure that the following prerequisites are met:

  • You are using a NetScaler VPX image running software version 12.0.
    For example: NSVPX-ESX-12.0-xx.xx_nc.zip
  • You have installed NetScaler Console running version 12.0.
    For example: MAS-ESX-12.0-xx.xx.zip

Note

To manage existing NetScaler VPX licenses by NetScaler Console, you need to rehost the licenses to NetScaler Console.

Installing licenses in NetScaler Console

Note

Before installing licenses, restart the NetScaler Console virtual appliance if you have changed the software edition or bandwidth.

To install license files on NetScaler Console:

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

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

  3. Navigate to Infrastructure > Pooled Licensing.

  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 NetScaler Console.
      To add license files, click Browse and select the license file (.lic) that you want to add. Then click Finish.

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

    Note

    Make sure you are connected to the internet before using the license access code for installing the licenses.

    At any time, you can add more licenses to NetScaler Console from the License Settings page.

Verification

You can view the available and allocated licenses in the NetScaler Console GUI.

To display the licenses:

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

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

  3. On the Configuration tab, navigate to Infrastructure > Pooled Licensing > VPX Licenses.

    verify-license

  4. You can view the allocated licenses in the table under the available licenses section.

Allocate NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX Licenses to an NetScaler instance by using the NetScaler GUI

  1. In a web browser, type the IP address of the NetScaler 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 Settings > Licenses > Manage Licenses, click Add New License, and select Use Remote Licensing > CICO Licensing.

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

  5. In Username and Password, enter NetScaler Console credentials and click Continue.

    allocate-license-gui-1

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

    allocate-license-gui-2

  7. Click Reboot, your NetScaler instance reboots.

  8. You can change or release the license allocation by navigating to System > Licenses > Manage Licenses, and selecting Change allocation or Release allocation.

    allocate-license-gui-3

  9. If you click Change allocation, a pop-up window shows the licenses available on the license server. Select the required license, click Get Licenses.

    allocate-license-gui-4

Allocate NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX Licenses to an NetScaler instance by using the NetScaler CLI

  1. In an SSH client, enter the IP address of the NetScaler instance, and log on by using administrator credentials.

  2. To add a licensing server, enter the following command:

    add ns licenseserver (<licenseServerIP> | <serverName>) [-port <port number >]
<!--NeedCopy-->

    add-license-server-cli-1

  3. To show the available licenses on the licensing server, enter the following command:

    sh licenseserverpool
<!--NeedCopy-->

    add-license-server-cli-2

  4. To assign a license to NetScaler, enter the following command:

    set capacity –platform V\[S/E/P\]\[Bandwidth\]
<!--NeedCopy-->

    add-license-server-cli-3

Allocate NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX Licenses to an NetScaler instance by using the API

In a web browser or an API client, log on to the NetScaler instance by using the administrator credentials.

To add a licensing server:

  1. Set the request type to Post.

  2. Set the path to /nitro/v1/config/nslicensingserver.

  3. Set the payload as follows:

    content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\\r\\n
\\r\\n
object= {“params”;{warning”:”yes”},”nslicensing server”;{servername”:”\<NetScaler Console IP\>”, “port”:”27000”}}\\r\\n
<!--NeedCopy-->

    add-license-server-api-1

    NetScaler Console responds to the request. The following sample response shows success.

    add-license-server-api-2

To view the available licenses on the licensing server:

  1. Set the request type to Get.

  2. Set the path to /nitro/v1/config/nslicenseserverpool

    view-license-api-1

    NetScaler Console responds to the request. The following sample response shows success, and the list of available licenses on the license server.

    view-license-api-2

To assign a license to NetScaler:

  1. Set the request type to Post.

  2. Set the path to /nitro/v1/config/nscapacity.

  3. Set the payload as follows:

    content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\\r\\n
\\r\\n
{“nscapacity:{“platform”:”VE8000”}}\\r\\n
<!--NeedCopy-->

    assign-license-api-1

    NetScaler Console responds to the request. The following sample response shows success.

    assign-license-api-2

Update a licensing server IP address

You can update the licensing server IP address in NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX instances, without any impact on the allocated license bandwidth on the instance and data loss.

Update using the CLI: To update the licensing server IP address using the CLI, type the following command on the instance:

add licenseserver <licensing server IP address> -forceUpdateIP

This command connects to the new server and releases the resources associated with the previous licensing server.

Update using the GUI: To update the licensing server IP address using the GUI, navigate to System > Licenses > Manage Licenses, click Add New License For more information, see Allocate NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX Licenses to an NetScaler instance by using the NetScaler GUI.

Configure Expiry Checks for NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX Check-In and Check-Out Licenses

You can now configure the license expiry threshold for NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX licenses. By setting thresholds, NetScaler Console sends notifications via email or SMS when a license is due to expire. An SNMP trap and a notification are also sent when the license has expired on NetScaler Console.

An event is generated when a license expiry notification is sent and this event can be viewed on NetScaler Console.

To configure license expiry checks:

  1. Navigate to Infrastructure > Pooled Licensing.

  2. In the License Settings page, under the License Expiry Information section, you can find the details of the licenses that are going to expire:

    • Feature: Type of license that is going to expire.

    • Count: Number of virtual servers or instances that are affected.

    • Days to expiry: Number of days before license expiry.

  3. In the Notification Settings section, click the Edit icon and specify the alert threshold. You can set a percentage of Pooled license capacity to be used to notify administrators.

  4. Choose the type of notification that you want to send by selecting the appropriate checkbox. The notification types are as follows:

    1. Email Profile: Specify a mail server and profile details. An email is triggered when your licenses are about to expire.

    2. SMS Profile: Specify a Short Message Service (SMS) server and profile details. An SMS message is triggered when your licenses are about to expire.

  5. Then, specify when you want to send the notification in terms of the number of days before license expiry.

  6. Click Save.

Check in and check out NetScaler VPX and NetScaler BLX licenses
February 14, 2024
Contributed by: 
S C
February 14, 2024
Contributed by: 
S C

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