Feature Release 2 / Licensing / and CHFARM cmd

[mjbrown]

THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG...BE FOR-WARNED:
I haven't seen anything like this in any of the other posts, so I guess I will start one.

I have an enterprise farm that when new servers get added, it blows over half my licenses away out of the CMC and corrupts the rest. I know this sounds weird, but it is the 3rd time it has happened and I finally noticed the pattern.

Our servers are built off site by an outsourcer (we have around 10 servers go in a week). The build is all silent for the OS and all core applications. During the build, the server is configured with an Evaluation Copy of the Citrix software as well as the proper Eval Product Code. It also joins a farm that is the same name as the server being built which is entered during the Answer File creation process of the automated build.

After the server is installed on the Production network, we Audit the build, then configure the server to our 'standard' build. After this process, I run the CHFARM command and join our Enterprise Farm. Currently the Data-Store is in Access on the same server as the Data Collector for one Zone (this will be SQL in about 2 weeks, once approved by the Enterprise Data-Base group).

After these servers join the Farm, I start getting calls that users are getting an error that a Citrix License could not be found, then an error that states something ike you do not have permission to log on to this session (all rights are correct and match all other servers in the Farm).

Has anyone seen anything like this at all?

Win2000 SP3
Citrix Metaframe XPe 1.0 SP2, FR2

Farm currently has 18 server with 20 more in the next few weeks. There are 4 Zones configured and all servers are in the proper zone with a Most Preferred server selected as the Data Collector.

All license match...there is a matching FR2 installed and activated for the Server and each connection pack. The Summary Tab of the CMC states that there are 18 Servers and 170 Connections as well as the same numbers for FR2.

I know I am babbleing, but I am sick of running the licdelete.exe form Citrix and re-adding al the Licenses that I have and dealing with Citrix and activating the Licenses so many times.

Thanks for any Help


Mike Brown CCA

 

[CitrixEngineer]

My immediate question is whether the license information returns if you recreate the LHC on each server using dsmaint.

I'm not sure I fully "get" your configuration - you say 10 servers go in a week - does your enterprise run to hundreds of servers per farm? If so, your move to SQL should fix this issue, since you get rid of the bottleneck caused by having a direct connection to the Data Store. I find this is OK up to 50 servers, if necessary, but my preference is not to use Access for >20 servers.


Hope this is helpful

CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[mjbrown]

Thanks CE, how did I know you would have some suggestions?
I will recreate the LHC on all the servers today, it makes sense though. All the servers that I stated go in weekly are not Citrix servers, just Win2000 servers, that is why we do not build all the servers ourselves. We are going through an aquisition right now and alot of our departments are going to Citrix for their applications for each of transition. Thanks, I will let you know how I make out with the dsmaint recreatelhc utility...

Thanks

Mike Brown CCA

 

[mjbrown]

Actually found that the Eval Code in the build is a bad idea...I removed the license from the answer file and changed the Product code to the normal XPe code. Once this occured all new server added to the farm did not wipe out my licenses. We ran across this in the MF Ent. Admin class though that were also using a Eval Code. Problem Solved...Thanks CE for the Help, remember this if anyone else ever asks.

Mike Brown CCA