Software Asset Management publisher pack for Citrix
Summarize
Summary of Software Asset Management publisher pack for Citrix
The Citrix publisher pack for Software Asset Management (SAM) enables ServiceNow customers to optimize and reconcile their Citrix product licenses. By activating theSoftware Asset Management Professional for Citrix plugin (com.snsampcitrix), you can track licensing positions for Citrix users and devices to ensure license compliance. The pack supports both Virtual Applications (formerly XenApp) and Virtual Desktop (formerly XenDesktop) products, providing visibility into third-party applications delivered through Citrix environments and the users potentially accessing them.
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Data collection relies on the ServiceNow Discovery application to gather license consumption data from the Citrix License Server and identify applications delivered via the Citrix Delivery Controller using OData APIs. Administrators must configure Discovery schedules using the Citrix discovery pattern to create software installation records and track license usage effectively.
Citrix Licensing Models
The publisher pack supports two primary Citrix licensing models:
- Concurrent Licensing Model: Licenses are checked out during active sessions and checked back in when sessions end. License consumption is based on the number of active licenses used, allowing either one connection to a virtual desktop or unlimited applications per user or device.
- User/Device Licensing Model: Licenses are assigned to either specific users or shared devices. Users assigned a license can make unlimited connections from unlimited devices, and devices assigned a license can support unlimited users. Consumption is based on the assigned user or device.
License Management and Access Control
Licensing for third-party applications delivered through Citrix virtualization is based on potential access. Any user or device with potential access to a virtual application or desktop may consume a license.
Access control is managed through:
- Delivery Groups: Collections of devices specifying which users can access particular Citrix applications or desktops.
- Application Groups: Collections of applications shared across Delivery Groups or subsets of users, specifying user or Active Directory group access.
ServiceNow SAM considers user mappings at the Application Group level if users are mapped at both Delivery and Application Group levels.
Practical Usage and Insights
You can view Citrix license usage data in the Software Publisher Analytics dashboard for Citrix to monitor compliance and optimize license allocation by reclaiming unused or unauthorized licenses.
Additionally, you can create software entitlements to define detailed license terms aligned with your software models, either by adding entitlements individually or importing them from spreadsheets.
License usage and compliance can also be reviewed in the Software Asset Management classic application and the Software Asset Workspace through the publisher overview for Citrix Systems.
Use the Citrix publisher pack for the optimization and reconciliation of your Citrix products. You can track licensing positions for your Citrix users and devices so that you can determine your license compliance.
To use the Citrix publisher pack, activate the Software Asset Management Professional for Citrix plugin (com.sn_samp_citrix). For details, see Request Software Asset Management.
The Citrix publisher pack supports Virtual Applications products (formerly XenApp) and Virtual Desktop products (formerly XenDesktop). Using this publisher pack, you can manage licenses and determine the license compliance for your Citrix products. You can gain visibility into the third-party applications that are delivered through your virtual applications and desktops. You can also gain visibility into the users that may potentially access those applications.
Use the ServiceNow® Discovery application to collect data from Citrix. The license consumption data for your Citrix products is collected from the Citrix License Server.
Discovery uses OData APIs to identify the third-party applications that are delivered through your Citrix farm from the Citrix Delivery Controller. Use this information to create software installation records and track license usage for these applications. To identify these applications, admins must create a Discovery schedule to run on the Citrix discovery pattern. See Citrix License Server and Delivery Controller discovery for more details on the Citrix discovery pattern and tables.
Citrix licensing models
- Concurrent licensing model
- Concurrent licenses are used only during active sessions. When a user begins a session, the application or desktop checks out a license for the device that is running the session. When the session disconnects or ends, the application or desktop checks the license back in to make the license available to other users and devices. Concurrent licenses enable either one connection to a virtual desktop or unlimited applications for any user or device. License consumption is based on the number of licenses being used.
- User/Device licensing model
- User/Device licensing model: User/Device licenses are assigned to either a user or shared device. If the Citrix License Server assigns a license to a user, that user can make unlimited connections from unlimited devices. If the Citrix License Server assigns a license to a device, unlimited users can make unlimited connections from that device. License consumption is based on the user or device using the license.
- Delivery Groups
- Delivery Groups are collections of devices on which you can use Citrix applications or desktops. Each Delivery Group specifies the users that have access to those devices. In addition, Delivery Groups specify the applications or desktops that are available to those users.
- Application Groups
- Application Groups are collections of applications that are shared across Delivery Groups or subsets of Delivery Group users. Each Application Group specifies the users or Active Directory (AD) groups that have access to those applications.
Refer to the Citrix product documentation for more information on Citrix deployment guidelines and recommendations. Use this information to determine whether you should map your users at the Delivery Group level or at the Application Group level. If you map users at both levels, Software Asset Management considers mappings at only the Application Group level.
You can view your Citrix license usage data from the Software Publisher Analytics dashboard for Citrix. Use this data to optimize your license position by reclaiming any unused or unauthorized licenses.