You will love this! #6: Connect to your Citrix server and understand your concurrent usage through history analysis.

This “You will love this!” article introduces a solution developed by NR SAM Consulting that could make your SAM Manager's life easier with understanding on a complex per concurrent license metric the usage and potential optimization: Citrix.

4/26/20243 min read

Just a proof point of limitless features delivered by NR SAM Consulting

Solving the headache of concurrent users applications in FlexNet Manager.

Citrix is one of the applications where the best inventory agent and FlexNet Manager will not deliver a lot. Please note that a specialized solution of Flexera: "FlexNet Manager for Engineering Applications" (FNMEA) is specialized in collecting concurrent application data. Flexera / Ravenera has some legitimacy in the area as one of the leaders in license servers and monetization solutions in called "Ravenera FlexNet Licensing"!

When the need is focused, and Citrix is a great example that nearly any Enterprise Company uses today, NR SAM Consulting can set up an integration with the Citrix License Server and FlexNet Manager (on premise) and the related reports that will provide the full transparency on Citrix Virtual Desktop usage:

  • Concurrent access of users, hour by hour

  • Report exposing daily peaks and monthly peaks as well as computation of average usage or peak usage versus number of licenses.

  • Reporting of monthly peak (or any period peak agreed with customer) in the license consumption.

Citrix Optimization solution.
Citrix Optimization solution.
Solution

To reach this, NR SAM Consulting performs the following for a FlexNet Manager on Premises instance:

  • Extract the concurrent usage, every 30 minutes with a PowerShell script or using csv files that the Citrix teams already generates.

  • Store the data in SQL Tables, along with consumption KPIs that are exposed in the report.

  • Create a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Concurrent Access Analysis report that provides full transparency on the data and usage KPIs

  • Create a Citrix Virtual Apps And Desktop (Concurrent) license that will constantly reflect the 30 days peak

A NR SAM Consulting reports that provides full transparency and allows Citrix Optimization.
A NR SAM Consulting reports that provides full transparency and allows Citrix Optimization.
What you see here can be done with any Concurrent User solution that delivers on API call or SQL query concurrent use.
Interested?

If you want to make Flexera One ITAM more optimized and automated, just contact me.

Want to learn more?

You can find the links to the 24 recorded Flexera SAM Best Practices Webinars in the "ITAM Best Practice Available in the Community" Flexera KB article.

You can also access one of the many articles of the NR SAM Consulting Blog!

KPIs are computed by the report.
KPIs are computed by the report.
The report catches peaks and gives KPIs

The report highlights daily peaks, monthly peaks and provides consumption KPIs:

  • License Consumption (percentage)

  • Average License Consumption on working hours

  • Concurrent usage vs. daily peak

  • Concurrent usage vs. monthly peak

Data is extracted and stored in a SQL "NRCitrixConcurrentUsage" table

A PowerShell script combined with a Business Importer extract and import the Citrix concurrent usage 30 minutes data points and import into a SQL Database, triggered by a scheduled task. In this version, data is received once a day in csv files.

Citrix usage data is automatically collected.
Citrix usage data is automatically collected.
Developing extraction scripts requires strong skills.
Developing extraction scripts requires strong skills.
A Citrix Virtual Apps And Desktops Concurrent Access Analysis report gives full transparency

A custom SQL report reads the historical data in the table and allows to access all concurrent usage records, with possibility to filter on dates, hours of the day and do some data mining.

The Citrix Desktops And Virtual Apps (Concurrent) license reflects the 30 day peak

This custom metric license is updated with the 30 peak information and number of rights from the latest information for each license reconciliation.