How to reset the admin password for Citrix Licensing Server

Sometimes the Citrix licensing server doesn’t get accessed for a long time, maybe the admin leaves and is replaced and no-one made a note of the password. Suddenly, you can’t access the licensing server any more. What to do ?

If you have access to the disk sub system (ie.. the files) on the licensing server then it is possible to reset the admin password.

1. Open the “server.xml” file in C:\Program Files\Citrix\Licensing\LS\conf. If on Win2k8 you will need to open your editor as an admin. (Take a copy of the file first – if anything goes wrong you can simply copy the file back to restore the original settings).

2. Find the entry that looks something like this:

<user firstName=”System” id=”admin” lastName=”Administrator” password=”(ENC-01)LKJ338u98uxkllS(*U+ljljlja-$78923ghJgs” passwordExpired=”false” privileges=”admin”/>;

3. Erase the contents between the double quotes after “password=”

4. Enter a plain text password , for example password=”TemporaryPassword”

5. Change the passwordExpired value to be “true” and save the server.xml file.

6. Restart the licensing services or, at a push, reboot the server.

7. Log into the licensing console using user name “admin” and the password set above.

8. You will be prompted to change your password. The new password will be encrypted in the server.xml file.

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Installing applications to XenApp that require a reboot

When you install applications to XenApp you place the server into “install” mode (using change user /install) to start recording per user registry key changes to the shadow key (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\Install\Software).

Occasionally the software installation requires a reboot part way through before continuing the installation. However, when you reboot the server is placed back into execute mode and changes are no longer recorded. But, you can’t place the server back into install mode before the installation continues.

What to do ?

One way the server knows how to continue the software installation after a reboot is to write the string to the RunOnce key at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce. So, you can simply delete the appropriate part of this key, reboot the server, place it back into install mode and then manually run the command that was originally written to this key.

In this way you can still capture the changes made.

Other keys to check (just in case the installer utilises these keys) are:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run(Once)

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run(Once)

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Connecting to the registry with PowerPoint

To connect to the registry, we can list our possible choices using get-psdrive. The output will be similar to the below:

Name Used (GB) Free (GB) Provider Root
—- ——— ——— ——– —-
Alias Alias
C 240.39 57.60 FileSystem C:\
cert Certificate \
D 5.81 FileSystem D:\
E 3.64 FileSystem E:\
Env Environment
Function Function
HKCU Registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER
HKLM Registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Variable Variable
WSMan WSMan

To mount the registry as a drive enter the command set-location: for example

set-location HKCU:

Note the colon at the end of the command.

You can then list the various items by using ls or Get-ChildItem. Setting the drive to the environment (Set-Location Env:) and then using Get-ChildItem lists all of the environment settings for the system

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Setting up your PowerShell Environment

Want to have your powershell environment the way you want it each time you start PowerShell ?

Find the location of your default profile by typing profile$ at a PowerShell prompt. That will show you where your default profile script is held. For example:

C:\Users\philipflint\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1

Any statements that you add to this script will automatically be run each time you start PowerShell.

In this way you can call any plug ins or other scripts that you want.

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Getting Environment Variables with Powershell

Need to know the value of an environment variable on your computer such as the temp path ? Nothing could be easier.

$env:temp

OR

$env:tmp

Wnat to know who you are logged on as ?

$env:username

Want to know what the “path” is ?

$env:path

So, the trick is to enter $env: followed by the environment variable you want the value of. Want to know what environment variables you can use ?

Just access the advanced tab of computer properties and click on the “Environment Vaiables” button

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Senna the movie

Well, just been to see the film and here’s what I think

A) the racing footage is amazing, very low level and gives you a real sense of the excitement and challenge of getting round the track at high speed, far more so that you get on TV

B) even though I’ve said the above, what the long duration drivers eye view shots show is how slow the cars seem to go ….. Again, maybe something to do with the angle

C) Alain Prost is definitely NOT portrayed as the villain of the piece. You can tell by the way he looks at Senna and talks to him that he really likes him but as senior driver is exasperated at times. Yes, he was upset by a y Kung whippersnapper coming in, going fasternand beating him when he was not only lead driver in the team but also World Champion but thats only to be expected

D) both Senna and Prost did things to win their world championships that they would be less than proud of later on …. But this just shows the will to win at the very top in any sport

E) the scenes of the 3 crashes at Imola are very moving. It’s obvious from the film that Ratzenberger was dead at the time so the footage is quite shocking. To see Senna walking and talking knowing that he only has hours to live is quite distressing, especially when you see him on the grid with only minutes left …… You hope that the ending will change but know it won’t.

All of that said the one thing that everyone should understand is that Ayrtons charity has educated more than 12 million children, far more of an achievement than anything he ever managed in racing. A lasting legacy of which anyone would be justifiably proud.

Also, this movie has reinvented the BioPic using footage of t he person themselves to tell the story. Yes, it’s a documentary but it is also the story of a mans life who managed to achieve everything he set out to do and left the world a better place.

Is it a great movie ? I think it’s one of the best films you will see this year whether you are an F1 fan or not. A simple story honestly and fairly told.

Estimates of Bandwidth Required by XenDesktop

Parameter (medium workloads)

XenDesktop Bandwidth

XenDesktop with Branch Repeater

Office

43 kbps  

31 kbps  

Internet

85 kbps  

38 kbps  

Printing

553-593 kbps  

155-180 kbps  

Flash Video

174 kbps  

128 kbps  

Standard WMV Video

464 kbps  

148 kbps  

High Definition WMV Video

1812 kbps  

206 kbps  

Idle

Minimal  

Minimal  

Ports used by NetScaler

Port

Type

Use

Secure

22/TCP

HTTP

SSH

Secure

80/TCP

HTTP

GUI web front-end, XML-API

Non-secure

161/UDP

HTTP

SNMP request/response traffic (polling)

Non-secure

162/UDP

HTTP

SNMP traps

Non-secure

443/TCP

HTTPS

GUI web front end, XML-API

Secure

3003/UDP

HTTP

High availability heartbeat

Non-secure

3008/TCP

HTTPS

GUI Java applet, high availability communication

Secure

3009/TCP

HTTPS

High availability communication, GSLB MEP communication

Secure

3010/TCP

HTTP

GUI Java applet, high availability communication

Non-secure

3011/TCP

HTTP

High availability communication, GSLB MEP communication

Non-secure

Believe it or not this is a XenApp desktop

If you want users to think they are using a windows desktop it’s possible.

http://community.citrix.com/display/ocb/2011/05/23/Believe+it+or+Not+…+This+is+a+XenApp+Desktop

I didn’t say it was easy, just possible !

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Anti Virus Exclusions

If you re running a windows operating system you will want to set up some standard anti-virus exclusions. Most people ust install their A/V product and don’t configure it leading to complaints around slowing down of the computer or things just plain not working. A classing is the secedit.sdb fil becoming corrupted and preventing GPO’s being sunsequently applied.

Microsoft (and Citrix) list their standard exclusions as below.

AV on ALL windows computers

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822158

Additional AV exclusions on servers running MS Server products

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/943556

Citrix AV exclusions

http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX127030

AppSense Exclusions

http://appsensebigot.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/antivirus-exclusions-for-appsense.html