Countdown to LAS: Your Citrix Licensing Game Plan for the Next 6–7 Months
If you’re running Citrix on-prem, the clock is officially ticking. Citrix has announced the end of its legacy file-based licensing and the move to the License Activation Service (LAS). After April 15, 2026, products that still rely on file-based licenses will no longer function—LAS will be the only supported activation method for on-premises components. Citrix Cloud–only customers aren’t impacted by this change.
Below is a practical field guide you can hand to your infra and licensing teams today.
What’s changing (in plain English)
File-based licenses reach EOL on April 15, 2026. No grace period after that date—systems using legacy licensing will lose functionality.
LAS becomes mandatory for activating on-prem Citrix components (e.g., Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, NetScaler/ADC where supported). Staying supported means running LAS-compatible versions.
Citrix Cloud–only environments aren’t affected by this transition.
Why this matters
Operational risk: Licensing outages have historically caused avoidable downtime. LAS aims to remove license servers as single points of failure and automate entitlement updates.
Supportability: Post-deadline, legacy licensing = out of support and potential service disruption.
Security & modernization: Moving to current, supported versions tightens your exposure window and aligns with broader platform roadmaps.
Who’s impacted
On-prem customers running Citrix products licensed via the traditional file-based model. You must move to LAS and be on LAS-compatible builds.
Citrix Cloud–only customers: No action required for this specific change.
Action plan: a pragmatic path to April 15, 2026
1) Inventory & assess (Week 1–2)
Identify every product using file-based licensing (CVAD, NetScaler/ADC, Provisioning, etc.).
Record current versions, license server details, and renewal dates.
Map each product to the required LAS-compatible version. (Start with Citrix’s “What’s New in Licensing” and product-specific LAS notes.)
2) Version alignment (Weeks 3–8)
Build an upgrade matrix to get each product onto a LAS-ready release.
For CVAD and NetScaler, confirm exact build requirements and any interop considerations (Delivery Controllers, StoreFront, FAS, ADC firmware).
3) Stand up LAS (Weeks 6–10)
Establish connectivity and register entitlements with LAS per Citrix guidance.
In staged/non-prod, activate a subset of components via LAS and validate usage reporting and entitlement updates.
4) Cutover in waves (Weeks 10–16)
Migrate sites/farms/instances in controlled batches during maintenance windows.
Keep a rollback runbook (snapshots, config backups, license server fallback plan for the window before final retirement).
5) Harden & monitor (Ongoing)
Implement observability: alert on activation status, entitlement sync, and any session anomalies.
Document SOPs for renewals (LAS automates entitlement updates, but you still want governance checks).
Technical checklist
CVAD: Confirm Delivery Controllers and licensing components are on LAS-compatible versions; plan the agent/VDAs upgrade path accordingly.
NetScaler (ADC): Verify your firmware supports LAS and understand how your current license type maps under LAS (e.g., UHMC/CPL where applicable).
Provisioning (PVS): Validate version requirements and complete any post-upgrade license configuration steps.
Connectivity & egress: Ensure outbound rules and proxies allow required LAS endpoints (per product docs).
Contracts & renewals: Coordinate with procurement so terms/quantities align to your LAS entitlements before cutover. (Citrix notes LAS will automate entitlement updates at renewal.)
Risk scenarios to avoid
“We’ll do it next quarter.” After April 15, 2026, legacy file-based licenses stop working; delay risks outright service impact.
Partial upgrades without LAS enablement. Being on a current build but not activated through LAS still leaves you exposed.
Ignoring NetScaler. ADCs also move under LAS requirements; don’t let edge licensing be the bottleneck.
FAQs (condensed)
Does this affect Citrix Cloud only deployments?
No—Citrix states Cloud-only customers are not impacted by the LAS transition.
What happens if we don’t move by the deadline?
Citrix says legacy licensing will cease to function, leading to loss of functionality.
Will we still need a license server?
LAS shifts activation and entitlement to a cloud service, reducing reliance on traditional license servers and associated outages. Review product docs for any component-specific services still required.
Next steps you can schedule today
Executive brief (30 mins): Confirm scope, budget owner, and deadline risk.
LAS readiness workshop (2 hrs): Versions, upgrade matrix, maintenance calendar.
Pilot cutover (1–2 weeks): One CVAD site + one ADC pair.
Global rollout: Waves every 1–2 weeks with rollback checkpoints.
