05: How do I specifically exclude or prevent a component from performing processing by modifying the license file?

Before you decide you wish to use this method, consider first using the ADMX method to disable specific components. The ADMX method is recommended over hand-editing the license file and has the same effect. Therefore please consider this method first: https://kb.policypak.com/kb/article/240-what-if-i-want-to-unlicense-one-component-like-pppreferences/

However, if you wish to hard-unlicense a component via the license file you may do that inside your Universal License file.

A Universal License file will express all the components you are licensed for. There are two types of Universal Licenses. First identify what kind of universal license you have:

Type 1: Licenses which express specific components you are licensed for. Example is..

Type 2: Licenses type which express that you are licensed for “Enterprise Full” and therefore licensed for all components.

How to modify Type 1 Licenses:

When your license expresses the specific components you are licensed for, you will see lines in the license file like

<component id="608ba33d-af06-46f9-9e6c-62495560024e" name="PolicyPak Preferences"  />

And/Or

<component id="32f17e56-85b0-460f-b029-8eaa332f440b" name="PolicyPak File Association Manager" />

To make a specific component stop performing work and processing, you can modify the license for each component you want to affect like this:

<component id="608ba33d-af06-46f9-9e6c-62495560024e" name="PolicyPak Preferences" enabled="false" />

And/Or

<component id="32f17e56-85b0-460f-b029-8eaa332f440b" name="PolicyPak File Association Manager" enabled="false" />

Note: For the last component in the section you need to use:
enabled="false" > instead of enabled="false" />

For example:
<component id="58de0268-6384-49e0-a333-20ec46654b82" name="PolicyPak Least Privilege Manager" enabled="false" >

How to Modify a Type 2 License:

Warning: This procedure will only work when the endpoint is running a CSE build later than 23.8 and is not expected to work on CSE 23.6 (which will accept Enterprise Full licenses, but will not accept the <disabled> block. Additionally only MMC snap-ins 23.8 and later will accept Enterprise Full licenses with the <disabled> block.

First, identify which component(s) you wish to unlicensed. You will need the names and GUIDs from this KB: https://kb.policypak.com/kb/article/293-what-cses-are-contained-within-policypak-what-are-their-cse-guids-and-in-what-release-did-they-appear/

For instance, if you wanted to unlicense PolicyPak Browser Router and also PolicyPak Preferences 2.0 you would create an XML block like this

<disabled> 

    <component id="1659C456-08FC-4359-B125-BB70EE34DD55" name="PolicyPak Browser Router"/>

    <component id="8a67684e-f09b-48dc-ad85-17c014ae5560" name="PolicyPak Preferences 2.0"/>

</disabled>

Then, the final and exact positioning in your Universal “Enterprise Full” license file would be like what’s seen in this example (after the </capabilities> closing block.

Next steps after License XML modification / Import into MMC Console

The license is now ready to deploy via any method, like Group Policy or MSI wrap-up for use with an MDM provider like Intune.

Note that the 23.8 and later MMC is preferred for any modified licenses that you’ve created. The MMC console will express which components you have placed in the <disabled> blocks.

The Group Policy Settings Report will also express this as well.

Result of unlicensing specific component(s):

Then after the computer picks up the new license (via GPO, MDM, etc.) you can then verify via the PPUPDATE command if the computer will stop processing that component.

The result of modified components via blocked license can be seen here as an example.