Cisco Data Center Network Manager Licensing
Overview
Cisco Data Center Network Manager (Cisco DCNM) is Cisco's Multi-Domain manager for NX-OS capable platforms that helps Provision, Monitor, Manage, and Maintain NX-OS based data center deployments. Cisco DCNM supports SAN fabrics, LAN fabrics, IP for media controller and traditional LAN deployments.
Each device being managed by Cisco DCNM needs a license key which provides a Right to Manage (RTM) for a given switch; that license key (or a pack of licenses) may be installed in the Cisco DCNM server (for LAN or SAN function) or on the switch (only for SAN function). Further, the Nexus Essentials or Nexus Advantage licenses for Cisco Nexus switches also provide that RTM for a given switch on which they are installed.
The Cisco DCNM server requires a perpetual license for each instance of the DCNM server (for example, DCNM-SVR-11-K9).
The licensing workflow is as follows:
-
DCNM server-based license keys supply a license ID that uniquely identifies the server hosting the DCNM application.
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DCNM server-based license keys are created in such a way that they include this License ID.
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DCNM receives back the license keys and apply them to the installation thereby unlocking the additional features packaged in the DCNM software.
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DCNM switch-based licenses keys (SAN only) may alternatively supply a License ID that is the switch HostID.
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The Nexus Essentials and Advantage Licenses supply an implicit RTM license that is tied to the switch's HostID.
Introduction
Cisco DCNM Licensed Devices
For DCNM server-based licenses, the DCNM keeps a pool of licenses that are assigned to the discovered switches. The DCNM licensed devices feature allows you to select which physical devices you can manage. You assign a license instance to one of the discovered switches.
For switch-based licenses (SAN, Nexus Essentials, or Nexus Advantage), the DCNM will indicate that the device is managed because DCNM recognizes that the device carries an RTM license.
You can add as many devices to licenses as your licenses support. For example, if you install two LAN Enterprise licenses that each support 5 devices of a given type of device, you can add a total of 10 devices to the list of licensed devices.
You can also remove devices from the list of licensed devices and replace them with other devices.
When you try to use a Cisco DCNM licensed feature to configure a device that you have not added to the list of licensed devices, the Cisco DCNM client does not allow you to use the feature to configure the unlicensed device.
Cisco DCNM Release 10.x is packaged with a time-based default evaluation license upon installation. An Advanced Feature Trial License exists on the server after the initial installation. On the Cisco DCNM Web Client, a license filename with text of "30DayTrialLicense" is added in Administration > DCNM Server > License page. After 30 days of trial, click Assign All or Unassign All to change all the license from evaluation license to permanent licenses on Cisco DCNM at Administration > DCNM Server > License > License Assignments.
The 30DayTrialLicense provides 500 SAN and 500 advanced feature licenses without having to download or install a single file. This license will work for any licensable switch and expires after 30 days. You must use the MAC address of the DCNM server to fetch an evaluation license or a permanent license from www.cisco.com.
The license costs for Cisco DCNM are determined by the switch platform type and by the number of units within each platform. The advanced feature licenses are available for the following switch platforms: Cisco Nexus 7000, Nexus 7700, Nexus 9200, Nexus 9300, Nexus 9500, Nexus 5000, Nexus 3000, MDS 9100, MDS 9200, MDS 9300, MDS 9500, and MDS 9700 Series switches. Each platform has an individual price that is based on whether it is a LAN versus SAN switch and modular versus a fixed chassis. The advanced features for Cisco Nexus 1000V series switches are part of the image at no cost. In addition, Cisco DCNM has a many features that are enabled for free as part of the image. The features are split between SAN and LAN platforms (hardware support and Cisco NX-OS features) and application-specific features such as VMware path analytics [vCenter integration], performance trending, event forwarding, and so on.
However, the biggest value of Cisco DCNM is its license structure. If you have purchased the Cisco DCNM server-based advanced feature license for any Cisco Nexus or Cisco MDS switches, that license stays valid for the lifetime of the platform at Cisco. For example, if you replace an older switch with a new generation switch of the same platform (that is, MDS 9506 with MDS 9513) the license can be reassigned. Cisco DCNM advanced licenses are also available as part of Cisco Nexus bundle, which are applicable only to DCNM server-based licenses.
Cisco DCNM also supports older Fabric Manager (FM) licenses (SAN only) that have been installed on the switch. These licenses provide high availability (HA) with up to ten management servers that manage a single fabric in parallel. However, Fabric Manager licenses are only valid for the lifetime of the switch inside the data center and expire when the switch is decommissioned from the data center. You can still order switch-based licenses as spares if you prefer the HA capability.
Services contract SKUs (CON-SAU) are required for Cisco TAC support for upgrades from one version of Cisco DCNM to another.
If you would like to evaluate Cisco DCNM in your own environment, Cisco makes the advanced licenses available for 30 days which can be extended by another 60 days if required (EVAL/DEMO site). This demo license is limited to 20 units per platform. Go to www.cisco.com/go/licensing to obtain demo/evaluation licenses.
Guidelines and Limitations for Administering DCNM Licensed Devices
Administering DCNM Licensed Devices has the following configuration guidelines and limitations:
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You can add only managed devices to the list of licensed devices.
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You can add to the list of licensed devices only as many devices as permitted by all of the advanced feature licenses that you have installed or that are recognized in the switch.
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When you remove a device from the list of licensed devices, the device becomes unmanaged.
Note
A device will not be deleted from inventory based on a license action.
If the physical device supports virtual device context (VDCs), all the VDCs on the device are removed from Cisco DCNM. To continue managing the device, you must discover the device.
License Tokens and Examples
Cisco DCNM Licensing can be server-based green token or switch-based blue token. Tokens are also called as product identifiers (PIDs).
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Server-based token: Tokens are generic for a given product family. For example, DCNM-LAN-N5K-K9= is a server-based token for Nexus 5000 Series Switches. The server will manage any device it finds for that series of switches. All licenses are tied to the MAC address of the server.
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Switch-based token: Tokens are specific to the managed switch. For example, DCNM-SAN-M92X-K9= is a switch-based token for Cisco MDS 9200 Switches. The token is tied to the host ID of the switch, for example, JAE1842025J. “X” in the token indicates a switch-based license token. This type of token is only used for storage functionality and not for LAN functionality.
You can get a license in the following two ways:
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Purchase with switch
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Get the software bundle as part of the switch, like N77-C7710-SBUN-P1.
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Get the Cisco DCNM license as part of the switch, like DCNM-LAN-N9K-K9.
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A La Carte or spare License
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Purchase an A La Carte Software Bundle.
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Purchase a Server-based license. For example: L-DCNM-N5K-K9=
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Purchase a Switch-based license. For example: L-DCNM-S-M97XK9=
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Following table displays the various license examples:
PID/License |
Class |
Description |
Type |
---|---|---|---|
DCNM-SVR-11-K9 |
DCNM |
Server PID for 0$ SKU Purchase |
Not a License |
DCNM-SVR-11-K9= |
DCNM |
Server PID for 0$ SKU Purchase |
Not a License |
DCNM-LAN-N5K-K9 |
N5000 |
DCNM LAN Adv Features for Nexus 5000 |
Server-Based |
DCNM-LS-N5K-K9= |
N5000 |
DCNM LAN+SAN Adv Features for Nexus 5000 |
Server-Based |
L-DCNM-LS-N5K-K9= |
N5000 |
DCNM LAN+SAN Adv Features for Nexus 5000 eDelivery |
Server-Based |
L-DCNM-S-N5KXK9= |
N5000 |
DCNM SAN Adv Features for Nexus 5000 Switch-Based eDelivery |
Switch-Based |
L-DCNM-S-N7K-K9= |
N7000 |
DCNM SAN Adv Features License for Nexus 7000 eDelivery |
Server-Based |
N77-SBUN-P2= |
N7000 |
Includes LAN, VDC, EL2, TRS & DCNM LAN Licenses - Promotion includes DCNM-L-N77-K9-SBUN Server-License |
Server-Based |
DCNM-LAN-N77-K9 |
N7000 |
DCNM LAN Adv Features License for Nexus 7700 Server-Based |
Server-Based |
DCNM-LAN-N95-K9 |
N9500 |
DCNM LAN Adv Features License for Nexus 9500 Server-Based |
Server-Based |
L-DCNM-S-M93-K9= |
MDS9000 |
DCNM SAN Adv Features for MDS 9300 Server-Based eDelivery |
Server-Based eDelivery |
DCNM-S-M97XK9 |
MDS9000 |
DCNM SAN Adv Features for MDS 9700 Switch-Based |
Switch-Based |
DCNM-S-M97XK9= |
MDS9000 |
CNM SAN Adv Features for MDS 9700 Switch-Based |
Switch-Based |
See Cisco Data Center Network Manager 10 Data Sheet for more information.
Licensing Terminology
The following terms are used in the Licensing Guide:
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Advanced license: License that unlocks advanced features of Cisco DCNM.
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Chassis serial number: The switch serial number that is used to claim a fabric manager license by providing a valid Product Authorization Key (PAK). This serial number is the same as the Host ID of the switch.
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Evaluation license: License that is time-bound and valid for 30 days for every 20 units of the specified platform.
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Host IDs: MAC address of the Cisco DCNM server used to claim a license by providing a valid PAK or the Host ID of the switch for a switch-based license.
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License enforcement: Mechanism that prevents a feature from being used without first obtaining a license.
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License key file: Switch-specific unique file that specifies the licensed features. Each file contains digital signatures to prevent tampering and modification. License keys are required to use a licensed feature. License keys are enforced within a specified time span. You can download license keys directly from the Cisco website and send it as an email attachment.
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Licensed application: A software feature that requires a license to be used.
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Licensed feature: Permission to use a particular feature through a license file, a hardware object, or a legal contract. This permission is limited to the number of users, number of instances, time span, and the implemented switch.
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Node-locked license: License that can only be used on a particular switch that uses the unique host ID of the switch.
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Permanent license: License that is not time-bound.
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Product Authorization Key (PAK): The feature that allows you to obtain a license key from one of the sites that are listed in the proof of purchase document. After registering at the specified website, you will receive your license key file and installation instructions through an email.
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Product identifier (PID): The product ID that provides information about the product like the name, product number, and so on.
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Proof of purchase: A document that entitles its rightful owner to use licensed features on a Cisco MDS switch as described in that document. This document is also known as the claim certificate.
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Server-based license: Cisco DCNM license that is tied down to the host ID of the management or database server. It is located on the management server or the license pool.
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Switch-embedded license: Fabric manager license that is installed on the switch supervisor enabling FM_package associated with a switch serial number.
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Support: If you purchase Cisco support through a Cisco reseller, contact the reseller directly. If you purchase support directly from Cisco, contact Cisco Technical Support at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/support/tsd_cisco_worldwide_contacts.html
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Unlicensed features: Features that come at no cost as part of the product install. These features are unlocked.
Note |
The Cisco DCNM installer supports only US English. Installing a license for any locale other than US English results in an error. |
License Generation, Installation, and Assignment
License Placement and Generation
Procedure
Step 1 |
From Cisco DCNM home page, choose Administration > DCNM Server > License function to load license files and assign the license tokens to your switches as discussed earlier. |
Step 2 |
If you do not already have a license file for DCNM, generate the DEMO license for DCNM from the Cisco Product License Registration article. You must have the MAC address of the DCNM server for license generation. In order to obtain the MAC address information, enter the ipconfig /all command from the Windows command prompt window, or the su -c /sbin/ifconfig command for Linux. |
Installing Cisco DCNM Licenses
Note |
You must have network administrator privileges to complete the following procedure. Acquire the required licensing file. |
Complete these steps in order to install and assign the DCNM license:
Procedure
Step 1 |
Navigate to Administration > DCNM Server > License of the Cisco DCNM Web Client. |
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Step 2 |
Choose the Server License Files tab. The valid Cisco DCNM-LAN and DCNM-SAN devices that are licensed are displayed.
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Step 3 |
From Cisco DCNM home page, choose Administration > DCNM Server > License to load the license file. Click Add License File to Server.
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Viewing Licenses Using the Cisco DCNM Web Client
You can view the existing Cisco DCNM licenses using the Cisco Web Client. Navigate to Administration > DCNM Server > License of the Cisco DCNM Web Client.
Field |
Description |
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---|---|---|---|
File Name |
Name of the license file. |
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Feature |
Describes the feature name specified in the license file. The following values are supported:
|
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PID |
Describes the product ID found in the vendor string of the license file. For example, DCNM-N7K-K0 is an advanced feature license for Cisco Nexus 7000 series switches. |
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SAN (Free/Total) |
Lists the number of SAN licenses used and that are available. |
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LAN (Free/Total) |
Lists the number of LAN licenses used and that are available. |
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Eval Expiration |
Displays the expiry date of the license.
|
Managing Cisco DCNM Licenses
Adding Cisco Licenses
You must have network administrator privileges to complete the following procedure.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Navigate to Administration > DCNM Server > License of the Cisco DCNM Web Client. |
Step 2 |
Click on the Server License File tab. |
Step 3 |
Click Add License File. Browse to the directory where you have stored the license file and add the license file. Once the licenses are added, assign the licenses to existing switches. For switches that are yet to be discovered, licenses are automatically assigned. |
Assigning Cisco Licenses
You must have network administrator privileges to complete the following procedure.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Navigate to Administration > DCNM Server > License of the Cisco DCNM Web Client. |
Step 2 |
From the table, select the switch that you want to assign the license to. |
Step 3 |
Click Assign License. |
Unassigning Licenses to a Switch
You must have network administrator privileges to complete the following procedure.
Procedure
Step 1 |
Navigate to Administration > DCNM Server > License of the Cisco DCNM Web Client. |
Step 2 |
From the table, select the switch that you want to unassign the license. |
Step 3 |
Click Unassign License. |
Cisco DCNM Features Licensing
Cisco DCNM-LAN Features
This section includes free and licensed DCNM-LAN features. The features for which no license is required are also listed out.
LAN Feature Licenses
The following table displays the Cisco DCNM-LAN features that are free and licensed.
Feature |
DCNM Unlicensed Mode |
DCNM with Advanced Feature licenses installed |
---|---|---|
Port/Port Channel |
Yes |
Yes |
Static Port Pinning |
Yes |
Yes |
LACP |
Yes |
Yes |
VLAN 802.1q/P VLAN |
Yes |
Yes |
STP (MST, RPSVT) |
Yes |
Yes |
ACL (MAC, IP, VLAN) |
Yes |
Yes |
Port Security |
Yes |
Yes |
Traffic Storm Control |
Yes |
Yes |
IGMP Snooping |
Yes |
Yes |
AAA |
Yes |
Yes |
Environmental (HwRes Utilization with TCAM statistics) |
Yes |
Yes |
Module Temperature |
Yes |
Yes |
SPAN |
Yes |
Yes |
Discovery and Inventory |
Yes |
Yes |
Fault Management (Filtering, TCA, and actions) |
Yes |
Yes |
Traffic Statistics Reports |
Yes |
Yes |
RBAC |
Yes |
Yes |
Port Profile |
Yes |
Yes |
Template Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Web Services and Java API |
Yes |
Yes |
SMTP |
Yes |
Yes |
vPCs |
— |
Yes |
802.1X |
— |
Yes |
Gateway load-balancing protocol (GLBP) |
— |
Yes |
Object tracking |
— |
Yes |
Keychain management |
— |
Yes |
DHCP snooping |
— |
Yes |
Dynamic ARP Inspection |
— |
Yes |
ARP access control lists (ACLs) |
— |
Yes |
IP Source Guard |
— |
Yes |
Port security |
— |
Yes |
IP tunnels |
— |
Yes |
Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs) |
— |
Yes |
Logical vPC view of the Topology feature |
— |
Yes |
Display of historical statistical data |
— |
Yes |
FabricPath |
— |
Yes |
Host tracking |
— |
Yes |
Cisco DCNM-SAN Features
This section includes free and licensed DCNM-SAN features, and the SAN Client features that work with licensed fabric. The features for which no license is required are also listed out.
SAN Feature Licenses
The following table displays the Cisco DCNM-SAN features that are free and licensed.
Note |
Cisco DCNM requires licenses only for MDS 9100, MDS 9200, MDS 9300, MDS 9500, MDS 9700 Series switches, Cisco Nexus 7000, 7700, 9200, 9300, 9500, 5000, and 3000 series switches and do not require licenses for Cisco Nexus 1000v series switches. |
Feature |
DCNM Unlicensed Mode |
DCNM with Advanced Feature licenses installed |
---|---|---|
FC/FCoE/FICON/iSCSI Topology View |
Yes |
Yes |
Fabric, Device, and Summary Views |
Yes |
Yes |
Port, Switch, and fabric-level configuration |
Yes |
Yes |
Event and security management |
Yes |
Yes |
Configuration analysis tools |
Yes |
Yes |
Network diagnostic and troubleshooting tools |
Yes |
Yes |
Real-time performance monitoring |
Yes |
Yes |
One command multi-switch CLI access |
Yes |
Yes |
Device Manager |
Yes |
Yes |
Template based provisioning |
Yes |
Yes |
Gold Diagnostics |
Yes |
Yes |
Heterogeneous storage array discovery |
— |
Yes |
Scale-out federation architecture |
— |
Yes |
SAN Host Path Redundancy Analysis |
— |
Yes |
Automatic fabric failover |
— |
Yes |
VMware vCenter Plug-in |
— |
Yes |
Multiple fabric management |
— |
Yes |
Centralized management server with discovery |
— |
Yes |
Continuous health and event monitoring |
— |
Yes |
Historical performance monitoring and reporting |
— |
Yes |
Event forwarding |
— |
Yes |
DCNM proxy services |
— |
Yes |
Configuration backup, archive, and compare |
— |
Yes |
Roaming user profiles |
— |
Yes |
VMpath analytics |
— |
Yes |
Domain Dashboards |
— |
Yes |
Capacity Manager |
— |
Yes |
Event Snooze |
— |
Yes |
Reporting |
— |
Yes |
Advanced SAN Feature Licenses
The following table displays the Cisco DCNM-SAN advanced features that are free and licensed.
Feature |
Only works with licensed fabric (at least one switch licensed on the fabric) |
Licensed Switch (applies to each switch individually) |
Every Fabric Licensed (at least one switch in every fabric) |
---|---|---|---|
Vmpath Analytics (VMware discovery) |
Yes |
— |
— |
Storage Array discovery via SMI-S |
Yes |
— |
— |
SMI-S APIs -Northbound |
Yes |
— |
— |
Performance Monitoring (dashboards, views and reports) |
— |
Yes |
— |
Backup Configuration |
— |
Yes |
— |
Event Forwarding |
— |
Yes |
— |
Port Capacity Manager |
— |
Yes |
— |
Automatic Fabric Failover (requires federation) |
Yes |
— |
— |
SAN Host Path Redundancy |
— |
— |
Yes |
Health Score |
— |
— |
— |
SME |
— |
Yes |
— |
Slowdrain Analysis |
— |
— |
Yes |
Cisco DCNM-SAN Client with Licensed Fabric
The following table displays the Cisco DCNM-SAN Client features that work with licensed fabric with a minimum of one licensed switch on the fabric.
Feature |
Licensed Fabric |
Unlicensed Fabric |
---|---|---|
Multiple client open sessions |
Y |
N |
Multiple fabric open |
Y |
N |
Remote client session |
Y |
N |
Show Path |
Y |
N |
Single fabric opened locally to DCNM server, as only client session |
Y |
Y |
IOA |
Y |
N |
Wizards |
Y |
Y |
Base Unlicensed Feature
The following are the features for which no license is required.
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SAN and LAN discovery.
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Event Registration (traps/syslogs/accounting/threshold).
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Event Registration (traps/syslogs/accounting/threshold).
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Web Services (SOAP XML API).
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Federation (upto 10 DCNM servers).
-
EMC Callhome.
Restrictions on Opening an Unlicensed Fabric
The following are a few restrictions with respect to opening an unlicensed fabric. Opening a fabric from remote SAN client requires Cisco DCNM Advanced License.
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If you are using a remote Cisco DCNM SAN client, you will not be able to open any unlicensed fabric. The fabric needs to be licensed, and therefore the Cisco DCNM Essential license will not work.
-
If you are trying to open an unlicensed fabric from SAN client running on the Cisco DCNM server, you will be able to open only one unlicensed fabric at a time.
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If one instance is opened from a local SAN client, you can not open another instance of an unlicensed fabric.